Cindy's Day in Court

Cindy Sheehan has a court date Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C., and faces up to 6 months in jail for the charge of demonstrating without a permit, as a result of the civil disobedience action at the White House in September at which Cindy and nearly 400 other activists protested the war. Some paid a $75 fine. Others, including Cindy, are refusing to pay anything.

Some of those refusing to pay are required to appear in federal court at 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday. They'll be at the Federal Courthouse at 3rd and Constitution Ave. NW, and a group of supporters will be there to hold a vigil at 8:30 a.m.. Supporters planning to be there include Congressman John Conyers.

Cindy has a second court date pending for a second identical charge dating from a die-in in front of the White House on the occasion of the 2,000th death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq. (I was arrested at that time, as were two dozen others, and have paid my fine.)

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_david_sw_051116_cindy_s_day_in_court.htm

how she wants this to play out? Her refusal to pay the fine indicates she's ready for jail, but is that what she expects?

Paying the fine is like saying "I'm guilty".

We are not guilty for refusing to leavce the WH sidewalk. The war criminals are the guilty ones. If a prosecutor wants to make an issue of this rather than dropping all of our charges than we get to put this on the record.

The odds are good that if we are found guilty, we will have to pay the original fine plus court costs. The maximum sentence would be $500 and up to 6 months in jail, but that would be absurd, it is highly unlikely that that will be the sentence (I really HOPE that isn't the sentence! :hide: ).

:patriot:

I think her 'permit' was written in 1789.

That 'president' inside the building where she protested is paid salary by her taxes. Therefore, maybe he ought to scoot for her lousy $75 bail.

If he has any conscience.

Oh wait, he doesn't.

:grr:

:nuke:

stupid thing to do. Actually Cindy has said she isn't paying her federal taxes and won't until she gets a honest answer as to what the *noble cause* was that sent her son to his untimely death, it that correct?

that is going nowhere. Frankly I hope she pays the fine, I dont want to see that poor woman in jail!


But it would be great PR for the Antiwar movement.

As I sit here at my laptop in the comfort of my sofa with my satellite TV, I criticize that this is so last century. I wish should would quit embarrassing us with her old-fashioned hippie protesting. She is making a circus of this.

:sarcasm: (the message part, not the subject line)

The ranch is calling and Bush will be there soon.

and the odds of us getting jail time is extremely low - this was a misdemeanor akin to a traffic ticket. Unless she has a sordid criminal record she will likely just have to pay the fine and court costs - IF they find us guilty.

That would be ideal. I guess we'll have to wait and see, but the odds of them sentencing 380 people to jail for a $75 misdemeanor is highly unlikely, and since we all did the same thing, they would have to give us all the same sentence. Or at least those of us whose trial date is today.

:shrug:

You are a living profile in courage.

:patriot:

Permits are required for demonstrations.

Cindy demonstrated without a permit. Thuis, she broke the law.

If she were protesting the need to have a permit to demonstrate, I could see where she wouldn't pay the fine. However, she's not. She's protesting the Iraq war.

How would it be a compromise to just pay the fine?



For clarification (because I know some of the Cindy folks here are REALLY sensitive):

1) I'm protesting the law that requires one to have a permit before staging a public demonstration. Therefore, I hold a demonstration. I'm cited and refuse to pay the fine for the unjust law.

OR

2) I'm protesting the Iraq war. The city won't issue me a permit. I'm not protesting the law itself, I just felt the demonstration was important enough to justify breaking the law. I hold the demonstration, am cited, pay the fine, and I'm on my way.



Is there something I'm not understanding?

to a government that is behaving criminally.

So, you do not cooperate. You make it as difficult as possible for them to continue their criminality.

Besides, wouldn't she do more good out of jail than in?

How does that look?

This is one independent woman. She's not going to making slickness a priority.

people under oath.....

...especially when it is heard she was jailed for failing to pay a $75 fine.

That said, it is her decision. Everyone decides their own path in protest.

> Besides, wouldn't she do more good out of jail than in?

Don't I recall a certain "Letter from the Birmingham Jail"???

Tesha

...tyrants/authoritarian regimes. They have chosen to go to jail in defense of principles found in our own Constitution, principles that our own government has failed to acknowledge, time after time.

IMHO, people like Cindy are heroes for being willing to put their personal beliefs on the line, beliefs that are granted as RIGHTS under the U. S. Constitution and existing law.

This is what Gandhi did to win independence for India. Civil disobediance is a powerful tool.

" I have enjoyed the King's hospitality on many occasions" Gandhi referring to his frequent arrests and incarcerations. They really won't want her in jail, it would really make them look worse, and Camp Casey made them look bad enough.

Hundreds of us had contacted the WH to request a meeting with bush in the weeks leading up to this event. A group of folks including some clergy from various faiths, Cindy, Iraq vets, and other family members of killed soldiers approached the guard booth to try to get a meeting with bush and were refused entry.

Since none of us received responses to our requests to meet with the pres, we were prepared to stay on the sidewalk in front of the WH and demand a meeting. He is supposed to represent us and had been ignoring the will of the people for too long. The police will not issue a permit to be on that sidewalk. The law there is that you have to keep moving. We refused to move because the White House belongs to the people of the United States, not the current resident. He is only there temporarily.

The police gave us 3 warnings and when all was said and done almost 400 of us got arrested.

My court date is also today, and unfortunately I couldn't get back to DC for it. I have not paid my fine. I am hoping they will throw out my case. If not, I face a warrant for my arrest.

For the record, this action was planned many months ago by a few different organizations, and we were grateful that Cindy participated but it was not 'her' event, so to speak. We didn't know she was going to be there until soon before the event, and at least for me her arrest was a surprise. I figured she would just give a speech and stay in the park where it was legal.

So you won't have a warrant hanging over your head?

:P

The advice I got from the attorneys was to wait until after the court date and see what happens. I guess there was a similar mass arrest last year, and oddly enough they found the people who showed up for court guilty, and made them pay their fines, but the cases of those who totally blew it off were dismissed.

I also consulted with my dad, a retired attorney (and a Republican-turned-flaming-liberal to boot!) who said not to worry, if this does come back to haunt me he will help me deal with it. I managed to get through my teens and twenties without ever pulling the 'my daddy's a lawyer' card, so this may be my chance!

Even if there is a warrant, it will most likely be just in DC (it would be way over-the-top for the judge to issue a federal warrant for a $75 misdemeanor ticket) so I will only have to worry about it if I get arrested in DC again, which is a possibility. In that case, I would probably just get higher fines and fees next time.

You are to be commended - this is what it takes to bring down a tyrant.

Or am I just being naive?

It is impossible to get a permit to stand still on the White House sidewalk. The guards will tell you to 'keep moving'. See my above post for more detail of the event.

Something about the "right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances."

I've heard of it too.

:7

;)

...right to publicly assemble.

Of course, when our previous form of government disappeared in December 2000, certain freedoms have disappeared that most Americans took for granted.

Disobedience.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers today, and let us hope that someday the war criminals get arrested and put in front of a judge instead of the peaceful protestors.

:patriot:

we can have a party on the same sidewalk. :party:

else who acted like true patriots and protested this evil regime :patriot:

I don't want to have to travel to DC again just to visit you in jail. :)

Although it would be a pleasure to see you again! :hug:

How quickly the "Soldiers We Support" are forgotten"...

Somewhere up there, Casey must be soooo proud of his Mom. She's been so brave for his memory, and indirectly so much for the Anti-War movement, and this country.

Bless her.

if it came to that. I know I would be more than willing to kick in because I am so humbled by what Joanie and meganmonkey and others did in the name of peace.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/16/national/main1047762.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&source=RSS&attr=U.S._1047762

(AP) War protester Cindy Sheehan said Wednesday she was demanding a trial for demonstrating without a permit outside the White House.

Sheehan also plans to revive her protest near President Bush's Texas ranch during Thanksgiving week, despite new county ordinances banning roadside camping.

Sheehan and other anti-war activists arrested with her Sept. 26 in Washington conducted a news conference in front of the federal courthouse Wednesday before heading to a court appearance on the misdemeanor charge.

After the holidays -- ho-ho-ho...Merry Christmas George...!

and the chicago 7 when you need 'em??!!

Patriots, all.

:patriot:

:kick: