Dear Friends,
The Headwaters Forest Pepper Spray trial is fast approaching, and it couldn't be a more pivotal time. As recent global events have illustrated, police abuses spread when authorities decide certain groups and individuals don't deserve human rights protection.
Recall the shocking TV news footage: Humboldt County police forcing pepper-spray soaked Q-tips into the eyes of passive, restrained nonviolent protesters at sit-ins for the protection of the ancient redwoods of Headwaters Forest in northern California. The 1997 incidents drew international outrage and condemnation. The ACLU called the officers' actions `tantamount to torture.' Yet, shockingly, California state officials have condoned what police did to the protestors by incorporating these practices into guidelines for dealing with civil disobedience
in California. A victory in a civil rights lawsuit can turn this around.
In the seven years since the torture incidents, we, the "Pepper Spray 8," have successfully fought numerous legal obstacles, from a biased federal judge seeking to hold the jury trial in the heart of timber country to scrutiny by the US Supreme Court. A recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling has moved the upcoming trial back to San Francisco with a new judge presiding. On September 7, 2004, in a San Francisco federal courtroom before Judge Susan Illston, The Pepper Spray Eight will finally have a fair trial.
We have a good chance of prevailing with the same legal team that won a stunning jury verdict for Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney against the FBI and Oakland Police. In addition, earlier court decisions have created case law, which strengthens our position before the jury.
Please stand with us to obtain justice for our case and to protect the freedom of dissent in our country by coming out for the trial and supporting our efforts--go to www.nopepperspray.org for more information.
We need you to come and witness the trial. A courtroom full of people who want pepper spray torture stopped can make a huge impact on the judge and jury.
A crucial election is up on us, and the world is watching. It has never been more important to defend our rights to be free from torture by chemical weapons and to demand that our government doesn't defend or justify its use. Stand with us against police brutality! Defend your rights! Check out
www.nopepperspray.org today!
Sincerely yours,
Spring Lundberg, Terri Compost, Mike McCurdy, Sam Neuwirth, Maya Portugal, Lisa Sanderson-Fox, Jennifer Banka Schneider, and Noel Tendick.
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TOC for Forest & River News, Summer 2004