“GO GRANNIES - YOU GIVE ME COURAGE!”
Anti-War Protesters Cleared in Tank Case
Two anti-war protesters who stood in front of a rose-laden tank during last year’s Grand Floral Parade had their legal troubles wiped away by a judge Monday.
Bonnie Tinker, 60, and Sara Graham, 67 — two members of the “Seriously P.O.’d Grannies” — were charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with police after they held up anti-war signs in front of the tank in the middle of the parade.
“I don’t think freedom of speech is disorderly,” Tinker said.
The Northeast Portland residents, who are partners and grandmothers, said they urged the Rose Festival not to include the World War II-era tank in the family oriented parade, but their request was denied.
Tinker said the tank was meant to build support for the Iraq war by connecting it to World War II.
“Any time a tank is in a city street, that should cause alarm in people, not generate applause and cheering,” she said. Tinker said she was especially offended by the tank because it had roses and other flowers cascading out of the barrel of its gun.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Alicia Fuchs dismissed the case after Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Puskar asked for an additional day. Puskar said police officers scheduled to testify didn’t show up because they mistakenly thought the trial was set for today.
Graham was one of five members of the Grannies acquitted in another anti-war protest case in December. The five were charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief for using red paint in April 2007 to write the number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq on the windows of a military recruitment center in Northeast Portland. A jury acquitted them in 30 minutes.
Although Tinker and Graham were arrested under accusations of misdemeanor crimes for the parade incident, the district attorney’s office reduced the charges to violations, essentially tickets that carry a cash fine. Jeff Howes, supervisor of the misdemeanor trial unit for the prosecutor’s office, said his office “acted with discretion and restraint.”
Tinker’s attorney, Stuart Sugarman, however, said he thought prosecutors reduced the charges to violations to avoid a jury trial. Sugarman noted the crushing results from December, when the prosecutor’s office presented the red-paint “Grannies” case to the jury.
Sugarman and Graham’s attorney, Thaddeus Betz, represented their clients pro bono.
Aimee Green; aimeegreen@news.oregonian.com
© 2008 The Oregonian
Justice. Hooray for the brave grannies! Now we need a few million more!!
Way to go grannies!!! Keep on speaking out against civil and human rights abuses — legally protected under the U.S. Constitution, but undermined illegally by far right-wing ideologues to silence those opposed to fascism and warmongering.
It seems to me that the greater issue is the one of tanks in the streets. This is the kind of display that marked the fascist regime in Germany during the 1930s and those in South America during the 1970s and 1980s. It might not be quite so scary if we didn’t have our own extremist right-wing cabal running our nation.
Oo! Oo! I love Bonnie Tinker!
Up the grannies!!! Their act reminds one of the lone student standing in front of the column of tanks in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Even in a runaway dictatorship, as long as there are individuals willing to stand up to tyranny, there is always the possibility that something will light off the populace to resist. Remember that Cindy Sheehan put a small stick in the spokes of the wheel of tyranny when she stood up in a Texas field and demanded to ask der Bush a question about her son’s death. Enough sticks and the wheel will be either broken or kept from turning.
Impeachment?..Vote and be counted..MSM
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10562904/
“Tinker’s attorney, Stuart Sugarman, however, said he thought prosecutors reduced the charges to violations to avoid a jury trial.”
“In all criminal prosecutions, the acccused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury . . .” Amendmet VI to the Constitution of the United States of America.
Does the word all mean something other than all? No exceptions are made for violations vs. anything else. Note also the words “the accused” not U.S. citizen only, or only within territorial limits.
These grannies are absolutely right:” when there is a tank driving down an American street, all should be concerned.”
The fact that there were roses and other flowers coming out of the barrel is about enough to make me sick. Who ever came up with that idea, should be sent to Iraq, or better yet Palestine.
“It’s only bullets, it’s just a gun… aint gonna hurt no one…” right?
one more thing to look forward as we grow older…becoming RAGING GRANNIES!!!
Go Grannies. You give me courage!