Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(please forward as appropriate)
7 September 2000
Contact: Abe Bonowitz
Cell Phone: 561-371-5204
Voice mail: 800-973-6548
Jeff Garis: 215-724-6120
ACTIVISTS CHALLENGE POLICE TACTICS
"Driving while being an activist": The New Threat!
STATE COLLEGE, PA -- Activists detained in State College
during the July 8-11 National Governors' Association summer meeting
will challenge that detention today at 11:30am in the courtroom of
District Justice Carmine W. Prestia, Jr. in State College, PA.
They will assert in court that they were detained and harassed by a
special squad of Pennsylvania State Police trained specifically to
interdict and disrupt activists who came to State College to
nonviolently expertise their constitutional rights of freedom of
assembly and freedom of speech.
Abraham J. Bonowitz, Director of Citizens United for Alternatives to
the Death Penalty, and Chrysanthi Settlage, a staff member dealing
with criminal justice matters for the Friends Committee on National
Legislation, were driving to a protest rally in State College on
July 8 when they noticed they were being followed by individuals who
had an "unscrupulous" look to them. Bonowitz called
"911" on a mobile phone to report the situation and seek
assistance from the police. "We thought they were local
people who did not like our anti-death penalty bumper
stickers," he said. After speaking to the "911"
operator for several minutes, suddenly another unmarked car appeared
with a dashboard emergency light flashing and pulled the activists
over. Within minutes, no fewer then eight unmarked state
police vehicles, some driven by uniformed PA State Troopers were on
the scene. After some time, and without detailing the purpose
for which the vehicle had been stopped, the police asked for and
were refused permission to search the activists' car. After
more than 40 minutes, the activists were allowed to go, but only
after being ticketed for "failing to signal a right
turn."
The next day, while under arrest for engaging in nonviolent civil
disobedience (on charges which were later dismissed), PA State
Trooper James L. Drayer told the activists that they had been
followed since the time they had made a purchase of PVC pipe and
chain at a local hardware store.
"It's wrong to detain people based on what you think they
*might* do," said Settlage. "We've now seen
pre-emptive police actions against activists during the World Bank
protests in Washington, DC, last April, in Philadelphia during the
Republican National Convention, in this case, and in others.
"I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure the constitution
requires that a crime be committed before "suspects" are
identified and detained -- and driving while being an activist is
not a crime!"
"It's pretty amazing that it took no fewer than eight unmarked
police cars, including a police surveillance team, to issue a ticket
for 'failing to signal a right turn,'" said Bonowitz.
"I think it's clear that something else is going on."
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SENT BY:
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Abraham J. Bonowitz
Director
Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (CUADP) |
