by Maggie Ybarra
Daily Lobo
A protestor was arrested on charges of battery on a police officer at a symposium about nuclear warheads in the SUB on Friday.
Robert Anderson, 62, who is a Central New Mexico Community College professor, former UNM professor and local antiwar activist, pleaded not guilty on Sunday to the charge.
The symposium was held to discuss the future of the U.S. nuclear weapons program and the development of new warheads.
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The event was sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories, UNM and Women in International Security.
Anderson told the audience he was protesting the event because it encouraged the creation of nuclear weapons, and the panel members did not represent diverse opinions.
The panel included at least three members of Sandia National Laboratories and a member of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Members of Stop the War Machine, including Anderson, set up a table with posters and bumper stickers outside the Santa Ana room where the symposium was held.
The group is dedicated to educating the public about the military-industrial complex, according to the group's Web site.
Vera Norwood, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said in an interview Sunday that she told the protestors they were allowed to have the table and participate in the symposium. However, they were not allowed to bring signs into the room, she said.
"I told him (Anderson) they were welcome to do whatever they wanted outside the room," she said. "But inside the room, there would be a series of presentations, which a lot of people had come to hear."
About 80 people attended the event.
When the presentation was about to start, Anderson and student Andrew Marcum began shouting questions to the speaker, Norwood said.
The student was holding a sign that read "Educate for peace,
not war."
Norwood told Anderson several times to stop interrupting the presentation, or he would have
to leave.
UNM Police arrived to ask Anderson and Marcum to leave
the room.
The student left, but Anderson refused.
When the officers tried to pull Anderson from the room, he struggled against them.
"I wasn't trying to fight back," Anderson said Saturday. "I was trying to make a statement, and he (a police officer) was pushing me to not be able to speak, and somebody hit me in the side."
Three officers pinned Anderson to the ground and pulled him out of the room.
Several people walked out of the room after Anderson was
arrested.
Lilly Rendt, a person who walked out, said she was disappointed in the police officer's
behavior.
"That's the biggest charade I've ever seen," Rendt said. "I thought this was supposed to be a
university."
Marcum could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
Anderson said the police never told him he was under arrest.
"Nobody ever read my rights at any time," Anderson said.
Lt. Patrick Davis, UNM Police spokesman, said the police followed standard procedure.
"They only provide Miranda rights when the person is in custody and they need to ask questions," he said. "And in this case, we didn't need to ask questions, so we didn't read him his rights."
Davis said the police report would not be available over the weekend.
Anderson said he doesn't know how the incident is going to affect his teaching position at CNM.
This is the most serious charge he has faced, Anderson said.
"I've done a lot of political free speech and advocacy work," Anderson said. "But I've never been charged with anything like this."
Anderson said Norwood singled him out and warned him that protesting would not be allowed.
"I said, 'So you mean free speech and academic freedom and permission to protest doesn't exist here,'" Anderson said. "And she said, 'Right.'"
Norwood said that conversation never took place.
"That's ridiculous," she said. "I never would have said anything like that."
Anderson said he was released Saturday morning from the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center on a $5,000 bond.
If convicted, he could face up to 18 months in prison.
-Caleb Fort contributed to this report.
