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Press Releases R2K LEGAL COLLECTIVE PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2000 CONTACT: Kris Hermes, R2K Legal (215) 925-6791; Bradley Bridge, Defender Association (215) 557-4960; Paul Hetznecker, R2K Attorney (215) 893-9640 http://www.r2klegal.org REMAINING RNC PUPPET WAREHOUSE DEFENDANTS CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES All of those arrested in the raid on the puppet warehouse during the Republican Convention were vindicated in their claims of unjust arrests. Dismissed cases against the puppetistas clear the way for extensive civil suits. (Philadelphia, PA) The remaining charges against activists arrested at the puppet warehouse raid during the Republican National Convention (RNC) were dismissed today. A total of sixty-four people, originally arrested while making puppets, signs, and banners, have been cleared of all claims of criminal activity. The first grouping of thirty-one warehouse defendants had their charges dismissed December 7, 2000. Undercover state troopers failed to identify any activists today as having done anything illegal in a second round of police lineups and photo arrays. "The facts clearly demonstrate that no one was doing anything but making puppets," says Bradley Bridge of the Philadelphia Defenders Association. "The case, however, raises very troubling questions of why a search warrant was issued when nothing was found in the warehouse, why people were arrested when they were doing nothing wrong, and why it took over four months to get to this point when there was no basis for prosecution." The dismissal of the last puppet warehouse cases clears the way for civil lawsuits that could end up costing the city of Philadelphia millions of dollars. Puppetistas, a mix of artists, activists, and community members who created visual political messages to be used in street pageantry during the RNC, saw their art confiscated by police then destroyed. As a consequence of these actions, and having to spend as much as two weeks in jail, the puppetistas are preparing to file civil law suits for unlawful arrest and detainment, violations of due process and First Amendment rights, as well as brutal treatment in the jails. "If we allow the state to take people into custody without probable cause, you essentially create what’s called preventive detention," says R2K attorney Paul Hetznecker. "This activity, coupled with the suppression of First Amendment rights, establishes a very serious case of constitutional violations that the city of Philadelphia must answer to." As more and more RNC cases are thrown out, the win rate for protestors is increasing steadily. Out of one hundred forty-five cases that have gone to trial, judges have made only thirteen convictions most of which are on appeal. There remain only fifteen defendants facing felony charges from the original forty-one. These victories illustrate how law enforcement overreacted and how all of the defendants were similarly rounded up and overcharged. Despite all of this, the Philadelphia District Attorney continues to prosecute the remaining seventy-three RNC defendants. "Those people with high level misdemeanor and felony charges were singled out by a system that is attempting to over-prosecute all of the RNC defendants," exclaims puppetista Rebecca Tennison. "There is no differentiation between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ protestor here, and we stand in solidarity with all of the remaining defendants until the last person makes it out of the system." Among the artwork destroyed in the raid on the puppet warehouse were one hundred thirty-eight cardboard skeletons illustrating the number of people executed under Governor George Bush. Other First Amendment material destroyed in the warehouse conveyed messages of racism and classism in the criminal justice system. --030-- |
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