Cindy Sheehan and Friends Were Acquitted of Crime of Free Speech and Assembly Today

Now, progress would be not arresting people in the first place.

Cindy credits Mark Goldstone and Ann Wilcox for legal help.

Here's NBC: "Cindy Sheehan Cleared of D.C. Protest Charge". The crime was protesting. Sheesh.

Here's press release:

Cindy Sheehan and two others acquitted, 3 found guilty stemming from March 20th arrest in front of White House.

Today, Cindy Sheehan, National Director of Peace of the Action, and two of her colleagues, Jonathan Gold and James Veeder, were acquitted of crossing a police line. Judge Morin, of DC Superior Court found that the government didn’t prove beyond reasonable doubt that the three knew that the bicycle racks placed between the protest and the few protesters lying on the sidewalk constituted a “police line.”

Three of the defendants, Elaine Brower of Military Families Speak Out and World Can’t Wait and Matthis Chiroux, veteran and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War were convicted of failure to obey a legal order and Leflora Cunningham-Walsh, a local DC activist was convicted of crossing the police line. The three who were convicted were given a $100 fine, which was suspended due to the fact that the defendants spent a considerable amount of time in jail after the arrest. Chiroux, Brower and Cunningham-Walsh are inclined to file an appeal and will probably due so soon.

“Win one for free speech,” exclaimed Mark Goldstone, defendant’s co-counsel soon after the verdicts were delivered by Judge Morin.

“I am happy to be acquitted for the first time ever at trial, but I am distressed that Matthis, Elaine and Leflora were not acquitted. Elaine’s son spent tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and has had issues every since. I know that Elaine suffered every time James was deployed as she suffers for all of our troops and the people our country is massacring in what we have long considered to be illegal and immoral wars. Matthis gave an emotional statement after his conviction stating that his service harmed him as he unfortunately harmed others. On March 20, we all were just exercising our civil and human rights to free speech and our Constitutional right to peaceable assemble,” Sheehan said in a post-trial statement.

“We will go to protest in front of the White House tomorrow at 1pm,” Sheehan continued: “We can never let up, because our government won’t stop the wars overseas.”

The six co-defendants all had “ban and bar” orders from the White House that were lifted upon the ending of the trial.