At least eight Lawrence anarchists, four men and four women, are among the roughly 1,700 protesters arrested so far at the Republican National Convention in New York City, local anarchists say.

“People are definitely worried about police brutality. The New York Police are notorious for brutality,” said Lawrence anarchist Vanessa Hays, who was busy Wednesday answering a hot line in Lawrence to help raise bail money for the people arrested. “Fortunately, we have gotten reports from our friends that they haven’t been beaten or anything, that they’re in good shape … We’re worried here, but we’re trying to keep a positive outlook.”

Police lead unidentified Lawrence anarchists into a waiting van outside Bryant Park in New York City. Hundreds of protesters were arrested Tuesday as the Republican National Convention continued.

Official confirmation of the arrests wasn’t available, and the local group refused to disclose names of those they say were arrested.

But members of the Lawrence contingent appear in an Associated Press photograph taken Tuesday. The photo shows police leading the Lawrence anarchists, handcuffed, into a prisoner-transport van among a group of other protesters.

Repeated phone calls Wednesday afternoon and evening to a New York City jail booking-information line resulted in a constant busy signal.

The total number of Lawrence protesters going to New York was estimated to be between 12 and 20.

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Seven of the eight Lawrence protesters were said to have been arrested Tuesday, a planned day of action in which police arrested more than 1,000 people, according to wire reports.

“It was the big day of action, and I think that’s why police were much more present and forceful yesterday than they had been prior to that point,” said Claven Snow, another Lawrence anarchist who said he had been in communication with the arrested group.

Snow said the protesters had been held overnight without food, water or toilet facilities. He said he didn’t know what kinds of protests members of the group had planned.

“We have kind of a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy within the community. If somebody is planning any given activity, whether it’s legal or not, we’re on a ‘need-to-know’ basis,” he said.

The eighth person was arrested Sunday, then released without having to post bail, local anarchists said.

Hays said she didn’t have detailed information about the arrests. And she said she didn’t have authority to release names.

“People had specific circumstances that they wanted their parents or bosses informed only if they were seriously injured or were going to be in jail for a long time,” she said. “We’re not going to compromise anybody’s lifestyle by releasing their names.”

Local anarchists, who have been communicating by phone with some of the arrestees and others at the scene, said they got news of the arrests in a phone call about 7 p.m. Tuesday. About 10 a.m. Wednesday, they got another call saying they had been taken from a holding area at Pier 57 to a booking facility.

They were beginning to be booked Wednesday afternoon, Hays said.