[Seattle-editorial] Article: LEIU TRIALS COMING UP NEXT MONTH

Fri Oct 17 13:12:15 PDT 2003

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Subject: [Seattle-editorial] Article: LEIU TRIALS COMING UP NEXT MONTH

Here is the summary and then the article -

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On August 28, 2003, several protesters charged with crimes from the
LEIU (Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit) protests in Seattle (on June 2,
2003), attended a court hearing at the King County Jail. Attorneys Larry
Hildes and Paul Richmond represented the protesters/defendants in Judge
Ron A. Mamiya's courtroom...Now the readiness trial date for these LEIU
protest defendants is coming up, on November 18, 2003, at 9 AM, which
could be the beginning date for the actual trial. Attorneys Paul Richmond
and Larry Hildes are asking any witnesses who saw the arrests for help,
and I would also like to encourage the community to use this opportunity
to show some court support for these folks. Go down to the trial in
person, and watch your tax dollars at work, for yourself. It should be an
interesting trial, with police and protesters as the focus.

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<P>The LEIU Hearings
<BR>by Kirsten Anderberg

On August 28, 2003, several protesters charged with crimes from the
LEIU (Law Enforcement Intelligence Unit) protests in Seattle (on June 2,
2003), attended a court hearing at the King County Jail. Attorneys Larry
Hildes and Paul Richmond represented the protesters/defendants in Judge
Ron A. Mamiya's courtroom. Court proceedings went on as usual, but
outside in the halls, approximately 40 protesters sat, talked and waited
to be heard. When it was time for the LEIU cases, the audience seating
filled with anarchist activists, peace protesters, parents of the
accused, college students from Olympia, etc., all showing support for
LEIU protesters.

Mr. Hildes explained to the judge that his clients had their video
cameras, videotapes, personal identification, student identification,
credit cards, and phone cards taken from them by police on June 2 and
they would like their things back. (Outside, after the hearing, one
defendant said the police also took his ice cream card, which is one cone
away from a free cone...) The judge said that Mr. Hildes needed to talk
to the prosecutor about the missing items. So, he turned to the
prosecutor, and asked for the defendants' things back. The prosecutor
argued that some of those items might be held as evidence.

Some protesters in the seating area in the front row began to hold 8
1/2" x 11" pieces of paper with words like "Police Accountability" on
them, up to the window so the judge, prosecutor and others inside the
courtroom could see them. The judge ordered the signs be put down. Mr.
Hildes said to the judge that at the last hearing, the judge said they
could have signs. The judge said he would not let anyone make a circus
out of the court, and said he would not allow the defendants' support or
attorneys to "badger" him or "anyone else." He then said "I will respect
you if you respect *the system,* otherwise you're out the door." Mr.
Hildes asserted that no one was disrupting anything. The judge said he
would not talk about it. Signs went down, court business continued on.

Later outside, Mr. Hildes said he was requesting intelligence files,
and videos taken by governmental agencies during the LEIU protests, as
well as records from the Seattle Police Department (SPD), Washington
State Patrol, King County Sheriff's Department, the LEIU itself, and many
smaller police departments such as Tukwila and Redmond...all of whom
participated in the LEIU protests. Mr. Hildes also has requested the "use
of force reports" from the SPD, which are required to have been filed
when that type of weaponry is used in streets on citizenry. It is the
opinion of Mr. Hildes, and first hand witnesses, such as myself, that the
police attacked peaceful protesters on June 2.

Jarrod, one of the accused LEIU protesters is said to have charged
police with his front, yet it was the *back* of his shirt that was
drenched in pepper spray. Mr. Hildes, a member of the National Lawyer's
Guild, says he was shot with pellets at his back at the LEIU protests,
even though he wore a FLORESCENT green shirt that clearly said "LEGAL
OBSERVER" on it. 
I was present at the LEIU protests, and I can most certainly say, without
any hesitation, that the police created all of the violence I saw. I saw
nonviolent friends and activists around me, and then all of a sudden,
violent, rabid robocops without badges or identification, began
corralling us, and attacking us. Just like on March 22, 2003 down on 1st
Avenue, but with more firepower this time. Attorney Paul Richmond
collected the litter left behind in the streets after police attacked
protesters on June 2. He found remnants of what look like "Stinger"
grenades and rounds, which are little metal grenades with pellets inside
that sting people. He found the tubes left from what appear to be
concussion grenades, he also picked what look like a few unexploded Co2
pellets. Police have said protesters threw bottles and ball bearings to
provoke this riotous police attack, but Mr. Richmond could not find any
ball bearings or glass in the street. What he *did* find was deposits,
casings, pellets, and remnants of chemical/tactical weapons that could
kill a small child or dog if picked up and eaten.

Mr. Richmond tried to get the concept of this toxic waste left on our
streets as a public safety issue, through to City Councilman Jim Compton,
but Jim acted as if Mr. Richmond was speaking a language Jim had never
heard before, and then later accused Mr. Richmond of nearly causing a
riot at the meeting when he brought that up! Note: Do not let pets or
children touch little red pellets on Seattle streets after riots, they
may be unexploded chemical weapons, left behind by careless police!

The readiness trial date for these LEIU protest defendants is November
18, 2003, at 9 AM, which could be the beginning date for the actual
trial. Attorneys Paul Richmond and Larry Hildes are asking any witnesses
who saw the arrests, or spent time with the defendants before their
arrests, to please speak with them at 206-621-1390 or email
paulrichmond_attorney at yahoo.com.

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