Albuquerque police face hundreds of protesters

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/30/albuquerque-police-protests/7094819/

Russell Contreras, Associated Press 3:42 a.m. EDT March 31, 2014

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) — A protest over deadly police shootings turned from peaceful into "mayhem," Albuquerque's mayor said late Sunday, as officers in riot gear clashed with demonstrators.

People are angry over Albuquerque police's involvement in 37 shootings, 23 of them fatal since 2010. Critics say that's far too many for a department serving a city of about 555,000.

The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating the department for more than a year, looking into complaints of civil rights violations and allegations of excessive use of force.

Alexander Siderits, 23, said he was participating because he was "fed up" with how police treat citizens. "It has reached a boiling point, and people just can't take it anymore," he said.

An Associated Press reporter saw gas canisters being thrown and Albuquerque police and Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies charging at the crowds, which had mostly dispersed by late Sunday

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