some reaction to Cape Codders for Peace arrests

[PuraVidaDreamin]

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/antiprotester...

By KAREN JEFFREY
STAFF WRITER
BARNSTABLE - Six anti-war protesters pleaded not guilty to trespass charges yesterday, one day after they refused to leave the Hyannis office of U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass.

The defendants, wearing broad smiles and sweatshirts enumerating the American soldiers killed in Iraq, were arraigned in Barnstable District Court.

Judge Joseph Reardon told each of the protesters the Cape and Islands District Attorney's office did not plan to ask for jail sentences should any of them be convicted. ''At worst,'' he said, ''you'll face a fine of up to $100.''

Four of the defendants - Robert Brown, 68, of Orleans, John Hopkins, 57, of Provincetown, Sarah W. Thacher, 71, of East Dennis and Debra McCulloch44, of Cataumet - appeared in court after having been released from the police department on bail the night before. Two others - Dianne Ashley, 62, of Eastham, and Diane Turco, 52, of Harwich - spent the night in the Barnstable police station lockup and were led into court in handcuffs.

All six were released on personal recognizance and are scheduled for pretrial conferences May. 4.

The members of Cape Codders for Peace and Justice were arrested late Tuesday afternoon after gathering inside Delahunt's office on West Main Street. For an hour they refused to leave, chatting among themselves as Delahunt's staff tried to work around them. Earlier in the day, they stood in the lobby outside the office.

More at link..

Karen Jeffrey can be reached at [e-mail].



EDIT: COPYRIGHT..PLEASE POST ONLY
4 OR 5 PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED
NEWS SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

1. my LTTE on K.Jeffrey article

I didn't like the tone of the above K.Jeffrey article
so wrote a LTTE-
hope they print it

I'd like to respond to Karen Jeffrey's 4/20 article about Cape Codders for Peace and Justice arraignment at the Barnstable Court House . She writes we wore 'broad smiles' while being arraigned, and took photos of ourselves after leaving court. Oh you bet we did. First of all they were smiles of relief as two of the six arrested for trespassing by sitting in Congressman Delahunt's office had declined bail as a matter of principle.

We had been told the two peace activists had been transported to the courthouse in handcuffs and ankle shackles. Those of us who opted for bail were very relieved to see our friends, true patriots and heroines had made it through the night in jail okay.

As for the shackles,we understand it is standard protocol and the police were just doing their jobs, I'd also like to take this moment to state that the Barnstable Police force were very professional and I'm proud to know they are protecting us.

Also one does not take the step of committing civil disobediance lightly. Inaccessability to and lack of communication from our elected leaders is just unimaginable in the United States of America. Especially in frightening times such as these where we see our civil liberties eroding daily. What else can one do without stepping outside of normal methods when 5 months of continued legal means of communication such as letters, phone calls, and petitions don't get a single response? The average AMerican no longer feels the system is working.

When hard working members of the community, tax payers, with jobs and families put their butts on the line to fight to get our troops out of the quagmire that is Iraq, and are willing to go to jail for preserving democracy- well you better believe we felt good about what we had done. Here is a copy of the photo we snapped of our group in front of the courthouse. This isn't just fun and games folks- this is our very democracy at risk.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

2. ACLU emergency town meeting moderated by Delahunt

One of the 'Hyannis 6' gave a small statement about the arrest,
and wondered why we couldn't talk to our congressman who work
for us, and why were were arrested in an office we pay for, in
the reception area, during normal business hours.

Delahunt then took the floor and started on a kind of pompous,
"No one's done more in this state against this war...." His face got
red, and his voice got loud, but then he softened-
although didn't give an opinion on HR 4232, which is our concern,
he did state, "I'm not going to press charges" The crowd applauded.

Nothing mentioned in newspapers today. Not sure what this means-
Will we have to go to court on our scheduled hearing day May 4th
to wait to hear this again? What should I do with this info-
how should we proceed?

btw- I met former congressman Bob Barr in a restroom passing
(me going out- I wash my hands- him going in, who know?
timing IS everything) I gave him a big hand shake and then
a hug. He's probably thinking "Who is this blonde kook?"
I welcomed him back from the dark side, Thanking him for
his speaking out on the loss of our civil libs.

He said to me that he now feels more comfortable in the state
of Massachusetts than he does in his own home state of Georgia.
We shared a laugh.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

3. We have spoken to a few lawyers who believe OUR civil rights were violated

We have a lawyer that would like to represent us pro-bono
on what happened in Delahunts office. I will keep
you posted

[PuraVidaDreamin]

4. Any opinions on today's message from the editor Cape Cod Times

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/edits/paulp.h...

April 23, 2006

Staged event, news, or both?
By PAUL PRONOVOST
A photograph of an anti-war protestor in handcuffs was the subject of a lengthy discussion in the Cape Cod Times newsroom this week. It is worth sharing because it speaks to a question I'm often asked about how items get on the front page.

The cover of a newspaper, of course, is a first impression and our goal is to fill the front page with news that is both important and interesting. From there, the sausage making begins.

Every afternoon, editors gather in a conference room at the Times to discuss the developments of the day. Each person has a role: The news editor presents the local stories, the wire editor presents the national and international stories, the photo editor presents the photos, etc. From there, we discuss, and sometimes debate, what should appear on page one.

It's an important exercise, because people have different perspectives, so everyone at the meeting has a voice.

Our goal, as a daily paper of record, is to construct a page that includes the top news of the day in words, images and graphic elements; and as a community newspaper, in particular, we try to highlight news from the immediate world around our readers.

So the discussion that ensued over two photographs from an anti-war protest was not unusual. A group calling themselves Cape Codders for Peace and Justice camped out in U.S. Rep. William Delahunt's Hyannis office to force the congressman to address their main complaint - that he would not support a measure to stop funding the war in Iraq. When they did not get a satisfactory response - the protestors claimed the congressman would not meet with them - they staged a sit-in that ended in six arrests.

More at link..

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EDIT: COPYRIGHT..PLEASE POST ONLY 4 OR 5
PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS
SOURCE PER DU RULES.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

5. Strange LTTE Sat 4/22 in response to our action

Sorry cannot get a link

Iraq war protests counterproductive.

When I drove to work April 18 I saw people getting ready to protest in front of Rep. Delahunt's office. When I left work in the late afternoon, cars held up traffic at the intersection of Lewis Bay and East Main, delaying my return to my home. The protesters were still there.. This is not the first time this has happened.

I have seen this every week for at least a year. I never say a word; I just give them thumbs down.

Do I work hard all day and pay taxes so some people can protest at the same time? Does the government fund these people? These same people want to stopo the government from funding our troops? This behaviior is counterproductive to the major problems we are having in Iraq.

I thank the Barnstable Police Department for doing a good job during this difficult situation.


WEIRD huh? I leave out his name so as not to embarrass him even more than he has
done to himself.