http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=02/09/05/7640999 They're not in quite as much danger as Camilo but still in need of support -- people should at least be aware of them, as well as the Long Beach folks and Camilo. ================== "And then there were three... Hartford 18 holdouts prepare for trial" By Chris Harris Published 09/05/02 in the Hartford Advocate Last October, more than 300 anti-war demonstrators took to Hartford's streets, in opposition to United States military actions against Afghanistan. But what started out as a peaceful demonstration at Bushnell Park -- its participants students from UConn, Central Connecticut State University, Yale, and Wesleyan, as well as several local activists -- ended in front of Constitution Plaza, with pepper spray, beatings, and the arrests of 18 people, seven on charges of inciting to riot. Nearly a year later, three of those 18 demonstrators have yet to plead out, and say they will take the matter to trial. Dave Bonan, 24, Jason Cappell, 23, and Max Greene, 19, were in Hartford Superior Court last Tuesday, represented by New Haven attorney Norm Pattis. Each has appeared before a judge several times since the protest. Bonan, Cappell, and Greene -- all wearing pins that read "Defend the Hartford 18" -- told the Advocate they've been offered numerous chances at a plea bargain but have refused. The charges against them range from interfering with police and inciting to riot, a felony, to disorderly conduct and trespassing. A date for their trial has been set for October 15. "These boys," says Pattis, "refuse to buckle." Accepting the plea bargain would mean admitting blame, something these three holdouts don't want to do. They say the worst crime they committed on October 25 was blocking traffic, staying in the street when ordered by police to get out, and marching without a permit. The demonstration marched along various streets, and approached Sen. Joe Lieberman's office at One Constitution Plaza on Market Street. Throughout, police in cars and on foot tried to divert the demonstration off the streets and onto the sidewalks. Police patience had worn thin by the time the mob made it to Lieberman's office. Police bumped, elbowed, and shoved some of the demonstrators onto the sidewalk. Then, police started blasting the crowd with pepper spray. The Hartford 18 were grabbed in choke holds, and dragged off to patrol cars. At the time, a police spokesman described the crowd as "rowdy," claimed they were banging on police cars and chanting "anarchy now" and "attack the police!" The arrests began only after marchers had ignored police orders for 45 minutes, police say. This reporter, who was present from start to finish, saw no such provocation. "I didn't do anything," says Greene, a sophomore at Wesleyan. "If I accepted a diversionary program, it would be admitting guilt." All three say they feel more like victims in this case, not criminals. They're confident a jury will rule in their favor. "It's kind of difficult to comprehend that 18 of us got arrested at a peaceful protest," says Greene. The rest of the Hartford 18 accepted the state's plea offer for accelerated rehabilitation -- a brief form of probation that results in a dismissal of the case. If they're able to stay out of trouble during that probationary period, the charges will be cleared from their records. Pattis says his clients could see some jail time if found guilty. How much jail time depends on the judge, he says. No minimum period of incarceration is associated with the charges pending against his clients. While he wouldn't comment specifically about his plan of attack for this case, Pattis did say he'll introduce video footage of the demonstration shot by Greene as part of his defense. This evidence, he suspects, will be "pivotal" to the outcome of the trial. "It shows this was a police riot," says Pattis. "These were people engaged in protected speech, and it would be a disaster for them to be convicted of anything." Pattis says his clients "represent the very best of what this country is all about," and added that any witness "the state puts up will become our witness on cross-examination." None of the three would comment on whether or not he is planning to sue the city or its police department. Greene says he's experienced psychological trauma as a result of the police riot and still has recurring nightmares about the experience. ### Posted for fair use. http://www.newmassmedia.com/nac.phtml?code=har&db=nac_fea&ref=21900 Comment www.infoshop.org