Jesse James Forrey, 27, was arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul, MN. After little and conflicting evidence from the prosecutor, a Minnesota jury convicted him on August 7th, 2009 of a felony charge of damage to property in the first degree. Jesse maintains his innocence. On September 17th, Judge Flynn sentenced Jesse to 120 days in jail.

Jesse is from Santa Cruz and eagerly waits to return to his home and family. The whole process has been hard on Jesse who has been kept away from his home for a year already. In Jesse’s words, "If I was guilty I would have plead guilty, and I would have been home a long time ago”, but “why would I plead guilty to something I didn’t do?"

He continues, “Though I have been isolated and intimidated, I am not giving up. I maintain my innocence and will fight for it, just as I hope you would. I meet people face to face and treat them as I would my brother. Who we are is defined by how we act and react to the world, just as the world is defined by how we act. I chose one of health and compassion.”

Support Jesse James Forrey, RNC Arrestee- Sentencing Sept 17th, Facing One Year In Jail | Updates: Jesse’s in Custody and in our Hearts | Updates from Jail

See also: The St. Paul RNC, One Year Later