AMBRIDGE, Pa. — Cell phone video shows the arrests of two people who went to the Borough of Ambridge to protest and observe an ICE operation in the community.
Ambridge officers were also there that night, and their police chief called the operation a “saturation patrol.”
Leaders with Casa San Jose, a Hispanic resource center in the city, put out a call to supporters and volunteers to show up in Ambridge to observe and protest the arrests.
Two of the people who showed up were Isaac Elias and Katie Melson. They were arrested that night.
According to a lawsuit, Elias was arrested for carrying a sign that said “No justice, no peace,” and chanting the word “shame.”
As for Melson, she was arrested for disorderly conduct and harassment.
Both of them had to stay the night in jail, and claim they weren’t able to call their attorneys.
Melson had an attorney with her outside the police department.
In the suit, their attorney says her clients were arrested exercising their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully and were forced to spend the night in jail, secure bail bonds, and the expenses of defense attorneys for what she calls “bogus charges.”
Channel 11 has reached out to the Ambridge Borough Solicitor who offered no comment on the lawsuits but said he has informed their insurance company and council members who will likely discuss the situation at their next meeting.
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