One Year in Jail for Freeway Blogging????

from crooksandliars.com

A Downers Grove man believes he is being prosecuted for his political views - and an area attorney has taken his case pro bono.

Jeff Zurawski, 39, of Downers Grove and Sarah M. Hartfield, 45, of Naperville were initially charged with disorderly conduct for displaying a banner that read “Impeach Bush and Cheney - LIARS” on May 6 on the Great Western Trail above Interstate 355.

But more charges were brought against the two war protesters last week in DuPage County Circuit Court in Wheaton: reckless conduct and unauthorized display of a sign in viewing of a highway, both misdemeanors.

The new charges each carry a penalty of up to one year imprisonment, while the original charge was up to a three-month sentence in the county jail.

“This is political prosecution,” said environmental rights attorney Shawn Collins, who has taken on Zurawski and Hartfield’s case pro bono.

and because no property is damaged, it's hard to see how the prosecutor in this case isn't going to get laughed out of court.

He's going to have to prosecute every political candidate who has run for office in the area if he wants to get anywhere with this one.

speech.

Why does the Dupage County,IL states attorney hate our freedoms?

at her Congressman's office. A very quiet mild mannered lady held a sit-in which lasted three hours. And she's headed for jail.

I've been wondering. Was it during business hours? Did they say anything during the sit-in? Those are the kinds of things that can move these slightly over the line to illegal disruptions. I've been curious about that.

I believe the protest lasted about three weeks where once a day a group would enter Rep. Udall's office and register their anti-war protest which would take about ten minutes, then they would leave. On the final day, this lady, after registering her protest she decided to sit down on the floor and started reading the names of the Iraq war dead, both American and Iraqi. She said her grievance was the war dead so she wanted to make sure their names were entered in the record.

She was charged with trespassing and unlawful assembly. She was only found guilty of trespassing.

Do some freeway blogging of my own tonight. I am gonna write Impeach on some white duct tape and put em around town.

All at the busiest stops signs and light poles around my town. All eye height and about 16 inches long with the word IMPEACHMENT in big black letters.

Freeway blogging involves easily removable cardboard signs.

Affixing duct tape to a stop sign is just plain vandalism. I hope you're not serious.

K&R!!!

The ACLU should get involved here. This is outrageous.

Billboards have been illegal in Marin County California for as long as I have lived in the Bay Area.

It's nice not seeing those huge tacky things when you drive around in Marin.

message, apparently.

:hi:

Just in case any one has any questions or comments they would like to make.

States Attorney
Joseph E. Birkett

Phone
(630) 407-8000

TDD
(630) 510-3611

Fax
(630) 407-8151

stsattn@dupageco.org

Address
503 N. County Farm Road
Wheaton, IL 60187

http://www.dupageco.org/statesattorney/ this is the web page for the States Attorney.

I'm guessing the 'unauthorized display of a sign' has to do with commercial applications and businesses.

Everytime republicans tell us to shut up
they should be knocked back on their heels with a roar

The defense against this sort of charge is *VERY* simple:

Produce evidence that all those "Welcome Home Sam!",
"John 3:16", "Wisowski for Executive Board", and, if
they get really lucky "Re-elect <the trial judge>" signs
were never even taken down, let alone caused the posters
to be arrested and tried.

At that point, it becomes clear that this is a selective
prosecution based on the contained speech and not based
on the acts (which have clearly been tolerated and even
encouraged in the past).

Tesha