 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Press Releases R2K LEGAL COLLECTIVE PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2001 CONTACT: Kris Hermes, R2K Legal Collective (215) 925-6791, Lawrence Krasner, R2K Lawyer (215) 731-9500, David Rudovsky, R2K Lawyer (215) 925-4400 http://www.r2klegal.org TWO RNC DEFENDANTS FILE CIVIL SUITS -- CHARGING THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA WITH UNLAWFUL ARREST AND MALICIOUS PROSECUTION Terrence McGuckin, a Philadelphia activist, was acquitted of all charges at trial and John Sellers of the California-based Ruckus Society had his case withdrawn just prior to trial. Both plaintiffs were accused of being protest "ringleaders." (Philadelphia, PA) Nearly one year after the mass arrests made at the Republican National Convention (RNC), two ex-defendants are filing civil suits in federal court against the city of Philadelphia today. Terrence McGuckin, a local activist working on criminal justice and AIDS issues, and John Sellers, Director of the California-based Ruckus Society, both accused of being protest "ringleaders" are separately claiming that the city engaged in their Unlawful Arrest and Malicious Prosecution. McGuckin was acquitted of all charges in Spring 2001 and Sellers had his case withdrawn minutes prior to his trial in Fall 2000. Civil Rights Attorney David Rudovsky is filing on behalf of McGuckin who is seeking to vindicate his rights protected under the First, Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. The defendants listed in McGuckin's civil suit complaint include the City of Philadelphia and different police department officials. The original charges against McGuckin were based on allegations that he was a protest "ringleader" and asserting that he was somehow responsible for mayhem, destruction of property, traffic hazards, and violence to police during the Convention. The lawsuit contends that this false information was transmitted with the knowledge that it would be used to secure high bail and detain the plaintiff for the duration of the Convention. McGuckin was originally held on $500,000 bail. Defendants in McGuckin's civil suit are also accused of harm and injury to the plaintiff by publicizing his arrest and high bail on the Philadelphia Police Department website. Sellers is being represented by Lawrence Krasner and is filing on similar claims, yet is also naming Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney as a defendant. As with McGuckin, Sellers is filing for both damages and injunctive relief. The civil suit complaint filed on behalf of Sellers states that the Philadelphia District Attorney pushed for excessive bail against those that were arrested. In addition, the complaint states that people perceived as potential leaders of protest activity were surveilled and targeted for arrest whether or not their conduct was illegal during the Convention. Without probable cause, Sellers was picked up on August 2, 2000, slapped with multiple misdemeanors and held on $1 million bail. A claim of defamation is included in Sellers. complaint pointing to defendant Commissioner Timoney's public statements that the plaintiff and his actions were criminal and violent -- portraying him as a "master of mayhem." Sellers information was also posted to the police website. The suits being filed by McGuckin and Sellers are merely an example of how people's civil rights were violated at last year's RNC protests. Hundreds of activists that were in Philadelphia to voice outrage on issues such as the criminal "justice" system -- the death penalty, police violence, class warfare -- and corporate domination of politics and the global economy were arrested, overcharged, and excessively prosecuted. Now that well over 95% of the cases against people arrested last summer have been thrown out, it is clear that the city known as the "cradle of liberty" was way out of line in dealing with free speech and dissent. While some whose rights were violated are now filing suit, a handful still languish in the courts. The DA's intentions smack of political motivation, covering for their actions to protect the speech of Republicans while denying the speech of others. A full year later, nine defendants are still being prosecuted who have yet to go to trial. To add insult to injury, eight of these nine remaining cases are still in the courts due to appeals by the DA. "These suits are a reflection of how the City of Philadelphia did wrong and should own up to it," said Lawrence Krasner. "Having lost over and over again in the criminal proceedings, it's time for the city to stop using the protesters as a political football to promote its own political agenda at the expense of all our rights." The civil suit complaints will be available for review later today and can be found on the website listed above. --030-- |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fair Use Notice of copyrighted material contained in this website.