These extremely serious terrorism charges against three NATO protesters seem highly exaggerated on their face. We will see what evidence the police put forward. It will be important for the movement to stay on top of this case as the police show their evidence. The three are the first charged under the NDAA terrorism provisions which could result in life sentences. If these charges are trumped up they will show that the New York federal judge who enjoined the NDAA provisions on indefinite detention was right -- they are provisions that chill Free Speech and Free Assembly rights of Americans. The independent and democratized media needs to stay on top of this one. Update below: Two more charged making it the NATO 5.
Robert (left) and Daniel (right), the two activists released Friday night (Photo by Steve Horn)
Two more antiwar activists, in from out of town to protest the NATO Summit, were released from a police station on the south side of Chicago late tonight at roughly 10:00 PM, making it a grand total of six activists released so far, of the nine detained without charge by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) on Wednesday, previously covered on Antiwar.com.
The other three remaining weren’t so lucky. They’ve been charged with, as Occupy Chicago has reported on its Twitter feed, ”possession of incendiary or explosive device, conspiracy to commit terrorism & providing material support for terrorism.” “Material support” of terrorism, under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 signed by President Barack Obama, is a crime that could call for indefinite detention without a trial, begging the question: are these legitimate political prisoners?
One Occupy activist noted, “It’s NDAA in full effect. We are doomed.”
“The National Lawyers Guild deplores the charges against Occupy activists in the strongest degree,” said Sarah Gelsomino with the NLG and the People’s Law Office. “It’s outrageous for the city to apply terrorism charges when it’s the police who have been terrorizing activists and threatening their right to protest.”
There will be a bond hearing at noon today. The three activists names, according to the NLG, are Bryan Church, Jarred Chase, Brent Betterly.
The lame excuse for arrest and “terrorism” charges and the subsequent police raid to begin with?
The activists were making “molotov cocktails” to use in their protests, or so reported the sycophantic local press in Chicago. As Kevin Gosztola of FireDogLake explained in a previously written blog post well worth reading, “Local news reported a ‘police source’ had recovered ‘Molotov cocktails.’ There is no evidence of the existence or production of Molotov cocktails. The police did confiscate a home brew-making kit.”
The names of the two released last night are Daniel Murphy, 25 years old, and Bobby LaMoore (sp?), both in Chicago from out of town in New York City.
LaMoore is a special case: rather than being arrested without charge at the police-targeted Occupy Chicago activist house, he was arrested without charge at a CVS while buying beer, having only been in Chicago for 45 minutes before his arrest. He told Antiwar.com that he was rounded up by police immediately after walking out of the store, this all coming in the aftermath of a 28-hour drive from the east coast, saying he hitch-hiked to be a part of the protests and do it on the cheap.
“I haven’t stayed anywhere except for in the custody of Chicago’s finest,” he said after his release.
The “gang of nine” were (or still are, in the case of three being charged with “terrorism” charges) held in solitary confinement, with their two feet shackled and one arm cuffed to the bench in the cell, according to the activists.
Murphy said the police “Refused to tell us what charges were for our entire 20 hours spent there,” in an interview with Antiwar.com.
As is obvious from a quick glance on YouTube, Murphy is not shy about expressing his grievances with the police, in the case of this particular video, titled, “Daniel Murphy’s 3 minute rant to line of NYPD @ Union Square #OWS,” the New York Police Department (NYPD). Translation: he was likely an easy, visible target for the CPD or the FBI or whoever was responsible for targeting these activists.
The activists also said the police were taunting, name-calling (“terrorists”), and were, generally speaking, rude and verbally abusive in all ways to the activists.
Gosztola describes the horrifying arrest scene well, writing,
They came in with guns pointed at the activists’ faces and were screaming so we couldn’t really understand what they were saying. The activists froze and waited for them to give commands.
Police ransacked the home, throwing property. A watermelon and printer was thrown. They were dumping clothing and material out of bags. One of the arrested activists says police ‘destroyed everything.’
Remember, this all comes on the heals of the NATO Summit — the Summit and the big days of activism on the streets of downtown Chicago are yet to come. It should be an ugly weekend, to say the least.
Stay tuned for a follow-up report after the bond hearing.
Nato protesters arrested in Chicago raid held on terrorism conspiracy charges
Lawyer says men are 'in shock' over allegations they tried to make a Molotov cocktail ahead of Nato summit protests
By Gary Younge in Chicago
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 19 May 2012 09.16 EDT
Observers said Chicago police showed restraint during the day that included the sight of hundreds of protesters breaking away from a large rally.
Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty
Three Nato protesters, arrested in a late night raid on Wednesday, have been charged on terrorism-related offences.
Police claim the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism and possession of an explosive or incendiary device, are the result of a month-long investigation into a group they believe was making Molotov cocktails. They had already been pulled over by police last week and asked about their protest plans in a stop they posted on YouTube.
Attorneys representing the men say the charges are fabricated and aimed at intimidating activists. "We cannot say enough that we believe that these charges are absolutely … very trumped up charges," said Sarah Gelsomino of the Peoples Law Office. "Clearly in an attempt to continue this intimidation campaign on activists. Charging these people who are here to peacefully protest against Nato for terrorism, when in reality the police have been terrorising activists in Chicago, is absolutely outrageous.
"All three of these guys, interestingly, were in the car about a week ago that was stopped and harassed by the Chicago police department," Gelsomino said. "They then posted that video online in an attempt to expose that police misconduct. Each of those three are now being charged with these crimes. That's as much as we know."
The three men are all in their twenties. Two come from Florida and one from New Hampshire. They were arrested in the Bridgeport area of the City after 11pm on Wednesday. Chicago police dressed in black and armed with battering ramsbroke down doors in an apartment building, searched the units and then arrested nine protesters for allegedly making or possessing Molotov cocktails. Lawyers say it was just beer-making equipment.
"The city has so far failed to produce any evidence or the search warrant affidavit used in the raid," said Kris Hermes of the National Lawyers Guild.
When police detained the people, they also seized parts of a beer-making kit, including bottles and caps, and a cellphone, Gelsomino said.
"This is the playbook," said Gelsomino. "Shoddy police work. It's a fear campaign."
Six were released on Friday. One said he had been handcuffed for 18 hours in an "interrogation room". Others say they were never told why they were held. Police did not inform the lawyers of their whereabouts for 17 hours.
One of the released, who blogs under the name "TarheelDem", called on activists to flood Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel's official voicemail. "The whole charge is transparently bogus and meant for the media to reduce turnout to the march on Sunday."
William Vassilakis, who leases the apartment, said he was appalled by the raids.
"I could not be more disgusted, enraged, terrified, by and generally totally disappointed with the city of Chicago," he told the local ABC TV channel.
