Different Courts Split Santa Cruz Eleven : Indybay

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Title:	Different Courts Split Santa Cruz Eleven
START DATE:	Friday July 20
TIME:	9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Location Details:
701 Ocean St. Courthouse
Event Type:	Court Date
TWO COURTS AT 9 AM Preliminary Hearings for two of the Santa Cruz Eleven are scheduled for July 23rd. There is a readiness hearing, however, on Friday July 20th. It's at 9 AM for both of them, but in two different courts. Courts other than courtroom 6--where 95% of the hearings have been held before Judge Paul Burdick. Burdick has repeatedly dismissed these prosecutions as unsupported by the evidence and violating First Amendment rights. The readiness hearings will be held in Courtroom 3 for Franklin ("Angel") Alcantara and Courtroom 7 for Cameron Laurendau. HISTORY OF HARASSMENT D.A. Young has repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to eliminate Burdick from the hearing process--making untimely actions & dragging defense attorneys to court on frivolous motions. She has also refiled the same discredited charges against two of these defendants (the two slated for readiness hearings on July 20th) in a continuing campaign of harassment. It's my understanding that the defense attorneys will move for a continuance to postpone the Preliminary Hearings. It's also possible the court or D.A. may want to combine these cases with those of the remaining five SC-11 defendants currently charged: Becky Johnson, Gabriella Rippleyphipps, Desiree Foster, Brent Adams, and Robert Norse. These five have a joint Preliminary Hearing scheduled for August 20th in Dept. 6. Come and find out--and provide solidarity with the defendants. However this is not a key hearing. If the Preliminary Hearings go ahead on July 23rd at 9 AM in those two courts, that would be a more substantial and informative event. DARK BACKGROUND The D.A. is proceeding with these charges in spite of having been unable to persuade Judge Burdick that the "vandalism", "felony vandalism", and "conspiracy" charges have enough merit even to reach trial. Defendants encourage the community to provide support by going to the http://www.santacruzeleven.org website. These are the most serious charges yet issued against any Occupy defendants or homeless advocates in Santa Cruz. Together seven defendants are still charged with 14 felonies and 14 misdemeanors each--which has a maximum sentence of 7 years apiece. The attacks on these defendants is happening at the same time as a massive crackdown on homeless people in Santa Cruz and their survival encampments. See http://santacruzpolice.blogspot.com/2012/07/illegal-campsite-enforcement-efforts.html santacruzpolice.blogspot.com . The charges stem from the fact that police and D.A. seem to want to make a frightening example of eleven defendants who were supporters and reporters of the attempt last year by a much larger group of people (none of whom are charged) to create a Community Center at the 3 1/2 years vacant Wells Fargo Bank-leased property at 75 River St. That action ended peacefully with no arrests, but two months later deputies went to the homes of high-profile activists in the community generally with only peripheral involvement in the occupation and took them away in handcuffs with high bail. POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS Whether this is election year antics, an opportunistic attack on Santa Cruz gadfly activists that police dislike, or a coordinated national effort to crush Occupy nationally and locally is hard to say. But it has all three effects. So far a councilwoman (Katherine Beiers) who--among hundreds of others--came and went in the vacant bank building without being warned, cited, or arrested, has cancelled her City Council re-election run. Beiers was recommended for prosecution by the Santa Cruz police. So the conspiracy by police and D.A.s to single out and scapegoat the SC-11 may also have broader political purposes. Beiers, though far less outspoken in recent years, has in the past verbally criticized police department abuses, supported a civilian police review board, and initiated human rights legislation for the homeless. http://www.santacruzeleven.org Added to the calendar on Tuesday Jul 17th, 2012 9:16 AM

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§DA Bob Lee marches on with abuse of power violating civil rights

by John E. Colby

Tuesday Jul 17th, 2012 11:09 AM

Santa Cruz District Attorney Bob Lee and his righthand Rebekah Young march on with their campaign to persecute the Santa Cruz Eleven, abusing their positions of authority and power, under color of law, to violate the Santa Cruz Eleven's civil rights under the Constitution and U.S. law.

Not only could the federal government, specifically the U.S. Department of Justice, remove Bob Lee and Rebekah Young from office, but they could sanction them with criminal and civil penalties.

I recommend that the Santa Cruz Eleven, with the assistance of the ACLU, file color of law complaints with U.S. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez. Bob Lee and Rebekah Young have run amuck for far too long. Their cases are based on flimsy evidence, disreputable legal theories and non-credible testimony. Yet they continue abusing their positions and the judicial system to violate the civil rights of the remainder of the Santa Cruz Eleven under color of law.

It's time to end this witch-hunt and put federal heat on Bob Lee and Rebekah Young. They must be held accountable so that run amuck prosecutors elsewhere do not persecute innocent people by singling them out with flimsy evidence, disreputable legal theories and potentially perjured testimony.

See the link below about how to file color of law complaints with U.S. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez who heads the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/ci...

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§"I'll see you in court!"

by A. Supporter

Thursday Jul 19th, 2012 8:47 AM

Another Friday free food occasion for SC-11 and their supporters. We can meet in the atrium after both hearings have let out. I'll bring some fruit and nuts--the rest is potluck. Pass the word.

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§Update: Next hearings scheduled on August 17th and 20th

by ~Bradley

( bradley [at] riseup.net ) Friday Jul 20th, 2012 10:41 AM

On Friday, July 20th, Cameron and Franklin went before Judge Salazar in department 3. They both had their preliminary hearing joined with the remaining five of the Santa Cruz Eleven. In total, seven people will have their preliminary hearing before Judge Burdick. The confirmation hearing was scheduled for Friday, August 17th, and the preliminary hearing on Monday, August 20th.

http://bradleystuart.net/

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