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Judge acquits five protesters arrested at GOP Convention
10/03/01 - by Robert Moran - Philadelphia Inquirer
Five protesters who disrupted a Center City intersection the week of
the Republican National Convention were found not guilty yesterday of
obstructing the highway and other charges.
Municipal Court Judge Felice Stack acquitted Linda Panetta, 35, of
Philadelphia, of all charges and reduced the charges against the four
other defendants after the prosecution rested its case.
Later, after hearing defense testimony, Stack found the remaining
defendants not guilty of obstructing the highway, saying that even
though the protesters were sitting or lying in the street at 15th
Street and JFK Boulevard on July 31, 2000, motorists on that Monday
morning were able to drive around them.
Found not guilty were Allison Styan, 19, of Maryland; Rebecca
Johnson,
22, of Maryland; Laurel Paget-Seekins, 21, of California; and William
Brown, 32, of Philadelphia.
The defendants were protesting the School of the Americas, a U.S.
facility in Georgia accused by the protesters of training Latin
American military personnel on how to torture, kidnap and assassinate
civilians.
Despite repeated objections by prosecutor Josh Van Naarden, Stack
allowed Catholic Bishop Tom Gumbleton from Detroit to testify at
length
about allegations that the School of the Americas was linked to
specific killings and massacres in Central America during the 1980s.
Before rendering her verdict, Stack said that she had never heard of
the School of the Americas until yesterday and that what she learned
was "very enlightening and somewhat shocking."
The protesters wanted the government to close the School of the
Americas, which the protesters say was recently renamed the Western
Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
A Web site for the institute says that it replaced the School of the
Americas and that it promotes democratic values and respect for human
rights. The institute did not respond to a request for comment.
Shawn Nolan, a lawyer for three of the defendants, called what the
protesters did last year "democracy in action."
Nearly 400 people were arrested during the week of the convention.
Most
cases were dismissed, although a handful of protesters were convicted
of misdemeanor charges. Some of the cases have led to lawsuits
against
the city for wrongful arrest.
Cathie Abookire, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, was
unable to say whether there are any other criminal cases pending.
Commenting on yesterday's trial, Abookire said prosecutors believed
they had a strong case, including a police videotape showing the
protesters getting arrested after they refused police commands to get
back on the sidewalk.
"We disagree with the judge's decision," Abookire said.
The charges against the defendants had been thrown out by another
Municipal Court judge, but they were later reinstated by a Common
Pleas
Court judge.
Robert Moran's e-mail address is bmoran@phillynews.com.
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