Last November, during the heady days of Occupy Wall Street, some overly aggressive cops arrested seven people at the US Bank building in downtown Columbus. Some of us decided to exercise our rights and saw the charges through to trial. Apparently a "jury of our peers" don't care as much about free speech or assembly or financial fraud as we do, cuz they found us guilty. Booo!
Fortunately, those sad defeated people on that jury aren't actually our peers! Our peers are the people in Columbus who DON'T want to live in a police state. Some of these folks are helping us put together a couple fundraisers to cover the exorbitant court costs and fines. We're estimating over $2,000 total. Maybe that's what they mean by "freedom isn't free".
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| What rights?!? |
The first event will be an Exercise Your Rights Dance Party on Sat. July 28th at 9PM at SkyLab Gallery, 57 E Gay Street. There will be lots of fun and games, raffle prizes, a "kiss a criminal" booth, videos and stories about our experiences fighting the law, and other good stuff. The costume theme is "Exercise Your Rights". By that we of course mean leotards, spandex, leg warmers, and headbands.
We don't want these fundraisers to exist only in reaction to a single situation. We feel like we learned a lot and came out of this experience stronger, better equipped to defend against the next attack by the police and the injustice system. We want the same for our community, so we're earmarking some of the money raised to the establish a legal defense fund for future situations like this.
Can't make it to the fundraiser, but wanna give money? No problem!
Write us a check and mail it to:
Occupy Bank Tour
PO BOX 1291
Columbus OH 43216
Make the check out to any of the defendants' names. Don't know us? Write checks to Kate Pleuss.
Or, if you prefer the convenience of playing 2% fees to a nasty corporation, use this:
Can't make it to the fundraiser, but wanna give money? No problem!
Write us a check and mail it to:
Occupy Bank Tour
PO BOX 1291
Columbus OH 43216
Make the check out to any of the defendants' names. Don't know us? Write checks to Kate Pleuss.
Or, if you prefer the convenience of playing 2% fees to a nasty corporation, use this:
June 14th, 2012, Youngstown OH- Two weeks after the hunger strike that began on May Day at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) one man named Cornelius Harris resumed hunger striking on his own because of slow progress on the realization of striker's demands. Mr Harris refused more than 50 meals over at least 17 days. In a letter dated June 6th, he was still refusing food and vowed to stay on until "a clear picture is painted as to what changes will be made". A trusted prisoner source has since confirmed that Mr. Harris resumed eating after a meeting with Warden David Bobby. 