Headwaters pepper spray trial coming (back) to SF


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You may remember the horrifying tv news coverage 7 years ago when Humboldt county sheriff deputies forced pepper spray into the eyes of non-violent Headwaters Forest activists with Q-tips soaked with the caustic chemical. The activists were conducting a sit-in for Headwaters Forest and were immobile, locked to each other around a stump. After the incident, they sued law enforcement for use of excessive force.

After the first trial in 1998 ended in a split jury, a biased judge threw the case out, and after trips to appeals courts and all the way to the Supreme Court, the case is back for trial--with a new judge, the Judi Bari v. FBI legal team, and renewed vigor.

The trial starts Sept. 7 in Judge Susan Illston's court at the S.F. Federal building, 450 Golden Gate (near Civic Ctr BART). A pre-trial evidentiary hearing takes place next Tuesday in the same court (19th floor, room 10) at 3:30 pm.

This case has great bearing on how police treat political activists and is even more important today, in the era of the Patriot Act, than in 1998. You can support the case and the eight plaintiffs by attending the trial, by providing housing during the two week trial, by donating money, or by volunteering.

For more information, see http://www.nopepperspray.org and to
volunteer, call the BACH office at 510-548-3113.
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