A Call For Help

I am an attorney, assisting in the representation of a 23-year-old woman named Holly, who is facing felony charges in Alameda County. On January 14, 2009, during the Oscar Grant protests, at least fifteen police officers detained a group of four people, including Holly, for wearing bandanas over their faces. As a direct result of the encounter, Holly, is now facing trial on April 5th.

The events happened near the corner of 12th and Alice at around 5pm on January 14, 2009. A legal observer has provided us with audio of his observations at the scene. His audio mentions that a videographer was present at the scene, and appeared to be videotaping. We are looking for any video or photographs that may have been taken at the scene, showing any interaction between Oakland police officers and the group of five individuals (3 males, and one female) at this intersection, either prior to or subsequent to their arrest.

In addition, a month ago, at a previous hearing in Holly's case, an officer testified that the violence that erupted at the January 7, 2009 Oscar Grant protests, gave him reason to detain anyone wearing bandanas over their faces at the January 14, 2009 protest. However, as many people who participate in demonstrations will agree, people wear bandanas for many reasons, not always to engage in violence. Conversely, people who engage in violence at these demonstrations often don't wear masks.

For this reason, in addition to any possible footage or photos of the arrest at 12th and Alice, Holly is also asking if anyone would be interested in sharing their video footage from both Oscar Grant protest dates (Jan. 7th & Jan. 14th) to help demonstrate for the jury the general atmosphere of the Oscar Grant protests and the commonness of wearing bandanas at demonstrations such as the Oscar Grant protests. As Holly's defense team, we will do our best to adequately prepare anyone willing to testify at trial.

If anyone is interested in assisting with Holly's defense in either of these ways, please contact me as soon as possible. You may contact me by email, as shown in this post, or you may call me at (415) 864-5600. Trial is set to begin April 5th, so time is of the essence.