Sinister Singer Case Goes to Appeal

A three-judge panel will consider an Appeal of the $250 fine handed down to Becky Johnson in April for singing "Downtown" with homeless lyrics in front of the Bookshop Santa Cruz at 3 PM in the afternoon in a small homeless protest.

Ed Frey is her attorney.

Judge Almquist supported heckler Sean Reilly's "veto" of the protest. Reilly described himself as a night-worker (and hence a day-sleeper).

He cited Johnson without previously warning her that he had any problem with the singing, which others listening found neither disturbing nor unusual.

In an unusual initiative, the City Attorney moved in to prosecute the case against Johnson, who is a long-time homeless activist and city council critic.

She describes the trial at http://beckyjohnsononewomantalking.blogspot.com/2010/04/confessions-of-song-criminal.html ,

The lyrics of one of the offending songs can be found at http://beckyjohnsononewomantalking.blogspot.com/2010/01/downtown-music-by-petula-clark-lyrics.html .

Her description of the original incident: http://beckyjohnsononewomantalking.blogspot.com/2010/01/sing-song-go-to-jail.html ,