Interview: Crackdown on Trump protesters
The prosecution of hundreds of protesters at the Trump inauguration is approaching next month with federal prosecutors levying felony conspiracy and riot charges carrying terms up to 70 years in prison. PCJF Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard spoke to the "Loud and Clear" radio program on Oct. 25, 2017, to discuss the case.
CounterSpin interviews Mara Verheyden-Hilliard on the right to protest
"There’s an Effort Around the Country to Curtail People’s Fundamental 1st Amendment Rights" — Mara Verheyden-Hilliard (Audio and transcript of interview)
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San Antonio Photographer Faces 70 Years in Federal Prison for Documenting Inauguration Day Protest
If convicted, Wood faces between 70 and 80 years in federal prison. Critics have called the charges “arbitrary” and “unbelievably harsh” while the MPD has been accused of using excessive force in a bellicose attack of basic First Amendment rights.
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Independent Journalist Now Faces 70 Years in Prison After Inauguration Mass Arrest
"The superseding indictment is an unprecedented effort to explicitly charge people with acts they did not commit, that were committed by others, based solely on proximity and assumed shared political views. That basis for prosecution stands in direct violation of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of expression, assembly and association," says Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice.
PCJF Testifies Against the Appointment of Peter Newsham as DC Metro Police Chief
VIDEO: PCJF Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard delivers powerful testimony in front of the Washington D.C. Council, Committee on Judiciary & Public Safety, in defense of the right of people to protest peacefully without fear of being unjustly arrested, and against the appointment of Peter Newsham as DC Metropolitan Police Chief.
PCJF Files Lawsuit Against DC MPD: Demands No Council Vote on Newsham Without Records Release
The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to obtain the release of documents regarding interim Chief Peter Newsham's controversial handling of the January 20th protests against the incoming Trump Administration.
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