http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0328peoplemarch-city.html
Mayor says he will not apologize
Ginger D. Richardson and William Hermann The Arizona Republic Mar. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon stood firm Monday and said that the organizers of Friday's 20,000-person march against immigration legislation should have worked more closely with the city before taking to the streets.
Some event organizers demanded an apology from the mayor during a Sunday-evening news conference, saying his comments immediately after the protest were insulting and insensitive.
The mayor had said the marchers, who spilled into the roadways and crippled business and traffic along 24th Street, did not exercise good judgment and behaved shamefully.
On Monday, he refused to apologize, adding that he takes his responsibilities as mayor "very seriously" and that he "will always focus on public safety without regret."
Phoenix officials say the marchers jeopardized their own, and the general public's, safety by grossly underestimating the number of participants. The city had been prepared for about 3,000 protesters and had to pull police officers from other sectors to help maintain order and aid traffic flow.
"Those parts of the city didn't have coverage," Councilman Greg Stanton said. "No one is trying to stifle people's desire to make a political statement, but . . . we really need people to do a better job working with (us)."
The department eventually had about 125 officers assigned to the demonstration, police Sgt. Andy Hill said.
It was unclear Monday just which of the event's organizers wanted the mayor to apologize and what would be done if he didn't.
Some, like Alfredo Gutierrez, indicated that they were just eager to move forward and "do it better next time."
"We authorized no one to ask for an apology and we authorized no one to offer an apology on our behalf," said Gutierrez, a Latino activist and popular talk-radio host, who praised the city and its police department.
City officials said they will meet before Friday with the organizers of a planned April 10 rally to discuss crowd size and logistics.