Occupy protesters acquitted in Wells Fargo case | Philadelphia City Paper

natalie solidarity ‏@constantnatalie

#Occupy protesters acquitted in Wells Fargo case | Philadelphia City Paper | http://n0.gd/Xo8hOa #WFTrial

http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/nakedcity/Occupy-protesters-acquitted-in-Wells-Fargo-case.html

PHILADELPHIA--Twelve protestors arrested in November 2011 for occupying a Center City Wells Fargo branch have been found not guilty by a Philadelphia jury. Defendants claimed they were staging a “Citizens’ Foreclosure” on the bank for engaging in discriminatory lending and sapping millions of dollars from the School District of Philadelphia. After viewing video of the protest and hearing defendants’ testimony, a jury found all 12 defendants not guilty on charges of conspiracy and trespassing.

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“This verdict shows that the people of this country stand on the side of justice and not the reckless profit-driven motives of big banks,” said defendant and Occupy Sandy organizer Larry Swetman. “I hope this decision will give the United States government the courage to start taking these banks—the real criminals—to trial and to hold them accountable to the people, instead of letting them hide behind back-room settlements.”

One of the only Occupy-related trials in the country to be argued before a jury, today also marked the first civil disobedience Free Speech case in recent Philadelphia memory. After the trial, the judge remarked, “This is the most affable group of defendants I’ve ever encountered.”

“Today the people of Philadelphia defended the First Amendment,” said Defense Attorney Marni Snyder, one of seven lawyers who volunteered to represent the protestors pro-bono. “We sent a clear message to the District Attorney’s Office: prosecute the real criminals at Wells Fargo; these twelve defendants stand on the side of justice.”

(More at the link.)

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Joanne Michele ‏@sabzbrach

Important: MT @DustinSlaughter: #WFTrial verdict: Jury ruled on justification, meaning not guilty based on trying to prevent greater harm.


Dustin M. Slaughter ‏@DustinSlaughter

"The DA is prosecuting these people for saying things about @WellsFargo that were true." http://ow.ly/imn0c via @CityPaper #WFTrial


Justin Wedes ‏@justinwedes

12 real, flesh-and-blood people won out over 1 bad corporate person. #WFTrial


The Fifth Column ‏@Keyserxsoze

.@DASethWilliams Is that SERIOUSLY the route you want to take w/ an activist? Snark? @OccupyRaleigh @DustinSlaughter