Activists to be Sentenced in Bath Town Court on Wednesday November 28 at 3:00 PM
Rally and Press Conference Scheduled at 2:00 PM at Bath Town Hall, 110 Liberty Street Bath NY
Go to the Ride Board if you need or can offer a ride. Get map to courthouse here.
Danny Burns, Mark Scibilia-Carver, Ellen Grady, Todd Saddler, and Chris Tate are scheduled to appear for sentencing before Judge Chauncy Watches this Wednesday November 28th. The five were convicted of Criminal Trespass in the third degree, a misdemeanor, by a six member jury on Saturday September eighth. They each face up to three months in jail and a two hundred and fifty dollar fine. They plan to appeal the conviction.
Background:
On Monday August 6, 2007 Danny Burns, Mark Carver, Ellen Grady, Todd Saddler and Chris Tate “occupied” the Bath, NY office of Congressman Randy Kuhl, a Republican and ardent and unrelenting supporter of President Bush and the “war on terror.” The aforementioned quintet delivered approximately three thousand petitions to Congressman Kuhl’s office, petitions asking him to make a public declaration that he would not vote for any additional funding for the war in Iraq. The activists had hoped to dialogue with the Congressman in person and waited in his office for over five hours. At the end of the business day Kuhl’s office manager requested that the five leave the premises but they declined citing the Constitution, International law and a moral obligation to stay and address this issue with the Congressman. The Bath police were summoned and lost little time before arresting the activists and charging them with a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass.
Contact: Chris Tate 607-351-3768 or Peter De Mott 607-279-8303
Statements and additional details may be posted on the fingerlakesforpeace.org website.
The 5 were part of a civil disobedience witness at Congressman Randy Kuhl’s district office on August 6, 2007. They attempted to deliver 3000 petitions to Congressman Kuhl asking him to vote against any further funding for the Iraq war. The 5 refused to leave the office at the end of the day citing the Constitution, International law and a moral obligation to stay and address this issue with the Congressman. They were arrested and charged with 3rd degree trespass and had a jury trial in Bath in early September. The defendants were found guilty and will be sentenced on November 28th in Bath. One of the jurors said after the trial that the jury wished they could have heard our legal arguments which judge disallowed. Secondly, she said, everyone one on the jury opposes this war and wants it to end. And third she said to keep on protesting.
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