Father of injured protest marcher speaks
Submitted on Tue, 08/14/2007 - 1:49pm
Disclaimer - The image pictured to the right did not appear in the original article, we have added it here to provide a visual perspective.
By Brandie Jefferson - Providence Journal, August 14, 2007
The father of a 22-year-old who was injured Saturday during a labor union protest in North Providence has flown in from Nebraska and says his daughter is doing “as well as can be expected.”
Alexandra Svoboda suffered serious injuries after an encounter with the North Providence police during the protest outside a restaurant.
Scott Svoboda said he will not be outside during a planned vigil this afternoon at Rhode Island Hospital, where his daughter is listed as in “good” condition in the Intensive Care Unit.
He’ll be inside with Alexandra, who has already had one operation to reattach a detached fibula (calf bone), and will be having another to reattach severed arteries and relieve pressure from accumulating fluids, Scott said.
"I’m amazed at the support and the rallying around this incident for Alex," he said.
"She’s a very passive individual, not the type that would strike out at a police officer ... she respects law, and respects her right to protest."
He added, "I respect her right to protest as well."
He said his daughter called from the hospital on Sunday, after her first surgery “with just enough information to scare the living daylights out of me.”
Alexandra, who works at a restaurant, was protesting outside Jacky’s Galaxie restaurant Saturday with the Industrial Workers of the World. The IWW says the restaurant does business with Dragon Land Trading, a New York-based restaurant supplier that the union says has violated labor laws.
The restaurant's owner said Monday that he had ceased doing business with the supplier targeted by the marchers.
In a statement, the IWW says police told the protesters to move to the sidewalk. After first ignoring the order, the protesters began to move. As they did, police surrounded them and began making arrests.
Svoboda and her friend, Jason Friedmutter, were arrested. She faces charges of assaulting an officer, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. Friedmutter was released shortly after his arrest, according to Mike Brey, spokesman for the IWW, and faces minor charges.
A spokesman for the Industrial Workers of the World says the labor union will be meeting with attorneys Thursday to discuss what action the group will take.
“I can’t comment on what we have in store, but we will be filing complaints and trying to gain compensation for Alex and for her injuries,” Brey said.
Brey said the union is planning an anti-police brutality rally in North Providence on Aug. 26. He said he was shocked at what he saw Saturday.
“Many of us have been to larger protests, and even with riot police, none of us had ever seen an injury like (Svboda’s) in our entire lives,” he said.
North Providence police say they will release a statement later today.
See freelance photos of the protest, posted here.