June 8 biotech/Reclaim the Commons protesters face steep charges and need your support!!!

Greetings, Bay Area Direct Action Activists and Supporters!

Deeply concerned by the threat that biotechnology poses on our planet, a group of activists followed in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King by participating in nonviolent civil disobedience during the recent Reclaim the Commons mobilization in San Francisco. They were arrested for not leaving the street when ordered by police.

The San Francisco District Attorney, Kamala Harris, is prosecuting these activists far more harshly than is normal for San Francisco after having told the National Lawyers Guild that she would only prosecute vandalism and assaults in association with protests. They could face up to one year in jail and hundreds of dollars in fines, which could severely suppress the San Francisco protest climate, making others more afraid to stand up for what they believe in. The SFPD is pressuring Harris to be tougher after her brave decision not to seek the death penalty for a man found guilty of murdering a police officer, and it seems she is going after activists.

YOU CAN HELP!! Please spread this message widely to peace groups and other natural allies in your area, go to meetings to make announcements about this, and report back to the arrestees list to keep spirits up at rtc-arrestees [at] yahoogroups.com.

--COME TO THE NEXT HEARINGS !!! If you covet your First Amendment rights and oppose a Police State, please PACK the COURTROOMS on the following dates, to let the judge, D-A, and Public know where you stand!:

---->2pm, Friday July 30th, Dept 22, 3rd Floor, 850 Bryant (btw 6th & 7th Sts.), SF

---->9am, Tues, Aug 3, Dept A, 2nd Floor, 850 Bryant

Please RSVP if you intend to come, and we will get a bigger courtroom if necessary. A strong presence in the courtroom will show the judge and the public that Bay Area residents dearly covet our First Amendment rights, and clearly object to corporate control of the commons!!!

--APPLY POLITICAL PRESSURE! Write, fax, or phone elected officials-- SF DA Kamala Harris, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom, and the SF Supervisors asking them to put pressure on her not to prosecute those arrested on June 8th in association with the Reclaim the Commons protests (see sample letters/talking points and contact info below).

--RESUSCITATE THE CITY LIAISON WORKING GROUP! A small delegation of us should follow up on the SF Proclamation and Resolution supporting RTC, and enlist more champions among the Board of Supes. Members of the RTC City Liaison Working Group or people who would like to join this group and/or help with this effort, please contact Mary Bull chalicenew [at] earthlink.net to discuss strategy for the SF Board of Supes exerting pressure on the DA and the SFPD with respect to First Amendment rights in San Francisco! PLEASE HELP!

TALKING POINTS—

1) Drop the charges -- charges against peaceful/"free speech"
protesters were dropped in March per the agreement with the NLG. Honor
your word.

2) We support her in refusing the death penalty. Stay strong in the face
of the police officer's association.

3) In a post-patriot act America, it's essential to support those that
take a stand (or a sit-in) against corporate corruption -- like biotech
and the G8.

Also, please tell Tom Ammiano (415-554-4155) (or his aide) that...

--We greatly appreciated his PROCLAMATION supporting the RTC efforts!

--Now would he please call D.A. Kamala Harris and ask her to drop all
charges against the arrestees. Use the talking points…

--Harris had told the NLG that she would not prosecute these types of
charges in protest-related arrests, but she is, and we suspect it's to
appease an SFPD that is angry at her for not seeking the death penalty
in the slaying of Isaac Esponoza, for which we laud her.

--We need local government to uphold the people's right to protest now
more than ever, given the NEO-CONS' agenda, which includes stripping
Americans of our constitutional rights per the Patriot Act, wasting our tax money on military spending, corporate welfare, and tax breaks for the rich, plunging the nation into debt while vast numbers of Americans suffer from poverty, pollution, joblessness, inadequate healthcare, education, and housing.

You can also call Matt Gonzalez ( 415-554-7630) and Chris Daly
(415-554-7940) and use the last three bullets for them!

sample letters are available at
http://www.indybay.org/news/2004/07/1688482.php

>Kamala Harris, District Attorney
>Hall of Justice, 880 Bryant Street, Room 325
>San Francisco, CA 94103
>cc: Debbie Mesloh, Public Information Officer (415) 553-1752
>Debbie.Mesloh [at] sfgov.org

> Mayor
> Gavin Newsom <gavin.newsom [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-6141
>
> Supervisor, District 1
> Jake McGoldrick <Jake.McGoldrick [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7410
>
> Supervisor, District 2
> Michela Alioto-Pier <Michela.Alioto-Pier [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7752
> fax 554-7843

> Supervisor, District 3
> Aaron Peskin <Aaron.Peskin [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7450
> fax 554-7454

> Supervisor, District 4
> Fiona Ma <Fiona.Ma [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7460
> fax 554-7432

> Supervisor, District 5
> Matt Gonzalez <Matt.Gonzalez [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7630
> fax 554-7634

> Supervisor, District 6
> Chris Daly <Chris.Daly [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7970
> fax 554-7974

> Supervisor, District 7
> Tony Hall <Tony.Hall [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-6516
> fax 554-6546

> Supervisor, District 8
> Bevan Dufty <Bevan.Dufty [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-6968
> fax 554-6909

> Supervisor, District 9
> Tom Ammiano <Tom.Ammiano [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-5144
fax 554-6255
>
> Supervisor, District 10
> Sophie Maxwell <Sophie.Maxwell [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-7670
> fax 554-7674

> Supervisor, District 11
> Gerardo Sandoval <Gerardo.Sandoval [at] sfgov.org>
> 415/554-6975
> fax 554-6979