Occupation Project Update - Jury Acquits Bangor Peace Activists
More photos available here: 2nd Day of Trial, Not Guilty! and Celebration
Bangor, Maine - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 -
Six peace activists were found not guilty of criminal trespass after a two-day jury trial in Penobscot County Superior Court. They have been referred to as the "Bangor Six" by some in context with this particular moment, some nearly fourteen months after their alleged crime. However, this precedent-setting case for peace activists here in Maine, and likely beyond, should be placed in an expanded context beginning with the fact that these 6 courageous souls that spoke to the jury with great heart, conviction and eloquence were accompanied by 6 others on March 7, 2007 who together were also arrested, pleaded no contest and paid fines. And these 12 arrests made in March of 2007 are part of a wider image, both locally and nationally, and a series of local peace actions dating back to mid-2002 when the Bush Administration's puffed-up bleatings of preemption began. In total there have been 25 peace activists arrested at Senator Collins' Bangor office and 36 peace activists arrested at Senator Snowe's Bangor office since the beginning of the war on March 19, 2003. Out of those combined 61 arrests, 7 individuals have been arrested twice and four others arrested three times.
Central to the defense of criminal trespass was the Dansinger case (State v. Dansinger, 521 A.2d 685, 688 (Me. 1987)) and the state of mind of the defendants that they knew they had a right, privilege or license to be at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building even after being repeatedly ordered to leave by Bangor Police Officers and the basis of their belief being founded on 1) The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the right to petition and redress of grievances, 2) Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, "This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land;" and 3) International Law embodied in both the Nuremberg Principles and the Geneva Convention. Each of the defendants; Dud Hendrick, Rob Shetterly, Jimmy Freeman, Jonathan Kreps and Doug Rawlings, led by attorneys Phil Worden and Lynne Williams were able to effectively and passionately articulate the moral and political basis of their belief that they indeed had a right to be there after the police had repeatedly ordered them to leave.
Despite Judge Michaela Murphy's instructions to the jury that they must set aside their feelings about the war and only deliberate on the evidence presented during trial, her instruction of the law and the jury's clear compliance with her orders, Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy was reported saying that the verdict could very likely be reflected as Mainers' disgust toward the continued conflict in Iraq and being fed up with both Senators Collins and Snowe handling of what he referred to as a debacle. Similar signals are being seen from other states
Regardless of the messages sent from this precedent-setting case, Almy also indicated that the next time a similar situation with protesters arise at Senator Collins' office in the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building, there will be a greater likelihood of Federal authorities prosecuting the case instead of the State. Why this particular case wasn't handled by Federal authorities to begin with is unclear - other than it would have drawn greater attention to Susan Collins' steadfast refusal to ever meet in town meeting with her constituents who have exhausted efforts over the past 6 years to do so.
For more information on the nationwide Occupation Project organized by Voices for Creative Nonviolence, please visit their website at: http://vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project