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Most Charges Against Tucson Bus-Chaining Activists Dropped
Michel Marizco
A protester chained to the wheel of a bus carrying people to deportation hearings in Tucson
On Tuesday a Tucson judge dropped most of the charges against 12 people for protesting a federal immigration court program by chaining themselves to buses.
Judge Susan Bacal of Pima County’s Justice Court upheld two of seven misdemeanor charges against the activists for obstructing a highway or other public thoroughfare, and public nuisance.
On Oct. 11, 2013 the group chained themselves to two buses carrying illegal border crossers headed to mass deportation hearings under Operation Streamline.
Margo Cowan is the lawyer for the defendants. She said she’s confident the remaining charges will also be dropped.
“To assemble, to criticize your government, nobody needs to give you permission to do that. As Americans those are sacred constitutional rights that we all enjoy,” Cowan said.
Cowan said all these people were facing felony charges, but those were dismissed early on.
Lawyers for the state argued the protest went beyond a peaceful demonstration, saying it was reckless and put people in danger. The judge said she will review the two remaining charges and another trial will be held in April if she hasn’t reached a decision.
Six other individuals were found guilty in federal court, but are all on appeal. They chained themselves together to block the driveway into the courthouse where the hearings are held. Hearings were cancelled for that day due to the protest.
