FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Anna Núñez, ACLU of Texas, 713-942-8146, Ext. 110, [email protected]
On June 7, 2015, more than 500 individuals rallied in downtown Waco to protest the continued detainment of bikers arrested during the May 17 shootout at Twin Peaks restaurant—many of whom were jailed without charge. The following statement can be attributed to Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas:
"While all the facts of this tragic incident are still unclear, we do know that if any of the more than 170 arrests were based solely on membership in a group, the Constitution demands more, including probable cause. Mere membership in a group should never be the basis of an arrest. And dragnet arrests raise the specter of overzealous police work, just like we’ve seen at our border and in cities around the country.
"Overzealous and abusive police work is but one facet of the multiple fissures in our criminal justice system. From the manner in which our communities are policed, to the way people are processed and prosecuted: It’s time to reform a criminal justice system that disparately targets and ensnares certain groups and minorities. Based on news reports, many of these bikers remain jailed without charges, bonds set, or arraignments. We call on the Waco Police Department to release a detailed report on what triggered their response, the rationale for detaining such a large number of these bikers, and the reasons for keeping many of them locked up without charge.”
