Immigrant Rights Activist Arrested at Drywall Worker Demonstration

Nativo Lopez, national co-director of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, an immigrant rights’ organization with a branch in Santa Ana, was among three people arrested Tuesday by police for allegedly refusing to disperse at a demonstration of striking drywall workers.

Lopez said he was arrested on misdemeanor counts of obstructing a police officer, obstructing a street and refusing to disperse. He was released after posting $500 bail.

According to Hermandad officials, Lopez and two others were arrested as demonstrators were moving to clear an entrance to a construction site near Velare Street and Orange Avenue. The work site is the same location where police in riot gear last week were confronted by an angry crowd of about 150 drywall workers.

But police had a different version of events. Sgt. Jeff Roush said Lopez and the other two men arrested had refused to comply with officers’ orders to clear the street as a bus tried to pass them.

The other two men are Juan Antonio Segura, 19, of Fullerton and Victor Munoz Miranda, 19, of Santa Ana.

During a telephone interview after his release, Lopez accused the police of overreacting.

He said that as a bus carrying non-striking drywall workers was trying to enter the work site, police ordered protesters to disperse or face arrest.

“I turned to the group of men and started telling the men to disperse when a lieutenant ordered his men forward. I got caught in between the police and the strikers and three officers pulled me out of the crowd and arrested me,” Lopez said.