OLYMPIA, Washington – Nine more people were arrested in protests against the delivery of Iraq-bound military vehicles to the Port of Olympia, bringing the total arrested to 16 in three days, police said.
Demonstrators blocked a street to prevent a convoy from reaching the port Wednesday. In contrast to the quiet arrests of six people Tuesday and one Monday, scuffling, shouting and screaming arose as some protesters were carried to a van.
"The level of the force we use is pretty much based on the response of the individual we're dealing with. We don't use any more than is necessary," police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad said.
The first of about 20 convoys began arriving Monday from Fort Lewis, between Tacoma and Olympia, with vehicles from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
The unit, the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team, has about 4,000 soldiers and is being sent to Iraq next month, said Joseph W. Hitt, a Fort Lewis spokesman.
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