Jury acquits six anti-war protesters (Susan Collins Office, Maine)

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=185100&ac=PHnws

BANGOR — Six anti-war activists who refused to leave a federal building in Bangor during a protest at U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' office last year have been acquitted of criminal trespassing charges.

The jury in Penobscot County Superior Court returned the verdict Wednesday after a two-day trial and 2 hours of deliberations.

Twelve Mainers were arrested on March 8, 2007, while protesting President Bush's proposal to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq and urging Collins, a Republican, to vote against federal funding for the war.

Six of those arrested pleaded guilty to criminal trespass and paid fines. But the other six decided to take their cases to a jury.

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[Echo In Light]

1. Glad to hear it

[hobbit709]

2. Hooray.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Evidently a jury in Maine still believes this.

[unhappycamper]

3. Here in MA we've had two incidents of office occupations

on the Cape tossed out before a jury trial.