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 Charges Dropped Against Protesters 12/07/00 - By Jennifer Brown - Associated Press PHILADELPHIA –– Prosecutors dropped charges Thursday against 32 people arrested during last summer's Republican National Convention after police failed to link the suspects to any crimes. Four state troopers infiltrated a warehouse that was a staging area for protests during the convention. During a raid on Aug. 2, police arrested 75 people, all for misdemeanors, but the cases have fallen apart. Charges may be dropped against 30 more people next week. The remainder accepted plea agreements earlier. On Wednesday, troopers examined mug shots of 32 defendants whose trials were to be held this week but were unable to recognize mug shots of people whom they had testified against in pretrial hearings. Undercover troopers had said activists spoke about slashing tires on police cars and built devices to block intersections. Prosecutors say it is not unusual for cases to fall apart based on identification. They declined to comment directly on the dismissals, as did police. "This department has very little to be proud of in terms of how it handled Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the convention," said Pennsylvania ACLU legal director Stefan Presser. "The state and the city are now both going to be faced with very large and broad federal litigation, so they will have to answer for their actions." No civil lawsuits have been filed yet. So far, about 200 Republican convention defendants have been cleared and another 100 accepted plea agreements for lesser charges. Fewer than 50 have been convicted of minor charges. About 90 defendants have pending trials. ––– On the Net: Philadelphia Police Department: http://www.ppdonline.org Activists: http://www.r2klegal.org |
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