​Phoenix police were forced to use pepper-spray on a group of demonstrators protesting the American Legislative Exchange Council at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in northeast Phoenix this afternoon when the activists raised a little hell in front of the resort.

In at least one instance, a protester attacked police -- who were decked-out in full riot gear -- with a pole that had nails and screws sticking out of it.

Many of the protesters are part of the "Occupy Phoenix" movement that's (sort of) been going on in downtown Phoenix for nearly two months.

The "occupiers," however, were relatively well behaved, sources who were at the protest tell New Times. Some of their friends, on the other hand, were the main cause of the disturbance.

"Unfortunately a few Anarchist have joined the occupied movement and crowds tried to push their way through the police line on to the resort property," Phoenix Sergeant Trent Crump says. "OC spray was deployed twice on aggressive groups, which was effective in stopping their actions."

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Activists picketed in front of New Times' Phoenix offices this afternoon in protest of our parent company, Village Voice Media's, classified ad website Backpage.com.

The activists feel the website facilitates sex trafficking. More on the protest here.

VVM publications across the country have published articles disproving the myths surrounding sex-trafficking statistics -- links to these articles can be found below.

Valley videographer Dennis Gilman captured on film what turned out to be a tame demonstration involving from 15 to 20 protesters over a two-hour period. Gilman's video is posted above.

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James King

This was the scene outside of New Times' downtown Phoenix offices this afternoon.

​From 15 to 20 protesters picketed New Times' downtown Phoenix offices today in protest of Backpage.com, a classified ad website owned by our parent company, Village Voice Media.

"Slavery is an outrage, stop the traffic Backpage," the protesters yelled at passing cars.

The collaboration of special-interest groups protesting called themselves the "11.16 Coalition," and included activists from the Frederick Douglas Foundation, the National Organization of Women, and a group calling itself "Southern Arizona Against Slavery."

A similar protest, drawing about 50 people, was staged outside our sister paper, the Village Voice, in New York City.

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