Rally against illegal immigration ends with arrest and chaos in Hamblen Co.

Rally against illegal immigration ends with arrest and chaos in Hamblen Co.

June 24, 2006

By SONU WASU
6 News Reporter

MORRISTOWN (WATE) -- A rally that was supposed to be peaceful ended with chaos Saturday afternoon outside the Hamblen County courthouse.

Things got testy for a while as police tried to stop a disabled veteran from carrying an American flag onto courthouse grounds. 

Teddy Mitchell, 62, was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Police say the flag pole he carried was too sharp and they did not want him to take it onto courthouse grounds. 

Organizers of the group Citizens for Legal Immigration say they had received permission to peacefully take a stand against illegal immigrants. They say they were surprised to see the overwhelming police presence when they arrived.

A Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesperson, Lt. Glenn Cantwell, told 6 News troopers were prepared for the worst. 

"You never know who may show up to these things," he said. 

Authorities had received word that the Tennessee Minutemen and Ku Klux Klan members might show up to protest. Morristown Police Chief Roger Overholt asked THP to assist.

Lt. Cantwell says there were about 80 armed officers at the scene. They included officers from Morristown, a police SWAT team, Hamblen County deputies, THP officers, and a police helicopter.

Officers barricaded public parking lots around the courthouse.

Rally organizers say the show of force was intimidating. They tried to go on with their scheduled speeches, but said their public address system was not working because they had no electricity.

Organizer Audrey Lowe told 6 News the city and county violated the group's First Amendment rights. "One hundred percent violated," she said. "Our freedom of speech was violated. Our freedom of peaceful assembly was violated. Our freedom to fly our flag, the U.S. flag, on the public courthouse lawn was violated today-- big time."

Rally organizers moved to the VFW building on Highway 11E to continue their protest. They say they did not feel welcome outside the courthouse.

At least one rally organizer now plans to file a federal lawsuit against the city and county.

Hamblen County commissioner Tom Lowe says the action police took was a violation of the group's First Amendment rights. 

"I am 95 percent sure that I and other members of the group, we'll all file a federal lawsuit against the city and the county and anybody else involved in shutting us down," Lowe said.

Mitchell, the man who was arrested, posted a $3,000 bond and has been released from jail.