Jury Acquits 5 who protested in Grassley's Des Moines office

Associated Press - July 11, 2007 8:14 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A jury has acquitted five people who were arrested for staging a war protest in Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley's Des Moines office.

The group was charged with trespassing February 26th, the same day eleven others were arrested for staging a similar protest in the senator's Cedar Rapids office. Those eleven were spared jail time last week and ordered to pay fines.

Sally Frank is the attorney who represented 3 of the defendants during the 3-day trial in Polk County.

She says her clients were among ten people who walked into Grassley's office to protest the Republican's support of the Iraq war. They were arrested in the office after reading the names of American troops and Iraqi civilians who have died in the war.

Frank argued to the jury that the group had a right to be in the office -- especially during office hours -- to address its concerns with the senator's staff.

http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=6777649&nav=1sW7

:P

and her clients. Ms Frank has it exactly right--and I'm glad to see the jury knew it, too.

to visit your Senator's office?