DEPARTMENTS
ANTI-WAR
DEATH PENALTY
ELECTIONS
ENVIRONMENT
GLBT ISSUES
HEMP
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
REVIEWS
|
Departments Ohio Not In Our Name protester arrested As you may know, I was in court yesterday for the start of my anti-war trial. I face a year in jail for participating in an anti-war protest in Cleveland on March 28, 2003. I wanted to give you an update on what happened. For background info, get the current "Free Times" and read my Statement on page 9. A spirited march and rally took place outside the Justice Center before we went into the court. There was a lot of interest among passersby, with people eagerly taking fliers. Stationed nearby was the crew of plainclothes cops that have been following peace activists for months. I was interviewed by channel 19/43 and WCPN. As people entered the courtroom, the bailiff immediately announced that no one wearing shorts would be allowed in! Huh? This was just the beginning of an atmosphere of arbitrariness and hostility from the City that would mark this day. It's a good thing for the plainclothes cops that followed us into the courtroom that they weren't wearing shorts. The first thing that happened was that my trial was postponed until September 17. We had over 20 witnesses lined up and 4 video tapes of the March 28 protest, so I was very frustrated with this delay. I was ready and willing to go forward that day. Then the judge, Ellen Connelly, went on and on about what an inconvenience all this was...for her! In a very patronizing and hostile manner, she tried to make all of us (me, the lawyer, and the supporters) feel like we were doing something wrong by taking this case to trial! Excuse me, but I have the RIGHT to a jury trial. I have the right to call witnesses, and defend myself. And the judge does NOT have the right to scold me! But I know that in Amerikkka 2003, the government and courts don't look at things this way. After all, with the Patriot Act, people can be taken from their homes without charges, without due process, and held indefinitely, so jury trials are "just a bother." The Judge than sneered, "I have a son in the Marine Corps who just returned from Iraq. Does anyone have a problem with that?!" The Prosecutor added to this atmosphere. Even though this was the perfect opportunity to drop the charges (after all, if they don't want me to go to trial, they could at least drop the charges), the prosecutor made it clear to me and my lawyer that they are very serious about trying to convict me. As of yesterday, the prosecutor had said that their case against me consisted of 2 police officers. But after court, the prosecutor said, he will now do a "search" to find any police video of March 28 and more witnesses. Things are heating up! The City is very pissed off that we are fighting all the charges, and that we are fighting this in the courtroom AND in the streets. So we have a lot more work to do. I want to thank all those who have supported me so far. And I call on everyone to do what they can to help in the next 5 weeks. And I want to invite everyone to come to the next Not in Our Name Potluck Dinner on Wednesday, August 13. Bring a dish and a friend to our office at 4403 St. Clair Ave at 6:30 pm and we can talk more about what's happening. And here are some things you can do to help: a. If you are a lawyer or law student, we need your help with legal work b. If you are a teacher, bring your classes to the trial to show them "how the system works" c. Call the City Prosecutor's office at 216-664-4850 and demand the charges be dropped on Melanie "Lee" Lettich d. If you have a radio show, I am available for interviews e. Write the Free Times--thank them for printing my statement and give them your opinion f. Donate to the legal defense. Not in Our Name, 4403 St. Clair Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113 (indicate this is for legal defense) g. When schools starts, get the word out everywhere and bring your friends to the trial You can contact me at leegrrrl@hotmail.com For updates, go to www.cleveland.indymedia.org or www.nioncleveland.org Political Dissent is NOT a crime! Melanie "Lee" Lettich, Not in Our Name |
|
Redfern backs corrupted Noes; Wins ODP Chair seat Ohio AFL-CIO: Pryce earns “F”, DeWine “Barely Passing” in “Mid-Term Report Cards” grading 2005 votes by Ohio Congressional delegation Report on Ohio Democratic Party election Blackwell lifts Libertarian campaign theme: Freedom to Prosper a great idea Cleveland AFL-CIO announces unanimous support of Ted Strickland for governor Does the Democratic Party need to be more democratic to win? Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council endorses Ted Strickland for Governor Ashcroft speaks with Reformation Ohio’s Rod Parsley Holiday Hop hears about the heat Strickland wins 18th, 19th, 20th county party endorsements Fraudbuster Bob Fitrakis announces bid for governorship Theocracy rising: Blackwell and Parsley intend to hijack Ohio Ohio's supermax on trial Protests at the Dispatch continue over Bill Moss cartoon Mr. Bill Moss's Light Shines Brightly! Mr. Bill Moss's Light Shines Brightly! GAP visits OSU Bush Greeted by Angry Protesters; Democrats Told to Get a Spine The disappearance of black police officers in Columbus, Ohio Ohio State Students Support Plaintiff in Case Alleging University Wrongdoing in Rape Case Ohio Preparing Law Enforcement for Increasing Non-English Speaking Communities Columbus endorsement slate Ohioans Rally to Stop Social Security Privatization as Congress Begins to Write Privatization Plan Columbus League of Pissed Off Voters Release Endorsement Slate for May 3 Primary Kent Students Are More Than Numbers Higher Education Funding Cuts Hurt Ohio's Future Boy Scouts of America's Simon Kenton Council Attempts to mislead United Way of Central Ohio to get funding Read Ohio Articles by Year: |
FREE PRESS EMAIL UPDATE
FOLLOW US ON
twitter
facebook
SEARCH THE FREEPRESS
1021 E. Broad St. Columbus, OH 43205 | 614.253.2571 | truth@freepress.org
All content © 1970-2012 The Columbus Free Press
Disclaimer