Houston DA convening grand jury to indict protestors for using PVC pipe as a 'criminal instrument'

[Are_grits_groceries]

Across the country, Occupy protesters have sparked a variety of official responses. Some have faced police in riot gear with pepper spray, while others have been nudged out by authorities for “health and safety concerns.” In Houston, where the protesters and the police had been relatively genteel, the authorities now are pursuing highly aggressive legal cases against a group of activists.

The cases involve seven people arrested while blocking the road to the Port of Houston on Monday on the felony charge of using or possessing a “criminal instrument” — referring to PVC pipe that the activists use to link themselves together to make arrest more difficult.

Even though a Houston district court judge dismissed the cases on Wednesday, saying the prosecutors had not shown probable cause for the felony arrest, the district attorney attorney’s office said Thursday that it would seek an indictment by a grand Jury.

“Highly unusual,” is how it was characterized by Sandra Guerra Thompson, a criminal law professor at the University of Houston Law Center. “What we’re talking about is civil disobedience. We have a long history in this country of people committing crimes to bring attention to social issues… At the same time, the government has in the past arrested people when they needed to maintain order… Generally in this type of passive resistance, you’re not going to see felony charges.”

More: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9475696-houston-da-turns-up-the-heat-on-occupy-activists

He is bound and determined to convict these protestors for felonies. This will carry stiffer penalties and fines.

This is just WRONG! Bastid!

[Dragonbreathp9d]

1. Here in Austin, we are already coming up with a protest for it

We are making our own criminal instruments

http://devices.natetrue.com/pvc/pvc.htm

Either making one big one or 8 of them - something like "the Houston 8 Criminals' Instruments" or sumptin- still in the works but I think this will be a good one

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. How shocked should I act?

[malthaussen]

3. Well, nobody said civil disobedience was going to be easy

In fact, this is a victory for Occupy, since it exposes an even greater length to which the PTB will go to crush dissent. It is unfortunate for the victims -- especially if the Grand Jury convicts -- and is, of course, totally unreasonable, but does any grownup really think the PTB are going to give up their power without distorting and exploiting every means at their disposal to keep it?

-- Mal