Five Citizens Acquitted of Trespassing (Grassley's office)

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http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24663

Five Citizens Acquitted of Trespassing
Submitted by davidswanson on Sat, 2007-07-14 03:41. Nonviolent Resistance

By Sally Franks

Yesterday, a 6 person jury in Des Moines acquitted 5 people of trespass for
sitting in in Senator Grassley's office in February. The action was part
of the Occupation Project. The Senator's staff basically refused to deal
with the group saying that they had been heard already and called ICE
within 15-20 minutes of their arrival in the office. They were arrested
well before the office was scheduled to be closed for the day. I
represented three of the defendants. My husband and the fifth defendant
were pro-se.

Also of note in this case is that 11 days before trial, I subpoenaed the
head of the office in Des Moines to testify and bring documents. He didn't
contact me but the Friday before trial apparently called the county
attorney's office about it. No one filed a formal motion to quash and he
came on the County Attorney's subpoena without the documents. I told them
that the County Attorney did not have standing to move to quash and that if
he didn't obey the subpoena, I would bring a contempt action against
him. Tuesday, I learned from the Hill that on Monday the Senate gave
unanimous consent to provide attorneys for two of the Senator's staff. See LINK.

Who knew that the trial would result in a vote in the Senate.
Here's the press release and Des Moines Register article on the case. Note
the prominent mention of the National Lawyers Guild Mass Defense Committee.

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