Civil Liberties

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February 11, 2011 | 2:31 PM | By

SoCal attorneys crack down on protesters

Ali Winston

Arrested protesters are processed by Oakland Police on Nov. 5, 2010

Here’s some interesting news from Southern California: prosecutors in Los Angeles and Orange Counties have leveled their sights on protesters who engage in non-violent acts of civil disobedience.

In Orange County, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has filed misdemeanor charges against 11 protesters who disrupted a speech at UC-Irvine last year by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, accusing them of engaging in a conspiracy to disrupt a public meeting. Rackauckas filed charges after taking the highly unusual step of convening a grand jury to investigate the incident.

In Los Angeles, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich has been filing criminal misdemeanor charges against people arrested for offenses such as disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.

This is a dramatic departure from his predecessor Rocky Delgadillo’s policy of allowing protesters arrested for minor offenses to plead guilty and pay a fine. Here’s Trutanich’s rationale for deciding to prosecute such individuals, as told to the Los Angeles Times:

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FILED UNDER: Politics, Civil Liberties, Los Angeles, Orange County
November 19, 2010 | 1:01 PM | By

Rifraff or masked defenders of civil liberties?

A group of street performers called the “Hollywood Characters” won an injunction in federal court Wednesday that frees them to perform and solicit money on Hollywood Blvd, dressed in their customary superhero costumes. A federal judge agreed with the group that Los Angeles police officers had been unfairly using an ordinance against solicitation and sidewalk blocking to shut them down. (Video of Superman and Batman getting arrested above.)

“The court is further sensitive,” wrote Federal District Judge Dean Pregerson, “that although costumed performance may not be a traditional form of speech, it is without doubt a protected one.”

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FILED UNDER: Courts, Civil Liberties, Sit/Lie
July 14, 2010 | 9:56 PM | By

Q&A: Oakland City Attorney John Russo

Oakland City Attorney John Russo says he wants to sue ‘outside agitators’ who ‘trashed’ Oakland during the riots following the Oscar Grant verdict and kick them out of town. So Ali gave Russo a call for details.

Q: Who exactly are you trying to sue and why?

A:JOHN RUSSO: First and foremost, we’re going be working in conjunction with the district attorney’s office. They have the lead role in dealing with criminal matters. So, we’ve traded messages, we’re in agreement to work together on these things. Some of the folks who were arrested are being arraigned at 2 o’clock today. I know that the District Attorney intends to seek restitution for businesses that have suffered losses at the hands of vandals and other folks who were using legitimate public anger about the Mehserle verdict to trash Oakland.

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FILED UNDER: Courts, Anarchists, Civil Liberties, Johannes Mehserle, John Russo, Oscar Grant