Carrboro Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison stands by the arrest of a participant in Saturday's "Guerilla Gardening" protest against CVS and says criticism of the department has hurt officer morale. (See our earlier post here.)

"Yeah, absolutely it hurts morale," Hutchison said in an interview today. "We continue to do the right thing. We focus on our roles and responsibilities as police officers and enforce the laws ... despite the lack of support."

Carrboro Commune and some members of the Board of Aldermen have criticized or questioned police for arresting a man chalking in a traffic lane on West Weaver Street, saying that police arrested him to send a message.

Hutchison said she ordered the arrest -- he was charged with impeding traffic, a misdemeanor -- and takes responsibility for it. She says she did want to send a message, as she had announced the department would do last week, that protesters would be charged if they broke the law.  But Hutchison says police also gave the protester multiple warnings, which he ignored.

"I made the decision because his behavior warranted it," Hutchison said. "He placed himself in harm's way, and I elected to stop him from doing that. I watched him look at the vehicles (and) remain stooped in the roadway. He had an opportunity (to move). he didn't do it."

"I wanted to send a message to all people, whether they participated in the garden event or not, that unlawful behavior would be dealt with."

We are continuing to report this story for a print edition later this week. If you would like to talk with a reporter, please contact Mark Schultz at 919-932-2003 or Tammy Grubb at 336-380-1325.    

By Tammy Grubb

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen has agreed to hold a future discussion about Saturday's "guerrilla gardening" demonstration after some participants complained about the Police Department’s response.

The event was held at the corner of Weaver and North Greensboro streets to protest a proposal to build a new CVS store there. During the protest, group members lobbed “seed bombs” of clay, dirt and wildflower seeds over the fence, planted other herbs and flowers, and hung fabric chains and artwork from the trees and fence.

Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison said 22 officers patrolled the block on foot and in vehicles during the event. Officers also videotaped the event and took photos, both of the participants and observers at the scene.

Elizabeth Reeves, a member of Carrboro Commune, said the group's event was “an exciting and filling experience,” but criticized the Police Department’s “tactics of intimidation.”

“I say that this is menacing because law enforcement in the United States has a dark history of using footage to single out and target activists for arrest and undermine social movements. We have no idea why this footage is being shot, with whom it is being shared and for what purpose,” she said.

By Tammy Grubb

Police hope to avoid arrests at a demonstration against a downtown CVS drugstore this weekend.  

A group of anti-capitalist activists who briefly occupied the planned store’s site last month have scheduled a “Guerilla Gardening” protest there Saturday.

Carrboro Commune has billed the event as a way to take back the community “commons” that has “been fenced in, boarded up, roped off, and declared ‘off-limits.’" According to its flier, private property is land that has been stolen, and “Earth and its abundance belong to everyone; it can be owned by no one, only maintained for the common good.”

Carrboro Police Chief Carolyn Hutchison said she’s certain CVS doesn’t see it that way. CVS officials had the site fenced in Feb. 10 in response to the Feb. 4 occupation of the former WCOM radio station building. The building, which was boarded up, now sports slashes of white paint covering recent graffiti.

Hutchison said Carrboro Commune is welcome to protest as long as everyone stays on the sidewalk and out of the street. Anyone crossing the fence onto CVS property at 201 N. Greensboro St. will be warned to leave before officers start charging people with first-degree trespass, she said. Anyone who damages the fence, the building or land will be charged with damage to real property, she added.

“I really hope that people would respect those laws, but even if they don’t, we will enforce those laws,” she said.

A group of demonstrators that briefly occupied a building at 201 N. Greensboro St. Saturday say they'll plant a garden on the property to protest a CVS store planned for the site.

The group called Carrboro Commune includes members of the local anarchist community and Occupy Chapel Hill-Carrboro movements. On Monday, Occupy said it did not endorse the building takeover, which ended when police ordered the demonstrators out or said they would arrest them. (Read that story here.) 

On Sunday, demonstrators huddled in the cold outside the building and decided to plant the garden as the next step in their protest against the 24-hour drug store, which would replace the CVS across the street in the Carr Mill Mall shopping center. They plan to announce the "guerilla gardening" project at a meeting with developers at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Town Hall.  The developers plan to present the latest version of their plans for the store at the meeting.