Several protesters arrested during traffic stop in Vacaville
(Open Street Maps)
Vacaville police arrested several individuals who protested near a traffic stop in the city’s downtown district on Sunday.
The arrests appeared to be connected to a meal distribution and park cleanup event that was held in place of a weekly anti-police protest by the grassroots group Voices of VV.
Anticipating inclement weather, the group said they would conduct the park cleanup and meal distribution event to benefit Vacaville’s homeless popupation instead of their weekly demonstration, which usually starts at the park and ends near the Vacaville Police Department’s headquarters and City Hall.
The decision to swap events came one week after a splinter group associated with the organization vandalized the city buildings, resulting in $20,000 to $30,000 in structural damage, according to a city spokesperson.
During the meal distribution event, several undercover Vacaville police officers kept watch on the group, conducting on-ground and aerial surveillance, according to dispatches reviewed by Solano NewsNet.
As the event started to conclude, the surveillance team began collecting license plate numbers and other identifying information of the event’s participants, then began collaborating to establish “probable cause” that is legally needed to conduct enforcement stops.
In at least one case, Vacaville police cited an air freshener hanging from a rear-view mirror as the reason behind a traffic enforcement stop along Butcher Road near Alamo Drive. Police collected information from the driver and passengers inside the vehicle before they were released.
In another case, police collected the license plate numbers of individuals associated with the National Lawyers Guild, a public interest group that regularly counsels individuals who are detained during protests.
But it was a traffic stop along Cernon Street that stirred the ire of a handful of cleanup participants, with several individuals gathering around the pulled-over vehicle in protest.
Around 4:30 p.m., a Vacaville police official gave approval for a mobile force team to issue a lawful dispersal order to the group. The group moved down a nearby street before returning to the scene around 20 minutes later.
At 4:50 p.m., a police official ordered the mobile force team to begin carrying out arrests. At least four protesters were taken into custody and their cellphones confiscated for evidence collection, according to dispatches.
The individuals were not identified as of Sunday evening.
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