Bogus charges dropped against one of the Oakland 25

A legal observer who was arrested at the Port Protest of April 7, 2003 has been cleared of bogus charges. She was one of the “Oakland 25.” Below is an article from the Oakland Tribune.
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Video helps clear student of charges
By Glenn Chapman
STAFF WRITER, Oakland Tribune
Thursday, March 11, 2004 - OAKLAND -- Prosecutors dismissed criminal charges Wednesday against a law student arrested while monitoring a protest last spring outside the Port of Oakland, according to her attorney.
The decision to abandon the case against Olga Kelley came after a review of video tape recordings that show she was doing nothing more than standing clear of the gates and keeping track of what was happening, said lawyer Peter Keane. Kelley is a student at Golden Gate University School of Law, where Keane's six-year stint as dean ended in January.
The woman, said to be in her 30s, had volunteered to be a National Lawyer's Guild "legal observer" at the demonstration, Keane said. The 75-year-old organization focuses on civil rights issues.
"She was, essentially, trying to augment her legal studies with an experience of real-life criminal activities, and she sure got a sample of it firsthand," Keane said after the charges against Kelley were dropped in a hearing before Alameda County Superior Court Judge Don Clay. "We are really glad it came out right and the right thing was done."
Videotape footage from various angles reportedly shows Kelley was across a street from the April 7 protest. She was arrested seconds after the police unleashed a "less lethal" arsenal, including wooden pellets and bean bags fired from guns and "stinger balls" lobbed like grenades. Police said protesters threw rocks and other objects and refused to disperse.
"The squad of cops around her just goes crazy," Keane said of his take on the recordings. "They jumped her and dragged her off."
Kelley's camera was smashed in the brouhaha, and she was charged with failure to disperse, causing a public nuisance and being among those who blocked the gates of the APL and SSA shipping terminals, said Keane.
Protesters said they were angry the firms had government contracts that would bring in profits from the war in Iraq.
"From what I could see on the tapes, there was no reason for the police to open fire," said Keane, describing the scene as a "strange set of events" in which "everyone freaked." "I can't remember seeing a greater overreaction in the Bay Area than that one."
Keane had been Kelley's adviser at law school, and she asked him to handle her defense, the attorney said. Keane, who has represented Vietnam War protesters since becoming a lawyer in 1968, got the case against Kelley separated from the others. Talks with Deputy District Attorney Stuart Hing led to dismissal of the charges Wednesday, Keane said.