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Residents accuse Modesto police of aggressive tactics at June protest, demand repeal of mask ordinance and independent review
Summary
Dozens of residents at the Community Police Review Board meeting on June 18 urged the board to press for an independent investigation into arrests at a recent downtown protest, repeal Modesto Municipal Code 4‑23.02 (cloth‑mask prohibition), and seek dismissal of charges against those arrested.
Dozens of residents told the Community Police Review Board on June 18 that Modesto Police Department officers used aggressive, ICE‑style tactics to detain people at a downtown protest the prior weekend and urged board members to press the city for change.
Speakers described unmarked vehicles, officers in tactical gear and arrests of protesters who they said were peacefully exercising First Amendment rights. "They dragged them into a vehicle and sped off," Priscilla said of what she witnessed, and several speakers said officers confiscated megaphones, pointed guns and failed to identify themselves or explain why people were arrested.
The public comments focused on four recurring demands: repeal Modesto Municipal Code 4‑23.02 (the city provision that restricts cloth masks at public demonstrations), an independent investigation or audit of police conduct during the protest, prompt…
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