[Onthebarricades] Repression news, USA, Apr-Aug 2008

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES:  Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/

*  Pakistani faces trial in America
[A non-American, arrested outside America, for an alleged crime outside 
America, with no evidence and probably a victim of prolonged human rights 
abuses, on trial in New York?!]
*  And they want to do it again, this time for actions in Britain
*  Detroit teachers fired for protesting
*  Protesters could be jailed for peaceful protest...  rightists cheer on 
state aggression
*  Offer to drop charges in Sean Bell protests
*  After Olympia Mayday unrest: outpouring of anti-protest filth, protesters 
appear in court
*  Maine peace activists acquitted by jury - resisting illegal war is not a 
crime
*  FBI recruiting infiltrators for Republican Convention protests
*  Protester jailed for seven days for peaceful protest
*  34 convicted over Guantanamo Bay protest, basic rights denied
*  Twelve Guantanamo protesters jailed
*  Tibet protesters likely to avoid jail; newspaper grumbles
*  Anti-war protesters cleared
*  Gas price protester threatened with jail for further "offences"
*  Denver seeks to ban chains, other items
*  Evergreen:  most serious charges dropped, but 3 more charged, others 
sought
*  Woman jailed for wearing ordinary dress to court, later charged for 
carrying prescription medicine
*  Anti-war protesters win $2 million for wrongful arrest
*  Denver cops profile people with maps, bicycles as dangerous

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hIx6txfR3X7XD0o5UhytUhiaSI7w

Wounded Pakistani woman faces US judge
5 hours ago
NEW YORK (AFP) - A Pakistani mother who graduated from a top US university, 
then vanished five years ago, was charged in New York with attempted murder 
of US officers in Afghanistan, in a case prompting protests from her 
homeland.
Suffering from a bullet wound sustained during the alleged assault in 
Afghanistan, Aafia Siddiqui, 36, had to be helped into the New York 
courtroom Tuesday to face murder and assault charges.
A petite and frail figure wrapped in a maroon scarf, Siddiqui shook her head 
in apparent bewilderment as the judge read out the criminal complaint.
She had been flown from Afghanistan into New York's JFK Airport Monday after 
being formally arrested earlier that day, officials and her lawyers said.
US officials claim Siddiqui, who studied neuroscience in the United States 
during the 1990s, before returning home to Pakistan, is an Al-Qaeda 
operative.
On July 18 she allegedly seized a US serviceman's rifle during interrogation 
in Afghanistan and opened fire.
Her transfer from Afghanistan to Manhattan is painted by officials as an 
example of the United States' long reach in a "war on terror."
But defense lawyers say Siddiqui has for the past five years been held 
captive -- possibly in a secret US or allied prison -- and that attempted 
murder charges were invented as a pretext to bring her to US territory.
The defense asserts that Siddiqui, an honors graduate from the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology (MIT), was physically incapable of assaulting 
officers at an Afghan police station, as alleged.
"Picture this woman, who is very tiny, and ask yourself how she engaged in 
armed conflict with six military men," said defense lawyer Elaine Whitfield 
Sharp.
"It's not plausible. It's not credible and there's nothing to support it," 
Elizabeth Fink, another lawyer, said. Siddiqui had suffered "enormous human 
rights violations," Fink said.
Siddiqui, who was also named in a 2004 US list of suspects linked to 
Al-Qaeda, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years prison on each charge, if 
found guilty.
She will attend a bail hearing on Monday and is scheduled for a preliminary 
hearing on August 19, when a judge will decide whether there is sufficient 
ground to hold a trial.
According to the prosecution's complaint sheet, Siddiqui was first detained 
by Afghan police on July 17 in possession of bomb-making instructions and 
suspicious liquids.
While undergoing questioning the next day she allegedly seized a US army M-4 
rifle and attacked a group of US servicemen, including two FBI agents, two 
US army officers, and army interpreters.
Allegedly she missed and was shot in return fire by a serviceman.
"Despite being shot, Siddiqui struggled with the officers when they tried to 
subdue her; she struck and kicked them while shouting in English that she 
wanted to kill Americans," the complaint reads.
Siddiqui's supporters in Pakistan say that she is the real victim and was 
likely held by US or allied forces ever since her disappearance, along with 
her three young children, in Karachi in 2003.
"What a mockery that after five years in detention Aafia is suddenly 
discovered in Afghanistan," her younger sister Fauzia Siddiqui told a news 
conference in Karachi.
"Aafia was tortured for five years until one day US authorities announce 
that they have found her in Afghanistan," her sister claimed.
Her lawyer, Sharp, said Siddiqui had no idea of who held her and where. She 
said her client was abused during her confinement without indicating how.
"She's very traumatized, very fragile. She doesn't know where her children 
are," Sharp said.
Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, has lodged a 
request with US authorities for consular access to Siddiqui, the state-run 
Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
Siddiqui is a devout Muslim, according to her lawyers, and while living in 
the United States took active part in fund raising for the kind of Islamic 
charities Washington claims provide cover for Al-Qaeda funding.
She also has a long relationship with the United States. On graduating from 
MIT she took a doctorate in neuro-cognitive science at Brandeis University, 
near Boston.
US media reports have referred, erroneously, to her being a trained 
biologist, with skills applicable to making biological weapons.
She returned to Pakistan in late 2002 after divorcing her husband, who was 
briefly detained and questioned by the FBI in the wake of the September 11, 
2001 attacks.
Between her divorce and disappearance she is reported to have married a 
nephew of the alleged September 11 mastermind, Khaled Sheikh Mohammed.
However, defense lawyers question this and say any information extracted 
from Mohammed is tainted because he was tortured while being held by the 
CIA.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4628575.ece

August 29, 2008
British hacker Gary McKinnon in final appeal to Home Secretary over 
extradition

(Dave Bebber/The Times)
Gary McKinnon is due to be extradited to the United States within two weeks 
and faces up to 80 years in prison
David Brown
A UFO enthusiast who hacked into top-secret US military computers appealed 
to the Home Secretary yesterday to stop his extradition after losing a legal 
appeal.
Gary McKinnon is due to be extradited to the United States within two weeks 
and could face a sentence of up to 80 years in a maximum-security prison if 
found guilty. He admits to having accessed 97 US Navy, Army, Nasa and 
Pentagon computers in what has been described as "the biggest computer hack 
of all time".
Mr McKinnon, 42, an unemployed systems analyst, has said that he was looking 
for computer files containing details about UFOs and aliens. The US 
Government says that he stole passwords, deleted files and left threatening 
messages.
Mr McKinnon, of Palmers Green, North London, admitted carrying out the hacks 
using a computer in the bedroom of a house owned by his girlfriend's aunt. 
He says that he was motivated by curiosity and gained entry only because of 
lax security.
Related Links
'Biggest ever hacker' loses US extradition appeal
Briton faces US court for hacking charges
He had asked the European Court of Human Rights to stay his extradition 
pending an appeal, but the application was refused yesterday. He lost 
appeals to the High Court last year and to the House of Lords last month.
US prosecutors allege that he caused nearly $1 million (£550,000) in damage. 
The US military says that he rendered 300 computers at a US Navy weapons 
station unusable immediately after the September 11 attacks.
Mr McKinnon had become obsessed with a theory that the US was using alien 
technologies to create weapons and "free energy". He gave up his job and 
spent hours every night hacking in search of evidence.
He hacked into 53 US Army computers and 26 US Navy computers, including 
those at US Naval Weapons Station Earle in New Jersey, which is responsible 
for replenishing munitions and supplies for the Atlantic Fleet. Calling 
himself Solo, he left a threatening message: "US foreign policy is akin to 
government-sponsored terrorism these days? It was not a mistake that there 
was a huge security stand-down on September 11 last year . . . I am SOLO. I 
will continue to disrupt at the highest levels."
He was caught in November 2002 as he tried to download a grainy 
black-and-white photograph that he believed was of an alien craft held on a 
Nasa computer in the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas. He was easily 
traced by the authorities because he used his girlfriend's e-mail account.
Mark Summers, an official representing the US Government, said that Mr 
McKinnon's hacking was "intentional and calculated to influence and affect 
the US Government by intimidation and coercion".
If extradited, Mr McKinnon faces trial on eight charges of computer fraud. 
Each charge could carry a sentence of ten years in jail and a $250,000 fine. 
It is likely that he would receive a much lighter sentence and that, under a 
plea bargain offer, he would spend six to 12 months in a US jail before 
being returned to Britain to serve the rest of his sentence.
Mr McKinnon has previously said: "What I did was illegal and wrong, and I 
accept I should be punished. But I am not a member of al-Qaeda. I believe my 
case is being treated so seriously because they're scared of what I've seen. 
I'm living in a surreal, nutter's film."
He has suggested that the US authorities should take advantage of his 
expertise rather than prosecute him. "The reason I left not just one note, 
but multiple notes on multiple desk-tops, was to say 'Look, this is 
ridiculous'."
Karen Todner, from Kaim Todner solicitors, said that Mr McKinnon was 
"distraught" about the decision by the European Court of Human Rights and 
appealed to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, to intervene. "He is terrified 
by the prospect of going to America," she said.
Ms Todner added that the alleged offences had been committed on British soil 
and so he should be tried here. She also said that Mr McKinnon had recently 
been found to have Asperger's syndrome

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/SCHOOLS/806200407/1026/rss06

Friday, June 20, 2008
2 Detroit teachers fired after protest
Jennifer Mrozowski / The Detroit News
Two Detroit Public Schools math teachers were fired Thursday following their 
participation in a raucous protest against school closings last year, in 
which some students said police used a chemical spray on them.
Heather Miller and Steve Conn, who are married, participated in a May 1, 
2007, protest along with students and members of the group By Any Means 
Necessary. They have been on administrative leave since June 2007.
Board President Carla Scott said the teachers allowed students to be placed 
in harm's way. The students, she said, were taken to protest at schools that 
were not listed on their permission slips.
The two teachers learned at the start of the school year they were on unpaid 
administrative leave. It's unclear who ordered that the two would not be 
paid. Their salaries were reinstated in October and it was then that the 
district charged them with misconduct and sought termination.
A judge ruled last week that the teachers faced retaliation by Detroit 
Public Schools for their participation in the protest and that they must be 
reinstated and receive back pay.
Doyle O'Connor, administrative law judge of the Michigan Employment 
Relations Commission, blasted the school district's actions in his 26-page 
ruling and ordered the district to cease interfering with employees' rights 
to pursue grievances, hold union office or participate in lawful public 
protests.
The teachers' attorney, George Washington, said they will sue the district.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/policebeat.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-07-02-0136.html

Protest may lead to time in jail
The 'Tredegar 12' face trial July 29 but maybe not repayment

Wednesday, Jul 02, 2008 - 12:08 AM
A protester rappels from the Belle Island Bridge as police wait for him on 
the ground. (MICHAEL MARTZ/RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH)
By MICHAEL MARTZ
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
First came the cause.
Now come the consequences.
Twelve political activists could face time in jail for their parts in a 
protest that blockaded the entrance to Dominion Resources' corporate 
headquarters in downtown Richmond on Monday.
However, they may be spared from repaying the city for police, fire and 
rescue costs in responding to the protest. The protest blocked Tredegar 
Street at Dominion's gate beneath the Lee Bridge and caused a traffic jam at 
morning rush hour that reached to the Powhite Parkway.
Police and fire officials said they don't have estimates of their costs and 
will not pursue recovery. "We don't want to give them that much credit," 
said Richmond police spokeswoman Karla Peters.
The "Tredegar 12" will face trial July 29 in the traffic division of 
Richmond General District Court on charges of obstruction of justice and 
blocking a rescue vehicle during the protest, which was aimed at Dominion 
Virginia Power's plans to build a $1.8 billion coal-fired power plant in 
Southwest Virginia. The state issued the air-pollution permits for the 
project last week.
Also on Monday, Dominion Virginia Power began construction of the plant in 
Wise County and also announced that it will attempt to build a third nuclear 
reactor at its North Anna power plant in Louisa County, which was a 
secondary target of this week's protest.
"We didn't mean to cause any harm to the city," said Marley Green, a 
22-year-old college student from Harrisonburg, in statement released by the 
group. "We felt the action was a necessary step that had to take place."
Green was the most visible player in the protest, which began by surprise 
Monday at 7 a.m. He dangled in a climber's harness from the pedestrian 
footbridge to Belle Isle for more than two hours, while four other 
protesters blocked the street with their hands locked into containers of 
hardened cement.
He was the only defendant who did not qualify for a court-appointed attorney 
at a preliminary hearing yesterday before Richmond General District Judge 
Thomas O. Jones. However, Blue Ridge Earth First! spokeswoman Hannah Morgan 
said yesterday that an attorney has volunteered to represent Green without 
charge.
The four protesters who locked themselves into a human chain across the 
street are Holly E. Garrett, Kaitlyn E. Hart, Barbara Spitz and Alissa J. 
Walsh. The seven other protesters arrested in support roles are Emily 
Gillespie, Jason M. Johnson, Amber M. Keller, Lara Mack, Nottingham Parks, 
Vicente Rosa and Laura Von Dohlen.
Each of the protesters could face up to 12 months in jail on the obstruction 
charge and up to six months on the charge of interfering with a rescue 
vehicle, as well as penalties up to $2,500 and $1,000 respectively.
Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring said yesterday that he 
will seek jail time for the protesters and said he wants to send the right 
message with the prosecution.
"There has to be a proper balance between the constitutional rights of 
expression on one hand, and public order and property on the other," he 
said. "If a stay at the hot, uncomfortable city jail isn't a deterrent, I 
don't know that other penalties may be, either."
Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or mmartz at timesdispatch.com
Posted July 03, 2008 @ 05:42 PM by Anonymous
"There will be no revolution so long as we want the trains to run on time." 
If people were never willing to be a few hours late to work, miss a few 
classes, or even spend some time in jail, African-Americans might still be 
considered second-class citizens. If a traffic jam is what it takes to get 
people to start thinking about the destruction of the planet and the 
exploitation of coal field residents, then you might want to grab a cup of 
coffee and wait it out.

Posted July 03, 2008 @ 07:37 AM by dustyrose
These children are the future of the planet who will have the final say on 
the earth's environmental impact on every living bio specimen on planet 
earth. If our generation should never do anything about the current 
pollution; then I pray to GOD GenY and GenX will do something about the 
trash left behind for our descendants who will have to clean up our trash 
buried in the earth, trash in our atmosphere, trash in our oceans, and the 
trash that found its way to our dinner tables -carcinogens-GREED

Posted July 02, 2008 @ 09:13 PM by anonymous
To the Liberal Losers who say they had a right to do what they did. You have 
every right under the First Amendment to protest whatever you want. What you 
DON'T have the right to do is block traffic, obstruct interstate commerce, 
and prevent people from getting to the hospital. These idiots should be 
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/nyregion/18bell.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

Offer to Drop Charges in Sean Bell Protests

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: June 18, 2008
The Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, announced on Tuesday that 
his office was prepared to drop all charges against 28 people arrested on 
May 7 in connection with protests against the acquittals of the officers 
charged in the shooting death of Sean Bell.
All 28 people had been charged with disorderly conduct because they had 
blocked traffic or refused orders to disperse. They will be offered the 
chance to have their cases adjourned in contemplation of dismissal, Mr. 
Hynes's office said in a statement. If they stay out of trouble, the charges 
will be dismissed in six months.
The statement was released shortly after Councilman Charles Barron, a 
Brooklyn Democrat who was among the 28 arrested, held a protest outside the 
district attorney's office to criticize what he called the slow handling of 
the cases.
In all, at least 224 people were arrested on May 7 in Manhattan and Brooklyn 
in a series of carefully coordinated, nonviolent demonstrations at major 
intersections that disrupted traffic..
Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney's 
office, said charges were still pending against the 196 people arrested in 
Manhattan.

http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/437813.html

Olympia's patience wears thin with protests
By Keri Brenner | The Olympian . Published May 03, 2008

The public's patience for protests and demonstrations reached its end after 
the May Day unrest in Olympia, dozens of readers said Friday.

"While I still believe strongly in the right to protest, I think these 
groups have just gone too far lately," said Chris Rea of Olympia. "Once 
protesters started rioting, defacing and acting out with violence, then it's 
no longer a protest and the message they are trying to spread is completely 
negated."
Six people were arrested after protesters threw rocks into downtown bank 
windows and left graffiti on the state Capitol's legislative building.
"I am appalled and disgusted with those people who took it upon themselves 
to destroy and deface public and private property," said Ilene James of 
Lacey.
"I find it hard to believe that anyone would actually scribble on the walls 
of our beautiful Capitol building - that's the most disgraceful thing of 
all."
In November, 66 demonstrators were arrested at the Port of Olympia when 
protesters tried to block military shipments from Iraq headed to Fort Lewis.
On Feb. 15, concert-goers rioted after a man's arrest for fighting during a 
hip-hop concert at The Evergreen State College.
The rioters overturned a Thurston County sheriff's patrol car and caused 
$50,000 worth of damage to that car and three others.
Dennis Mills of Olympia said he fears the incident will result in citizens 
becoming even more polarized.
"As a person who has previously demonstrated for peace and social justice 
issues for the last six years in Olympia, I will have to think twice before 
endorsing, supporting, or participating in future rallies," Mills said.
Several people urged citizens to pressure Olympia City Council and other 
leaders to take action regarding future protests. The City Council meets at 
7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
"It seems strange that Seattle can have a peaceful demonstration and Olympia 
always seems to get a violent one," said Buc Alboucq of Lacey.
Some readers blasted the protesters.
"They act like petulant children who should be taken to the woodshed," said 
James Boone of Olympia.
Others blamed the unrest on the Bush administration or on Evergreen.
The event was supposed to be a show of support for workers rights and 
immigration reform, but readers said any message was lost after the 
vandalism and rock-throwing.
"My greatest sadness is that anyone should feel so alienated from their 
society that they would consider destruction to be the only way for their 
voices to be heard," Ken Adney of Olympia said.
Christy Belcher of Olympia agreed, adding that the "escalating violence only 
hurts the cause of the peaceful protesters."

http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_050208WAB_olympia_may_day_protesters_KS.c14977e0.html

Olympia May Day protesters appear in court
06:06 PM PDT on Friday, May 2, 2008
By CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News
Video: Olympia protesters appear in court

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Protestors who stormed the state Capitol yesterday in a May 
Day rally appeared in court today.
Friends of the suspects packed into the courtroom to listen as prosecutors 
listed off a series of accusations.
Six young people - some with ties to other states - are now facing potential 
charges including malicious mischief, assault, and rioting.
Related Content
May Day protesters pound on Governor's door
Slide show: Protests at state capitol
Big cleanup underway after protests turn unruly
Peace march turns violent in Olympia
RAW: protesters clash with police
Police say rocks were hurled through windows and graffiti was scrawled on 
the walls of the state Capitol as protests turned violent.
One of the men arrested had already been arrested on the Evergreen State 
campus for a riot in March.
"It's a culture, a culture with a lot of the kids that we run into down here 
and they give off the message that they're peaceful people, and their 
actions are a complete turnaround of words," said Lt. Jim Costa, of the 
Olympia police force.
Groups have clashed with police in Olympia three times now in two years - at 
the port, at the Evergreen State College campus, and now at the Capitol.
"It's been pretty violent, this is just another spin-off on that," Costa 
said.
Police say it's caused them to consistently re-evaluate crowd control, like 
when to use non-lethal weapons, including a pepper ball gun used to disperse 
crowds in downtown Olympia on May Day.

http://www.myantiwar.org/view/150667.html

Jury acquits six in protest
By
Thursday, May 01, 2008 - Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine - Six longtime anti-war activists arrested last year for 
refusing to leave the Federal Building when it closed for the day were found 
not guilty Wednesday of criminal trespass.
A Penobscot County Superior Court jury deliberated for 2½ hours after a 
two-day trial.
The defendants, who live in communities from Wells to Bangor, were arrested 
along with six others on March 8, 2007, at a protest at U.S. Sen. Susan 
Collins' office in the Harlow Street building.
They said they were protesting President Bush's proposal to increase the 
number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq to support a military strategy known as 
the surge. Members of the group also were urging Collins to vote against 
continued funding for the war.
After the verdict was announced about 1:45 p.m., the defendants, their 
attorneys and their supporters celebrated on the steps of the courthouse in 
between interviews with reporters.
Jonathan Kreps, 57, of Appleton, Henry Braun, 77, of Wells, James Freeman, 
59, of Verona, Dudley F. Hendrick, 66, of Deer Isle, Douglas Rawlings, 61, 
of Chesterville, and Robert Shetterly, 61, of Brooksville, chose to go to 
trial. The other six pleaded guilty and paid fines.
"To be honest, I'm a little incredulous," Freeman said after the verdict. "I 
thought there was a remote chance that we'd have a hung jury, but I didn't 
expect this. The fact that this was a not-guilty verdict says something 
about the way the wind is blowing in this state.
"People have had enough of this war, enough of corruption and enough of high 
oil prices," he said. "We can't continue to spend $12 billion a month on the 
war and not be affected at home."
Freeman, Hendrick and Shetterly represented themselves.
Attorney Philip Worden of Northeast Harbor represented Rawlings.
"The key to the verdict was the great defendants," said attorney Lynne 
Williams of Bar Harbor, who represented Kreps and Braun. "They were sincere, 
believable and honest. That, along with very careful jury selection, is why 
we have this verdict."
Williams said that Superior Court Justice William R. Anderson, who presided 
over the jury selection process but not the trial, allowed a 
defense-proposed question about potential jurors' attitudes toward civil 
disobedience. Justice Michaela Murphy presided over the trial.
Brendan Trainer, assistant district attorney for Penobscot County, 
prosecuted the case. He referred questions to District Attorney R. 
Christopher Almy.
"I think that the public in Maine is so disgusted with the war in Iraq that 
they demonstrated their disgust with this verdict," said Almy, a Democrat. 
"And, that they are upset with [Sen. Olympia] Snowe and Collins for getting 
us involved in this debacle."
State law, he said, does not allow the prosecution to appeal a not guilty 
verdict.
Almy, who praised Trainer's presentation of the case, said the verdict most 
likely would affect whether his office prosecutes protesters arrested in the 
Federal Building in the future.
"At this point," Almy said, "we're going to have to consider the precedent 
that this verdict sets and we may very well have to consider giving these 
cases to the U.S. attorney to prosecute because this state court case may 
preclude successful future prosecutions.
"Also, I would like to say that Snowe and Collins got us involved in this 
mismanaged war and it may be up to them to persuade the U.S. attorney to 
take on these cases," he concluded.
When informed of the verdict, Jen Burita, a spokeswoman for Collins, said 
Wednesday, "We are pleased that the matter has been resolved."
U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby, who is based in Portland, said she would have to 
research whether her office had jurisdiction to prosecute people arrested in 
the federal building in Bangor. Many years ago, she said, protesters 
arrested at the Federal Building in Portland were prosecuted in federal 
court.
A woman juror who refused to be identified talked to the defendants on the 
courthouse steps after the verdict. She said that the war really did not 
factor into the verdict.
The juror said that the state did not meet its burden of proof on the first 
element needed to prove them guilty of criminal trespass - whether the 
protesters were in the Federal Building knowing they were not licensed or 
privileged to be there.
"I testified that I felt we had an obligation to be there," Freeman said, 
when asked if he felt he had a right to be in the Federal Building after he 
had been told to leave.
He speculated that his acquittal and that of his co-defendants would 
increase the number of protests against the war.
The six others arrested during the protest pleaded guilty to criminal 
trespass between May 2007 and January 2008 and paid the following fines:
Patricia L. Wheeler, 62, Deer Isle, $200.
Nancy W. Hill, 54, Stonington, $400.
Judith Robbins, 59, Sedgwick, $400.
Peter Robbins, 59, Sedgwick, $200.
Diane Fitzgerald, 66, Blue Hill, $200.
Maureen R. Block, 53, Swanville, $200.
The fine for a first conviction is $200, the fine for a second is $400.

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/86568/?page=entire

Maine Jury Says It's Legal to Protest an Illegal War
By Penny Coleman, AlterNet. Posted May 31, 2008.

A rare bit of good news for the anti-war movement goes largely ignored by 
the media.
The stink leaking out of Ira Katz's office at the Veterans Affairs just 
doesn't stop. Every day some callous new email shows how little he cares 
that the stunning statistics about soldier and veteran suicides he is trying 
to suppress represent real lives that were his responsibility; some 
flat-footed attempt is made to convince Congress -- again -- that he didn't 
mean to "mislead." As the widow of a Vietnam vet who took his own life after 
coming home, all the skulduggery and frightening indifference that agents of 
this government have exhibited in its attempt to keep it all out of sight 
has been particularly hard to take. But even given my deep personal 
connection to these stories, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to 
sustain an appropriately high-decibel level of outrage. I am so very tired 
of it all. A little good news would go a long way.
This must be the dreaded scandal fatigue.
But just when I was feeling tempted to settle for the paltry encouragement 
in something as entirely meaningless as the demise of yet another 
administration enabler like Katz, who, for all his weasely ways, is finally 
only the dull instrument of his boss's heartlessness, a story came my way 
that gave me a moment of hope.
But first, the bad news. The bad news is that this hopeful story -- one that 
illustrates a constructive and effective direct action for change -- was 
reported only in the Bangor Daily News. Period.
The good news, which that paper reported on April 30, is that six peace 
activists were acquitted on charges of criminal trespass for failing to obey 
a police request that they abandon their sit-in outside U.S. Sen. Susan 
Collins' office in the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Maine.
The defendants, Doug Rawlings, Henry Braun, Jimmy Freeman, Dud Hendrick, Rob 
Shetterly and Jonathan Kreps -- dubbed the Bangor Six -- were arrested in 
March 2007 for protesting Bush's proposed troop escalation and Collins' 
continued support of funding for the war. According to Rawlings, "Our case 
was pretty simple: We argued that we believed we had a right and an 
obligation to stay in that federal building until Collins heard us out and 
agreed that the war is not only immoral but illegal under international 
law." Specifically, they based their defense on the First Amendment's "right 
of the people ... to petition the Government for redress of grievances," and 
their belief that the war is being pursued in defiance of Article VI of the 
Constitution ("all treaties made ... under the authority of the United 
States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state 
shall be bound thereby"), the Nuremberg Principles and the Geneva 
Conventions.
After a two-day trial in Penobscot County Superior Court, a jury of 12 
citizens agreed and brought back a verdict of "not guilty."
Though Judge Michaela Murphy explicitly instructed the jury to set aside 
their feelings about the war and only deliberate on the evidence presented 
during the trial, she did allow jurors to consider whether or not the 
defendants believed that they had the "license and privilege" to consciously 
choose to break Maine law because they thought international law was being 
violated. The jurors decided unanimously that the protesters did, in fact, 
believe they had that right.
For Hendrick, a Naval Academy graduate and former Air Force officer who 
volunteered for two tours in Vietnam and who now teaches peace studies at 
the University of Maine at Orono, the "not guilty" verdict was especially 
sweet. Hendrick has been down this road before, having been arrested five 
years ago for protesting the war in front of Collins' office and again three 
years ago in front of the office of Maine's other senator, Olympia Snowe. In 
his defense, he told the jury, "My best friend's name is on the wall in 
Washington, as are the names of three other teammates and nine classmates." 
Those deaths and the deaths of another generation of soldiers and civilians 
were on his mind when he refused to leave the Federal Building: "Every life 
lost is a heinous crime, and we are all complicit. We should all be working 
to stop a foreign policy run amok without conscience," Hendrick told me.
Penobscot County District Attorney Christopher Almy told the Bangor Daily 
News that he believes the verdict could be read as an indication of Mainers' 
disgust toward what he referred to as the "debacle" in Iraq and their 
impatience with both Maine senators, Collins and Snowe, who have continued 
to support it. He said he would have to reconsider how to handle such cases 
in the future.
One option, he suggested, would be to refer such cases to federal 
prosecutors, but Maine's chief federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Paula 
Silsby, has said she does not think she has jurisdiction.
Why the feds were not asked to handle this particular case to begin with is 
unclear -- other than the fact that it would have drawn greater attention to 
Collins' steadfast refusal, over the past six years, to allow her 
constituents to express their opinions in town hall-style meetings.
After the verdict was announced, the defendants headed to a local watering 
hole for drinks and champagne. "We called Collins' office from the bar," 
Rawlings told me, "to tell her aide about the verdict. We got a terse note 
back from the office announcing Collins's firm stand on funding the war to 
'protect the troops.'"
Collins is up for re-election in November.
Jurors, advised by the judge not to "surrender an honest conviction," 
appeared pleased with the decision. "A good thing was done here today," said 
trial juror Emily Herrold, who left the courthouse smiling.
A little good news goes a long way.

http://www.discourse.net/archives/2008/05/fbi_recruiting_infiltrators_for_gop_convention_protestors.html

May 26, 2008
FBI Recruiting Infiltrators for GOP Convention Protestors

This gets complicated. According to - City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul), 
Moles Wanted, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is recruiting people to 
infiltrate anti-GOP protest groups in the run-up to the upcoming Republican 
convention.
The law is clear that police may attend public meetings undercover to see 
what people are up to. And of course undercover operations in private 
settings are also legal, although there should be guidelines as to when they 
are appropriate. And of course it's good citizenship for private citizens to 
report crimes when they witness them.
But this story raises a number of serious questions.
First, there's this: the FBI told the potential informant that he "would be 
compensated for his efforts, but only if his involvement yielded an arrest. 
No exact dollar figure was offered."
In other words, the FBI is recruiting unpaid volunteers to become 
infiltrators. And they get paid only if they give information leading to an 
arrest. Which creates a serious incentive for agents provocateurs. This is 
not a sensible policy at all. It is in fact a very bad idea.
Second, there's the weird description of the targets - "vegan potlucks" - 
and the general sense of massive overkill, which contributes to the chilling 
effect discussed in the article.
I also wonder whether a similar effort is underway for the Democratic 
convention (not that two wrongs make a right). If it is not, would that be 
because of a political bias in the FBI, or a considered judgment that McCain 
is more likely to be a target of violence than the first Black (or female) 
major-party Presidential candidate?
Bottom line: we don't want violence, but we also don't a stifling police 
presence that - whatever its motives - feels like an attempt to stifle 
dissent.
And we especially don't want to live in an informer nation in which people 
with no training and who knows what personal agendas are offered a chance to 
make money by stirring up trouble and then phoning the FBI.
Update: Emptywheel at Firedoglake has some good comments, notably:
How does one equate vegan potlucks with this restriction on permissible 
terrorist investigations?
Mere speculation that force or violence might occur during the course of an 
otherwise peaceable demonstration is not sufficient grounds for initiation 
of an investigation under this Subpart, but where facts or circumstances 
reasonably indicate that a group or enterprise has engaged or aims to engage 
in activities involving force or violence or other criminal conduct 
described in paragraph (1)(a) in a demonstration, an investigation may be 
initiated in conformity with the standards of that paragraph. [her emphasis]
It's a very good question. Rule of Law anyone?

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33787

Eve Tetaz, 76, Going to Jail for 7 Days for Protesting Gitmo Torture Prison
Submitted by davidswanson on Sat, 2008-05-31 00:22.
Nonviolent Resistance
What have we come to?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903103.html?hpid=sec-nation

34 Convicted in Display At U.S. Supreme Court
Protesters Had Decried Guantanamo

By Keith L. Alexander
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 30, 2008; Page B01
Thirty-four people were convicted yesterday of misdemeanor charges stemming 
from a demonstration at the Supreme Court in January in which they decried 
conditions at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Wendell P. Gardner Jr. said the demonstrators 
violated the law by protesting at the plaza of the Supreme Court, where such 
activities are banned. He rejected arguments that they were practicing free 
speech when they marched to the plaza, despite warnings from police, 
carrying banners and wearing T-shirts saying "Shut down Guantanamo."
The demonstration occurred Jan. 11, the sixth anniversary of the opening of 
the detention facility, which was set up to house terrorism suspects. During 
a three-day trial, prosecutors presented a videotape that showed several 
officers warning the protesters to remain on the sidewalk, where 
demonstrations are legal, or risk arrest.
During the trial, many of the 21 men and 13 women wore orange jumpsuits to 
show solidarity with Guantanamo detainees. When the defendants spoke, they 
gave their name and then the name, age and a brief biography of someone they 
described as a Guantanamo detainee. Many wore a tag bearing the name of a 
detainee.
As Gardner began explaining his ruling, one of the defendants, Paul Magno of 
the District, stood up and turned away from the judge. Gardner ordered a 
marshal to arrest Magno for contempt of court. Magno was escorted out, but 
not before shouting to the judge: "You have committed a crime against 
justice."

The judge ordered all defendants to return to court today for sentencing. 
Each faces up to 60 days in jail. Gardner said most will probably get 
probation. Those who had prior convictions, mostly for civil disobedience or 
disturbing the peace, could be jailed, Gardner said, to stop them from doing 
"the same thing over and over."
Because the charges were misdemeanors punishable by less than six months in 
jail, the case was heard by a judge instead of a jury.
After the decision, several defendants said they weren't surprised by the 
ruling but were pleased that they could voice their concerns about 
Guantanamo in court.
"We're sad about the convictions, but we're happy, moved and humbled to 
bring the stories, names and identification of the men in Guantanamo into a 
court of law," said Frida Berrigan, 34, of Brooklyn. She is the daughter of 
the late Philip Berrigan, a former Roman Catholic priest who was a major 
figure in the American peace movement during the Vietnam War.
The protesters are part of a group called Witness Against Torture, which has 
held demonstrations across the country condemning the prison. Members range 
in age from 19 to their early 70s.
The defendants represented themselves at trial, and their closing arguments 
drew emotional responses from each other and from supporters in the 
courtroom. Several wiped away tears as two defendants spoke on behalf of the 
group, citing the actions of Martin Luther King Jr. and others.
Earlier in the trial, the judge had dismissed charges against a 35th 
defendant because he said he had not been conclusively identified by police 
in a review of the videotape.
Before Gardner issued his ruling yesterday, one of the defendants stood and 
asked for a moment of silence for the detainees. Assistant U.S. Attorney 
Magdalena Acevedo quickly jumped to her feet to object.
"Your honor, this is a court of law. And no matter what we may think of 
their personal beliefs, it does not justify them violating the law," Acevedo 
said.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/3/anti_torture_activists_convicted_jailed_for

June 03, 2008

Anti-Torture Activists Convicted, Jailed for Protesting Gitmo Outside 
Supreme Court
Thirty-four anti-torture activists have been convicted for protesting the 
Guantanamo Bay prison outside the Supreme Court. Twelve are now serving jail 
sentences. During the trial, protesters gave their names and those of 
Guantanamo prisoners and dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods. We 
speak to Matt Daloisio of Witness Against Torture, who gave the opening 
statement at the trial. [includes rush transcript]
JUAN GONZALEZ: Thirty-four anti-torture activists have been convicted for 
protesting the Guantanamo Bay prison outside the Supreme Court. Twelve are 
now serving jail sentences ranging from one to fifteen days. The 
demonstration took place on January 11th, the sixth anniversary of the 
opening of Guantanamo. As they did in January, several protesters dressed 
like Guantanamo prisoners in orange jumpsuits and black hoods during their 
trial.
AMY GOODMAN: Matt Daloisio is a member of Witness Against Torture. He read 
the opening statement at the trial. He's a member of the New York Catholic 
Worker, is on the board of the War Resisters League.
Welcome to Democracy Now! Matt. Talk about the trial, what you said in your 
statement and what's since happened.
MATT DALOISIO: As part of the trial, there were fifteen of us who chose to 
be silent in solidarity with the men who have no chance to speak in court. 
So at the beginning of the trial, I read a statement into the record, where 
fifteen of us who were wearing orange jumpsuits in the trial said that we've 
made it further in the criminal justice system in five months than men in 
Guantanamo have in five years, and we're going to be in solidarity with them 
by not defending ourselves, by not taking rights that are not granted to 
them.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And so, how did the trial develop then?
MATT DALOISIO: After that, the government put on its case and tried to prove 
how we were-we were charged with displaying a banner, flag or other device 
to draw attention to a political party, organization or movement in the 
Supreme Court.
AMY GOODMAN: I'm confused. Explain exactly what you did.
MATT DALOISIO: So, about forty of us assembled on the Supreme Court steps in 
orange jumpsuits and holding signs that said "Shut down Guantanamo." And 
about forty gathered inside the Supreme Court wearing orange T-shirts and 
reading accounts of prisoners in Guantanamo.
AMY GOODMAN: Inside the Supreme Court.
MATT DALOISIO: Correct.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And there's actually a law that prohibits people from having 
banners outside the Supreme Court?
MATT DALOISIO: Free speech ends at the Supreme Court's steps. And in this 
trial we weren't actually contesting the law. But we were contesting the 
fact that law without justice is simply a mechanism of tyranny. Inside the 
Supreme Court, there's a display about old Supreme Court cases, and one of 
them that they look as somberly is the Dred Scott decision in 1857. And we 
pointed out in court that we would like to think that if people in 1857 
gathered on the steps and inside the Supreme Court speaking out against the 
Dred Scott decision, that justices in our land would be able to see that 
maybe we shouldn't be applying the law to this and recognize the value of 
speaking out against what are really crimes.
AMY GOODMAN: Matt, you now have been sentenced, but explain what is 
happening.
MATT DALOISIO: So twelve of our brothers and sisters are in D.C. jail doing 
sentences between one and fifteen days. And the rest of the defendants have 
suspended sentences and one-year stay away from the Supreme Court and one 
year of probation. And if we violate that, we could be serving our 
sentences, which range from ten to thirty days.
JUAN GONZALEZ: How did they differentiate those who were sent to jail versus 
those that got suspended sentences?
MATT DALOISIO: Some of the folks refused probation, and others refused to 
speak in their own defense in solidarity with those, again, in Guantanamo, 
who have no chance to speak in court. They also tried to single out who the 
leaders of the group were and tried to give them more time. There was 
clearly a tone in the court of wanting to discourage this from happening. It 
came out in the trial that the longest-serving police officer there was 
twenty-one years, and he had never seen a demonstration inside the Supreme 
Court. So it was clear that they wanted to make a point that they don't want 
these demonstrations in the Supreme Court.
AMY GOODMAN: In the sentencing phase, each of you spoke the name of the 
prisoner you represented, and you invited the prosecutor and judge to join 
you?
MATT DALOISIO: We had two folks-all of us represented ourselves, and we had 
two folks give closing statements, after which each one of us stood up 
individually and gave our name and the name of the prisoner we were there on 
behalf of. And it was a packed courtroom and a very emotional moment, at the 
end of which I asked the court to join us in a moment of silence for the 
prisoners in Guantanamo, over 200 of whom are still there. And everyone in 
the court stood, including the prosecutor, who stood to object. But to the 
judge's credit, he let the moment of silence stand. And it was another point 
in the trial where those men's names and their presence was with us.
JUAN GONZALEZ: And the detainee you were representing?
MATT DALOISIO: I was representing a man named Yasser al-Zahrani, who was 
arrested at the age of seventeen, and at the age of twenty-two, on June 10, 
2006, he apparently took his own life. So my sentencing statement was simply 
to read and spell his name into the record and point out that it possibly 
will be the last time it's ever entered into a US court.
AMY GOODMAN: Matt, were you one of the people who went to Cuba to try to 
call attention to Guantanamo, stopped from getting to the prison?
MATT DALOISIO: In 2005, Witness Against Torture formed as a trip to go try 
to visit the prisoners. And there were twenty-five of us who tried to go to 
the prison in Cuba.
AMY GOODMAN: I just want to say that on Saturday night at UC Davis in 
California, I talked to three prisoners by videoconference-we did it on a 
stage-who were in Sudan, ex-prisoners at Guantanamo. They said they were 
aware of the protest, and it was very moving to them inside.
 .
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/08/BAJB114OUQ.DTL

Tibet bridge protesters' 'punishment' familiar
Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross
Sunday, June 8, 2008


The three protesters who scaled the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurled "Free 
Tibet" banners while suspended 150 feet over traffic a couple of days before 
the big Olympic torch run in April will have all the charges against them 
dismissed once they complete 25 hours of community service.

Thanks to a decision by San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris' 
office, the three were eligible for pretrial diversion and community 
service - and the court officials in charge of picking the community service 
sent them to Students for a Free Tibet.
Shouldn't be too onerous, since the three were already affiliated with the 
group when they climbed up the bridge's suspension cables April 7.
"That's beautiful," said a not-too-happy John Moylan, president of the 
Golden Gate Bridge District Board of Directors.
"There could have been a collision with all of the distractions they 
caused," Moylan said. "They put our workers in jeopardy. It was a very 
dangerous situation. They should have been prosecuted to the full extent of 
the law."
That's just what the California Highway Patrol asked the D.A. to do - press 
felony conspiracy charges against climbers Mac Sutherlin, Duane Martinez and 
Hannah Strange, plus their helpers who were arrested on the ground.
The D.A.'s office, however, wouldn't play ball.
"In my estimation, that doesn't rise to the level of felony conduct," said 
Chief Assistant District Attorney Russ Giuntini. Instead, the D.A. filed 
misdemeanor charges against the climbers and nothing against their helpers.
Defense attorney Mark Vermeulen, a 24-year veteran of defending protesters 
who worked on the case, says all three climbers were experienced and knew 
exactly what they were doing.
"They wouldn't have done it if they had thought there was a danger," 
Vermeulen said.
As for the fear that they could have caused an accident on the bridge, or 
that bridge workers who were sent up to remove the banners might have been 
hurt?
"I suppose one would have to concede that it is always possible - but it 
didn't happen," Vermeulen said.
Harris' office said prosecutors lacked the evidence to prove that the three 
climbers and their cohorts had conspired together, although according to CHP 
Capt. Bob Morehen, the D.A. pulled the plug on a felony case while CHP 
investigators were still trying to get that evidence.
As a result, the three climbers were charged with misdemeanor trespassing, 
creating a public nuisance and resisting arrest. And since all three were 
eligible for pretrial diversion, the charges will be dropped once they 
complete their 25 hours of community service with their pro-Tibet group.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Morehen, who has been around San Francisco 
for some time. "Does it surprise you?"

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/10/9525/

Published on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 by The Oregonian
Anti-War Protesters Cleared in Tank Case
by Aimee Green
Two anti-war protesters who stood in front of a rose-laden tank during last 
year's Grand Floral Parade had their legal troubles wiped away by a judge 
Monday.
Bonnie Tinker, 60, and Sara Graham, 67 - two members of the "Seriously P.O.'d 
Grannies" - were charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with police 
after they held up anti-war signs in front of the tank in the middle of the 
parade.
"I don't think freedom of speech is disorderly," Tinker said.
The Northeast Portland residents, who are partners and grandmothers, said 
they urged the Rose Festival not to include the World War II-era tank in the 
family oriented parade, but their request was denied.
Tinker said the tank was meant to build support for the Iraq war by 
connecting it to World War II.
"Any time a tank is in a city street, that should cause alarm in people, not 
generate applause and cheering," she said. Tinker said she was especially 
offended by the tank because it had roses and other flowers cascading out of 
the barrel of its gun.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Alicia Fuchs dismissed the case after Deputy 
District Attorney Elizabeth Puskar asked for an additional day. Puskar said 
police officers scheduled to testify didn't show up because they mistakenly 
thought the trial was set for today.
Graham was one of five members of the Grannies acquitted in another anti-war 
protest case in December. The five were charged with misdemeanor criminal 
mischief for using red paint in April 2007 to write the number of U.S. 
service members killed in Iraq on the windows of a military recruitment 
center in Northeast Portland. A jury acquitted them in 30 minutes.
Although Tinker and Graham were arrested under accusations of misdemeanor 
crimes for the parade incident, the district attorney's office reduced the 
charges to violations, essentially tickets that carry a cash fine. Jeff 
Howes, supervisor of the misdemeanor trial unit for the prosecutor's office, 
said his office "acted with discretion and restraint."
Tinker's attorney, Stuart Sugarman, however, said he thought prosecutors 
reduced the charges to violations to avoid a jury trial. Sugarman noted the 
crushing results from December, when the prosecutor's office presented the 
red-paint "Grannies" case to the jury.
Sugarman and Graham's attorney, Thaddeus Betz, represented their clients pro 
bono.
Aimee Green; aimeegreen at news.oregonian.com

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/NEWS07/807050315/1002/LOCAL

Published: July 5, 2008 6:00 a.m.
Singer pleads guilty in gas price protest
Associated Press
Advertisement
VALPARAISO - A judge told a Valparaiso man whose song protests high gasoline 
prices that he might want to change his tune.
Jay Weinberg, 29, was arrested for climbing to the roof of a gas station to 
sing his song protesting high gas prices.
He pleaded guilty Thursday to a trespassing charge.
Porter Superior Court Judge David Chidester warned Weinberg not to get in 
trouble again during his six months on probation.
"The next song you'll be singing is 'Chain Gang' by Sam Cooke," he said.
On May 5, Weinberg carried a guitar and a megaphone to the roof of the 
Family Express station in Valparaiso, where gas was selling that day for 
$3.78 a gallon.
He performed a song titled "Price Gouge'n" for about 15 minutes to the 
cheers of commuters before police arrived and arrested him.
Weinberg says he's not done with his protests of high gas prices.

http://politicom.moldova.org/stiri/eng/134768/

Denver moves to ban protesters' chains
Denver City Council members say they want to ban such items as chains, 
quick-setting cement and cutter-resistant locks to thwart political 
protesters.
The items would be deemed illegal in an attempt to keep up with tactics 
protesters may use at next month's Democratic National Convention, the Rocky 
Mountain News reported Tuesday.
Protesters are getting pretty sophisticated, Councilman Doug Linkhart, 
chairman of the council's safety committee, told the newspaper. In other 
cities, they're not just handcuffing themselves to each other. They put 
their handcuffs inside PVC tubes, which are inside concrete. They've figured 
out ways that keep the police from just using bolt cutters to cut them 
apart.
The language of the proposed ordinance reportedly would make it illegal to 
carry any tool, object, instrument or other article that can be used to 
obstruct streets, sidewalks and entry or exits from buildings or for 
hindering emergency equipment.
If passed, ordinance would join an Arapahoe County measure that bans shafts, 
rods, projectile launchers and other potential weapons at picket lines and 
other public assemblies, the newspaper said.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/06/evergreen_state_college_rioter.html

Felony charges dropped against Evergreen State College rioters
Posted by The Associated Press June 05, 2008 08:52AM
OLYMPIA -- Four people charged with felonies for violence at a February 
concert at The Evergreen State College have been accepted into a diversion 
program.

Charges will be reduced to misdemeanors if they complete the program and pay 
$45,000 for destroying a patrol car.

Thurston County court papers say criminal charges against a fifth person who 
hid a seat stolen from the car will be dropped if he completes the diversion 
program and pays $541.

The crowd at the hip-hop concert turned violent after one person was 
arrested. A Thurston County sheriff's patrol car was destroyed and three 
others were vandalized.

The college paid the sheriffs office for damage to the patrol cars and will 
be reimbursed from the restitution.

-- The Associated Press

http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/429227.html

3 more charged in connection to riot at Evergreen
By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian . Published April 24, 2008
Three more people have been charged with first-degree malicious mischief and 
riot in connection with the Feb. 15 riot that resulted in a sheriff's patrol 
car being overturned and looted at The Evergreen State College during a 
hip-hop concert.
Evergreen spokesman Jason Wettstein said two of the three people arrested 
were Evergreen students.
Those charged are Kelly Primeaux, 21, as well as Evergreen students Justin 
Killing, 19, and Christina Shimizu, 22. All are charged with first-degree 
malicious mischief, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison 
and a $20,000 fine; and riot, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to one 
year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The trio have been summonsed to court for arraignments May 5. They will not 
be arrested, Muldrew said.
The prosecuting attorney's office also is considering charges against a 
fourth individual in connection with the Feb. 15 riot, but that person has 
not been charged yet, Muldrew said.

http://www.theolympian.com/news/story/434357.html

More riot suspects sought
Sheriff's office seeks help in identifying those seen in video
By Jeremy Pawloski | The Olympian . Published April 30, 2008
The Thurston County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help to put 
names to faces of five people pictured on video footage during a Feb. 15 
riot after a hip-hop concert at The Evergreen State College in Olympia.
Suspects charged

Those who have been charged with crimes in connection with the Feb. 15 riot 
at The Evergreen State College include:

1. Peter B. Sloan of Olympia, not an Evergreen student, charged with riot 
and first-degree malicious mischief.

2. Jake Silberman, an Evergreen student from Minneapolis, charged with riot 
while armed with a deadly weapon and first-degree malicious mischief.

3. Chase Hill, an Evergreen student, charged with second-degree theft.

4. Monica Ragan, an Evergreen student, charged with riot and first-degree 
malicious mischief.

5. Nina Hinton, an Evergreen student, charged with riot and first-degree 
malicious mischief.

6. Justin Killing, an Evergreen student, charged with riot and first-degree 
malicious mischief.

7. Christina Shimizu, an Evergreen student, charged with riot and 
first-degree malicious mischief.

8. Kelly Primeaux, not an Evergreen student, charged with riot and 
first-degree malicious mischief.

Crime stoppers

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information on 
the five unidentified suspects to contact the office at ******** or call 
Crime Stoppers at ********.


The sheriff's office believes there is probable cause to charge the five 
with felonies based on their alleged actions on the video.
Rioters caused $50,000 in damage to four sheriff's patrol cars, including 
one that was overturned and totaled. Evergreen President Les Purce has cut a 
$50,000 check from Evergreen's tuition funds to pay for the damage.
Eight charged
Eight people have been charged with felonies in connection with their 
alleged actions damaging the patrol cars.
Detectives do not know whether the five additional suspects are Evergreen or 
high school students, or out-of-towners who were at the Dead Prez concert, 
Chief Criminal Deputy James Chamberlain said Tuesday.
Chamberlain said one suspect appears to be holding a police radio microphone 
cord that was looted from the overturned patrol car. Another suspect appears 
to be holding a knife used to puncture a tire on the overturned car, he 
added.
"We have evidence on the video of them all participating," Chamberlain said.
The riot started after an Evergreen officer tried to arrest a man inside the 
concert on suspicion of fighting. The female officer was confronted by 
concertgoers outside the concert hall. Concertgoers opposed the arrest, 
believing it to be racially motivated, and blocked her patrol car from 
leaving.
The officer called for backup, and responding officers used pepper spray and 
flashlights to move the crowd, police reports state. Police said members of 
the crowd threw objects at them. A disabled patrol car was flipped and 
trashed by rioters after police retreated.
Student responses
At Evergreen's campus Tuesday, one student said he does not support the 
Evergreen community "informing" on other students, and he would encourage 
fellow students not to identify for police the concertgoers pictured on the 
video.
The student, Devin Matthews, said he doesn't think it's fair for 
concertgoers unlucky enough to be pictured to pay the price for activity 
that many more students participated in.
Added Matthews' friend, Aaron Miles, "They broke the law, but is it 
necessary for them to go that far to arrest (the) individuals when so many 
more were involved?"
Matthews and Miles said they did not attend the show.
Matthews and his companions also expressed fatigue with the riot being 
brought back into the public eye. Miles said he is worried about Evergreen 
unfairly getting a tainted reputation from the ill feelings generated by the 
riot.
Miles said he grew up in Olympia, and he wants to stay in Olympia after 
graduation, but now he worries, "Is it going to be hard now to get a job 
because of this?"
Chamberlain acknowledged that some people might not have come forward 
because they don't want to get classmates in trouble.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/22/usa?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

Hot pants land US woman in hot water
Woman ordered to serve three days in jail after a judge found her in 
contempt of court for inappropriate dress
McClatchy newspapers
guardian.co.uk,
Friday August 22 2008 15:50 BST
Article history
A woman was ordered to serve three days in jail after a judge found her in 
contempt of court for inappropriate dress.
Kirstie Arnold, 28, of Lancaster, Kentucky, was sent to the Boyle county 
jail after wearing short shorts during a court appearance on Monday before 
Garrard District Judge Janet Booth.
Booth had warned Arnold about her clothes in two previous court appearances, 
and in the last appearance had fined Arnold $50 (£25) for her attire. A 
court videotape of Monday's proceeding contains the following exchange:
"Why shouldn't I put you in jail for contempt today?" Booth asked. "I told 
you twice."
"I'm sorry," Arnold said.
"No, you're not," Booth said. "I told you twice. I even fined you for being 
in contempt. Why shouldn't I throw you in jail today? You apparently don't 
care about the court's orders."
"I forgot," Arnold said.
"How could you forget?" Booth said. "No, seriously, how could you forget? 
It's a complete disregard of court order. Complete. You should go to jail 
today, and you're going."
"Well, next time I won't wear shorts," Arnold said.
"I bet you won't," Booth said. And with that, Booth ordered her to serve 
three days of temporary detention "for disregard and disrespect for court 
proceedings".
Arnold declined to be interviewed yesterday. Booth could not be reached 
immediately for comment.
Arnold would have been released yesterday except that she got into more 
trouble when she allegedly tried to conceal a drug from Lancaster police 
officer Allen Weston. Court records say that Arnold moved Suboxone, a drug 
for treatment of opiate addiction, from her purse into her pocket.
She was then charged with possession of a controlled substance, tampering 
with physical evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia, and having a 
controlled substance not in its original container.
The new charges against Arnold are in addition to pending charges of 
harassment, criminal trespass and leaving the scene of an accident.
The last charge came after she allegedly knocked over a tombstone in a 
Lancaster cemetery with a vehicle and left, according to court records.
Arnold remained in jail Thursday afternoon, but bond information was not 
available.
Arnold's next court appearance is scheduled for Monday in Garrard District 
Court. If she is still an inmate at that time, she will wear a bright yellow 
jail uniform.

http://www.connietalk.com/civil_rights_dont_lie_082108.html

Antiwar Protestors Win $2 Million Judgment
 Thursday, August 21st, 2008  by Connie T.
Sarah Kunstler is the Co-Director of Off Center Media, and the Media 
Director for the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice; she's a 
Criminal Defense and Civil Rights Attorney in New York; and she's a 
documentary filmmaker. She produced and directed Tulia, Texas: Scenes From 
the Drug War, about a small town that wrongfully charged 46 men -- 40 of 
whom were African-American -- with drug and cocaine charges.

She's the daughter of the famous civil rights attorney Bill Kunstler. Oh, 
and she has degrees from both Yale University and Columbia Law School.

So the New York Police Department probably picked the wrong peaceful protest 
to interrupt, in front of the Carlyle Building in Manhattan, 2003.

Because she was just one of a crowd of 52 people protesting the Iraq War, 
when the NYPD donned riot gear and surrounded the group, cordoned off the 
area and arrested everyone.

Sarah Kunstler filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2004, also known as 
Kunstler v. City of New York. And, this week, the City has agreed to pay $2 
million to settle the suit.

A spokeswoman for the city's Law Department said that there is no "admission 
of liability on behalf of the city and the individual defendants. Although 
[the] defendants believe that they would ultimately have prevailed at a 
trial, the costs of going forward weighed in favor of a settlement at this 
time."

http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=11565

Denver To Hunt Protesters With Maps, Bike Helmets
08-21-2008
Raw Story

Almost everyone can be a potential violent protester at the Democratic 
National Convention, according to a new bulletin issued by the Denver Police 
Department and leaked to the ACLU.

The bulletin lists myriad items police should watch out for, including 
"caches of supplies that could be used by violent demonstrators." The 
publication intended for commissioned police officers was provided to RAW 
STORY Thursday.

On the list? Plastic shields, football helmets, gas masks, baseball catch 
protectors, cases of nails, hand held radios, maps, bicycles, and protest 
sign handles ("perfect for swinging at first responders"). The police say 
they're also worried about people with large numbers of city maps or 
"camping information."

"Football, baseball, motorcycle and bicycle helmets are all used by violent 
protesters," the bulletin warns. "Bicycles are used to blockade sidewalks, 
streets and can be used to slow down responding emergency vehicles."

Camping information is a threat, too, such as "information concerning the 
camping, boarding or housing of potential violent protesters that have 
rented campaign spaces, rented farms or land for the time period around the 
DNC."

Maps are worrisome because they're "frequently used by violent protester 
[sic] to plan direct actions against conventioneers."

"Baseball/softball catcher protectors" are also of concern, police warn.

ACLU spokesmen will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon. The 
nonprofit criticized the document in a press release, saying many of the 
items are "innocuous."

"Although the bricks were acquired for masonry repairs, Denver police 
accused the activist of 'stockpiling' the bricks for the DNC," the press 
release reads. The activist will speak at Thursday's press conference, but 
ACLU officials did not release a name Wednesday.