Robert Norse reports: Seven defendants (two were recharged) now face an upcoming Preliminary Hearing sometime in June thanks to Santa Cruz County District Attorneys Bob Lee and Rebekah Young. The seven are activists and reporters selected out of hundreds who passed through the vacant Wells Fargo bank building (now surrounded with a fence and barbed wire) at River and Water Streets in downtown Santa Cruz.

On May 25th Judge Stephen Sillman, standing in for Judge Burdick with cases moved to Dept. 7, first unexpectedly issued arrest warrants for Cameron Laurendeau and Franklin (“Angel”) Alcantara. Neither they nor their attorneys had been effectively advised that D.A. Young had refiled all the bogus charges. When Angel showed up later, the judge recalled his warrant.

Brent Adams successfully got another court-appointed lawyer — J. J. Hamlyn — who is likely to be better than Ryan Murphy. The appointment, however, won’t be active for another week. The Public Defenders and Alternate Public Defenders who have covered most of the 11, have with a few honorable exceptions, not been terribly interested in much prep, pre-hearing communication with defendants or other lawyers, and making any pre-hearing motions that might discourage or quell this witch-hunt. This is typical of the Santa Cruz courtroom process where plea-bargains and last-minute conferences in the hall are S.O.P. [standard operating procedure].

The next pretrial court hearing is on Friday, June 1st at 8:15 AM in Dept. 6.

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Previous Coverage: Demonstration at Wells Fargo in Solidarity with 75 River St. Arrestees || Occupy Santa Cruz Marches to Protest Repression of the Occupy Movement || Indybay Journalists Charged with Felony: Conspiracy to Make Media || Demonstration at Wells Fargo in Santa Cruz: "Drop the Charges! Bust the Banksters!" || ACLU Statement of Support and Petition for "Journalists, Local Press and Activists" || WILPF Condemns Local Law Enforcement and Supports Eleven Local Activists || Judge Burdick Dismisses Charges Against Four of the Santa Cruz Eleven || Occupy Santa Cruz Supports the Santa Cruz Eleven || Demonstrators say, "Bob Lee, Stop Wasting Money! Drop the Charges!" || The California Constitution "Is Broader and More Protective Than the First Amendment" || All Charges Dismissed Against Indybay Photojournalists Bradley and Alex || Banners on Highway One: "Support The Santa Cruz Eleven" and "Drop All Charges Now!"