Jury acquits six in protest

[formercia]

Source: Bangor Daily News



Jury acquits six in protest
By Judy Harrison
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.

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Read more: http://bangornews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=163735

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People have had enough of this Illegal War of Aggression.

[GodlessBiker]

1. Fight the Power!

[Judi Lynn]

2. Unexpected, wasn't it? Be sure to check the poll, to the right of the article:

Thanks for taking this poll
Do you agree with the jury's decision to acquit the anti-war protestors in Bangor?
Yes 202 _______ (61.21%)
No 128 ________ (38.79%)

Total Replies : 330

[bean fidhleir]

3. But the arrest was the whole point. The activists lost.

The cops know perfectly well their bs charges will be thrown out...but by then the damage is done.

I think the latest round of illegal "punishment without conviction" attacks got started when that fantasy game company in Texas got raided and virtually put out of business, the event that prompted Mitch Kapor et al. to start EFF.

[Sam Ervin jret]

4. No jury nullification is a victory. The arrest is the point, not the conviction.

In any action of civil disobedience the point is to bring awareness to the plight for which you are acting out. The arrest gets the point out. You are willing to pay the penalty in a civil disobedience protest but the holy grail is jury nullification. It says that the people on the jury agree with your protest and not with the powers that arrested you.

You get to do the crime but not pay the fine or do the time because the PEOPLE have spoken.

At least that's how I remember it from Vietnam times. It's been awhile since I've seen people awake enough to do a jury nullification for civil disobedience.

[bean fidhleir]

8. Well, "disturbing the peace" and similar bs raps

were flushed down the can back then as being unconstitutionally vague, as you probably remember. Of course, that was the Warren court, but precedent has generally kept them from being restored to the books. So these days there really isn't even an arguable law involved that a jury could nullify. It's all just a series of unconstitutional summary punishments. Rousts, for which the perps (cops, including the chief) should be disciplined and then fired if they do it again.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Great news!

[lonestarnot]

6. Yeah!

[pattmarty]

7. GOOD FUCKING NEWS!!!!!!!!