Fund-Raiser Brings Out Bush Protesters

Riot police fired pepper spray at hundreds of protesters and hit some with batons Thursday night after ordering them to move from an area near a hotel where President Bush attended a fund-raiser.

Protesters hammered on the hoods of police cars as pepper spray wafted through the air. Earlier, several hundred demonstrators marched toward the Hilton hotel after Bush’s arrival there.

Protesting the president’s foreign policy, they chanted “Drop Bush, Not Bombs.”

Supporters of Bush in formal attire were jostled and taunted by protesters as they arrived for a fund-raiser for the reelection campaign of Sen. Gordon Smith. After elbowing through demonstrators, the VIPs were checked by Secret Service agents before they were allowed inside the hotel.

Police ordered about 500 protesters to move from a barricaded area. Riot police wearing helmets then entered the area, pushing activists with their batons, knocking some down. Police then fired aerosol canisters of pepper spray at the protesters.

“We’ve had a number of items thrown at our officers over the last few hours,” police spokesman Brian Schmautz said.

Police also used pepper spray after about 150 demonstrators blocked vehicle access to Morrison Bridge.

Three protesters were arrested, police spokesman Henry Groepper said.

One police officer injured her wrist when protesters pushed a barricade she was standing near, Groepper said. Two patrol cars were damaged.

Many of the protesters criticized a new forest initiative announced earlier in the day by Bush that would make it easier for timber companies to cut wood from fire-prone national forests.

“My concern is that he has absolutely no morals about protecting our environment,” said Joanne Marron, a teacher with a master’s degree in ecology.

“The new policy is classic doublespeak,” said Kenneth Kreuschu, 24, also from Cascadia Forest Alliance.

“It has been shown time and again that more cutting leads to more fire. The new policy is a hoax.”

Some of the activists also were worried about a possible war with Iraq.

“I don’t think any American boys’ lives are worth a barrel of oil,” said Rob Moitoza, 57, who carried a sign that said: “Vets Against Bush.”

Moitoza said he served two years in the Navy aboard an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War and fears a much worse conflict if U.S. troops are sent to Iraq.

“If he [Bush] starts a war against Iraq, it will be to get reelected,” Moitoza said. “All he cares about is wealth and power.”