The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore hosts an End the War! End the Occupation! rally on Thurs., Apr. 3 starting at 5 PM in Mount Vernon at Centre & Charles Sts. The Pledge gathers in Mount Vernon on the first Thursday of the month to protest the war. Call Max at 410-366-1637.
Published on The Progressive (http://www.progressive.org)
Victory in N.C. “Impeach Bush” Case
First Amendment victories may seem few and far between, but Jonas Phillips scored one in Asheville , N.C. , on March 6.
That was the day Jonas Phillips was found not guilty on charges that he was blocking a city sidewalk when he held an “Impeach Bush, Cheney” sign over the I-240 bridge on the morning of August 15.
“I was surprised and relieved,” says Phillips, who calls himself a highway blogger. “I was expecting a fine because we had several motions to dismiss denied.”
Phillips said the judge ruled in his favor because the police couldn’t show that he had obstructed anybody while he was holding his sign.
According to Phillips, the arresting officer told him at the time, “I’m sick of this shit, you’re going to get your 15 minutes of fame, now buddy.” (See http://www.progressive.org/mag_mc082807 [1].)
“We are so relieved,” says Phillips’s wife, Kindra. “It’s been seven months that it’s been dragging on.”
When the judge came down with his ruling, “the whole courtroom erupted into applause and cheers, and people ran up and hugged Jonas,” Kindra says.
On her blog, Gaiastears.blogspot.com
Kindra wrote: “Truth and justice prevailed on our side today.”
Phillips says his lawyer charged $750 in fees but that supporters came up with the money. “We got a lot of local activists and groups that helped us,” he says, “and DailyKos raised money donated $300 to our cause.”
Phillips says he’s “definitely” going to go out and protest again. “Our message now isn’t going to be ‘Impeach Bush and Cheney’ but ‘Arrest Bush and Cheney.’ ”
MCCARTHYISM WATCH-ARCHIVES [2]
Source URL:
http://www.progressive.org/mag_mc030708
Links:
[1] http://www.progressive.org/mag_mc082807
[2] http://www.progressive.org/mccarthy
Published on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by WYFF4 NBC News (North Carolina)
Duke Power Protesters Arrested, Stunned With Tasers
Rutherford County, N.C. - Some environmental activists used the April 1 holiday to try to prove a point, and some of them were arrested and stunned with Taser guns in the process.
Activists nationwide refer to April 1 as Fossil Fools Day, and they protested the use of fossil fuels in several locations across the country, including North Carolina .
The protesters were in Rutherford County in North Carolina at the Duke Energy facility.
The activists used chains and pipes to try to stop construction at Duke Energy’s Cliffside Steam Station, located in both Rutherford and Cleveland counties. They chained themselves to construction equipment and then refused to unlock the chains.
Duke is environmentally enhancing one unit, while adding on another that will replace four older ones.
In a statement, Duke said,
“When these projects are completed in 2012, the Cliffside facility will generate significantly more electricity for our customers while actual emissions decrease … Cliffside’s new unit will be the cleanest and most efficient unit on Duke Energy’s system.”
The protesters don’t buy it. Eight activists chained themselves to the construction equipment. When they wouldn’t unlock themselves, deputies loaded them into a van and charged them with trespassing and resisting arrest.
The protesters said calling a coal plant environmental is a lie because they cause climate change and destroy the environment.
Protester Matt Wallace said, “That’s essentially signing a death sentence for our generation, so we felt it was necessary to take action.”
The protest landed Christine Irvine and seven others in jail for most of the day.
“We were there to stand in solidarity with youth across the country,” she said. “We weren’t out there but a few minutes before the first patrol car had arrived.”
Some of the protester had marks left on their bodies from being stunned by a deputy’s Taser, but they said it was worth it.
The Rutherford Sheriff’s Office said that the protesters were not Tasered. They said being Tasered means being shot with two electric prongs that are propelled from a Taser gun. Being stunned meant that deputies pulled the trigger and touched the person with the current emitted by the Taser. Deputies said that the protesters were each stunned less than two seconds.
Evan Webb was one of those stunned by deputies, but he says that won’t stop the protests.
“We’re not stopping any time soon, we’re going to keep the pressure on Duke Energy,” Webb said.
Duke continues to defend itself, said that the additions and enhancements at Cliffside will decrease emissions such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen and mercury.
© Copyright 2008 by WYFF4.com.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center , 325 E. 25th St. , Baltimore , MD 21218 . Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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