As we read and watch the violent actions taken against the G20 protesters, I wanted to remind you of the trials from the arrests during the RNC last year in ST. Paul. These where gentle arrests but why were they even arrested? If they weren't older white people would they have been tear gassed?
Where is our right to protest and free speech.
Dr Davis Harris who a defendant in this trial was horrible pepper sprayed the 2nd day of the RNC, he was wearing a neon-green hat to show he was a "peace keeper". He is a Veteran and a retired surgeon but he was also sprayed right in the face by an out of control riot cop.
You can see it in the documentary "Terrorizing Dissent"
Please listen to these wise people before you blame the young people protesting in Pittsburg.
Many of the young people are not anarchist, and many anarchists are non-violent.
The arrests happened the day before the RNC, and all of these "Patriots" continued to protest the following day.
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"The Other RNC 8"
In the Vets for Peace case, the eight defendants - who ranged in age from 26 to 79 - were charged for entering the security perimeter near the Landmark Center in an effort to bring a message to elected officials and dialog with delegates inside. They were Jeanne Hynes, Joshua Broiller, Joel Weisberg, David Harris, Daniel Pearson, Mary Vaughan, Steve Clemens and Sister Betty McKenzie.
McKenzie is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet. Weisberg is a Northfield professor. Harris, of Red Wing, is a long-time Vets for Peace organizer. The others hail from the Twin Cities area, Wisconsin, and Chicago.
Throughout the three-and-a-half-day trial. the group's two lawyers and two pro-se defendants (Clemens and Harris) used the case to articulate their opposition to war and violence. They repeatedly cited international treaties, the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the "freedom of conscience" clause of the Minnesota state constitution, though Judge Wilson stopped them almost every time they tried to raise matters of higher law.
Each of the eight testified in turn at length about what led them to become advocates for peace and justice, and why failed methods of social change such as letter-writing and voting had to be transcended. They acted with respect and dignity toward the court, prosecutor and jury, yet rhetorically tussled with the cross-examination, refusing to ceded that they intended to trespass as opposed to accomplish a political objective.
Concluding his legalistic closing statement, Prosecutor Stephen Christie cited Martin Luther King, Jr.'s letter from Birmingham jail, a text from early in King's political development in which he says one who commits civil disobedience must be prepared to face the consequences.
In his following statement, Harris agreed, but argued that did not mean he broke the law, since higher law super cedes state statutes. He responded with a different King quote from shortly before his murder: "The greatest purveyor of violence in the world is my own government."
"This is a moment, an opportunity, not only for us the defendants, but for all of you listening, to help communicate our ultimate message," Harris continued. "If we are found guilty by defining the law narrowly, it will not be the last chance for you or us to think further about the meaning of our existence and to work for a better world." Harris then patted Christie on the shoulder as he went to take his seat, one of several respectful but at times comical actions taken by the elderly defendants which seemed to break down the authority of the younger prosecutor and judge.
The jury deliberated for about three hours before returning the guilty verdict.
Allowed to speak before the judge pronounced the sentences, Clemens read a prepared statement decrying war and torture, and citing the reasons we must "challenge the dying empire." He spoke of the "$50 million security for the RNC to protect what Dorothy Day has called 'this filthy, rotten system.'" He also referred to the inverted "hierarchy of laws" which in this case placed a minor trespassing statute above state and federal Constitutions and international law.
Ironically, on Thursday the courthouse celebrated "Constitution Day" by giving a pocket-sized copy of the document to members of the public entering the building in the morning. One evidently did not reach the hands of the judge or prosecutor.
Pearson, in his sentencing statement, recalled the defendants' prior statements that they had been treated cordially and with respect by their arresting officers. He noted now that this would likely not have been the case if the defendants were younger, non-white, or less educated - especially if the media was not present. He asked the judge either to step out of his role and thereby become a person of conscience, or else to impose the maximum allowable penalty.
McKenzie, the last to be sentenced, said that "it was a real privilege to be with this group and be on trial. We learned a lot this week, even from the prosecutor."
A ninth person was also arrested during the civil disobedience action on August 31, but, strangely, not charged. Duncan Hardee of North Carolina was pepper sprayed at point-blank range the next day; footage of his assault in Terrorizing Dissent was later played in the trial of Montana medic Sean McCoy, after which an SPPD commander admitted the use of mace was inappropriate. Hardee appeared on Democracy Now! and seemed a likely person to file a civil suit, though he has not. He was also wrongly cited by the SPPD as a "leader of sector 5," in the affidavit for what turned out to be a bungled raid on a Macalester College dorm earlier this year.
Of the defendants, most indicated they would do the community service in lieu of a fine, which one called "a tax on my conscience."
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