[news] news item submission

[edenvick at resist.ca]

>From: "A Smith" <hamilton_injustice at hotmail.com>
>Date: September 14, 2004 19:22:16 EDT
>Subject: Hamilton Political Prisoner Needs Your Support!
>
>Please forward this to everyone you can!!!
>
>---------------------
>
>Nineteen-year-old Political Prisoner Detained in Hamilton Jail Since
>August 21st, 2004, Despite Claims of Innocence and an Air-tight Alibi
>
>---------------------
>
>On Saturday August 21st, 2004, two Hamilton police officers arrived
>at the home of nineteen-year-old Jonathan Ames to execute a warrant
>for his arrest.  The police officers told Jonathan and his friends
>and family that he was under arrest for assault with a weapon and
>two counts of failure to comply.  They refused to give any
>additional details as to what the charges stemmed from.   Shocked
>and confused by what was happening, one of Jonathan's friends
>commented, "This is like a third world country.  You come in and
>arrest him without even telling us why."   One officer responded
>saying, "No ma’am.  If this was a third world country we would have
>kicked your door in first."
>
>The next day, in court, Jonathan's friends and family learned that
>he was accused of being with three other men and throwing a rock at
>a security guard at the construction site of the Red Hill Valley
>Expressway.
>
>Jonathan has an air-tight alibi for the night this alleged incident
>took place including numerous witnesses and a bank video tape that
>helps to establish a timeline of his activities.  It took Hamilton
>police two-and-a-half weeks to even investigate his alibi, despite
>receiving information about it the day after Jonathan’s arrest.
>[Interestingly, the Deputy Police Chief told a member of the public
>that the alibi had been investigated and deemed to be unsubstantial
>the day BEFORE police actually conducted ANY interviews].
>
>Even after investigating his alibi, Jonathan remains in jail because
>the transcript of his bail hearing has not yet been released –
>despite the fact it was ready on August 27th.
>
>The police case is weak and rests entirely on the testimony of one
>guard.  There are no witnesses.  There are no photos or video tape.
>There is no physical evidence.  There weren’t even any injuries (the
>guard claims to have been hit with four 3-4” rocks from a distance
>of 10 feet and with enough force to knock him over – yet lacks even
>a bruise to substantiate this claim).  Even the guard’s own
>statement contains numerous inconsistencies.
>
>The security company had more than enough motive to frame Jonathan.
>Jonathan was one of four individuals to spend time living on a
>platform in a tree beside the construction site in an effort to stop
>the construction of the expressway.  Soon after descending from the
>tree, he was involved in a protest activity where he was severely
>beaten by guards and threatened with death.  Jonathan sustained
>tracheal bruising and swelling as a result of this attack and
>experienced difficulty breathing.  Nonetheless, Jonathan and three
>other protestors were charged with assault after one guard sprained
>his ankle and another broke his on the rock and branch-covered
>slope. (Jon told me he was personally non-violent and the guard just
>kept beating him up - Robbie)
>
>Jonathan tried to file a report against the guards, but in his
>initial attempt to do so, a police officer laughed at him and
>refused to take the report.  In the following weeks, Jonathan was
>very vocal about his intentions to pursue criminal and civil charges
>against the guards and possibly the police and the city once he was
>exonerated of the charges he was facing.
>
>Now by adding more charges to the list, including two counts of
>failing to comply, it will mean Jonathan will have to work even
>harder to clear his name.  Furthermore, these charges have allowed
>the police and the city to keep Jonathan in jail, effectively ending
>his actions in opposition to the expressway.
>
>In a city where the mayor and numerous city councillors are being
>investigated for questionable campaign contributions from local
>developers and construction companies, the imprisonment of an
>expressway opponent on such weak charges cannot be viewed as
>anything but political.
>
>Jonathan’s arbitrary and false arrest has instilled fear into many
>in the activist community in Hamilton.
>
>Understandably, Jonathan's morale is weakening every day.  Please
>send letters of support and encouragement to him at the address
>below.  If you prefer you can e-mail your letter to
>hamilton_injustice at hotmail.com and we’ll print and mail it for you.
>
>Jonathan Ames
>Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre
>165 Barton Street East
>Hamilton, ON   L8L 2W6
>CANADA
>
>If you would like more information about the actions that Jonathan
>has been involved in please visit:
>http://treesit.revolutionweb.org