Occupy Albany arrest case flares up in court

Albany-A City Court judge threatened to hold District Attorney David Soares' top assistant in contempt Friday after the prosecutor said his office would not pursue a case against four Occupy Albany protesters.

The back-and-forth between Judge William Carter and Chief Assistant District Attorney David Rossi is the latest flare-up stemming from Soares' decision not to prosecute protesters who camped on parkland across from the state Capitol for several months in 2011.

In this case, four defendants are charged with disorderly conduct for their actions on June 13, 2012, during a Occupy Albany march on Lark Street. It was one of several weekly marches at the time by protesters. One of the men also is charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor.

That Rossi, a highly respected prosecutor with several high-profile murder convictions, appeared in City Court for such a minor case exemplifies the importance Soares has placed on the issue. Soares previously refused to prosecute more than 100 Occupy Albany protestors accused of trespassing, calling them peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights.

Read more at http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Occupy-Albany-arrest-case-flares-up-in-court-4546494.php