Following is the text of the address by St. Paul activist and RNC 8 Defense Committee member Betsy Raasch-Gilman following the plea hearing of October 19. October 19, 2010 I was a member of the RNC Welcoming Committee for 18 months, and I am proud to have worked with all of the defendants who are [...]
If you missed the speeches outside the courtroom last week, check out the highlights here:
As we were gearing up for trial, we made plans with lots of our friends to put on super fun events to help raise the funds we needed for trial. Our plans for court have changed, but our plans for fun have not! All the fundraisers we had scheduled will still happen as planned, but [...]
from the RNC 8 and RNC 8 Defense Committee More than two years after the 2008 Republican National Convention, it appears that the last legal and political defense work is finally reaching a conclusion. Two years of standing together, not always in agreement, but bound by our outrage against a state which systematically destroys our [...]
After the hearing on Tuesday morning, October 19, members of the RNC 8 Defense Committee and defendant Garrett Fitzgerald addressed a large crowd of reporters and supporters. Here’s the text of Garrett’s statement to the crowd outside the courthouse on Kellogg Boulevard. These halls are advertised as a house of justice. In reality, this is [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2010 Contact: Jude Ortiz (RNC 8 Defense Committee), 612.886.4565, press@rnc8.org REMAINING RNC 8 DEFENDANTS ACCEPT PLEA AGREEMENTS FOR GROSS MISDEMEANORS Case Resolves with Community Service Sentence but No Jail Time St. Paul, Minn. — The remaining four RNC 8 defendants announced today that they will accept plea agreements to resolve [...]
The following statement was read by Max Specktor before his sentencing at the plea hearing of October 19, 2010. I accept total responsibility for my actions in this case, but this conspiracy is only part of the story, so I would like to share some other thoughts and plans of mine, to provide some context [...]
The following statement was read by Garrett Fitzgerald before his sentencing at the plea hearing of October 19, 2010. Without giving a reason why–representative of her childish behavior all along–Judge Teresa Warner refused to allow him to quote the passage below from “The Lorax” in its entirety. 1. Judge, I have pleaded guilty to Conspiracy [...]
The following statement was read by Nathanael Secor before his sentencing at the plea hearing of October 19, 2010. While this case has always been about the criminalization of dissent, it would be disingenuous to characterize me as a victim of the state. I openly admit before the court and everyone assembled that I conspired [...]
Tomorrow morning, Garrett, Max, Nathanael and Rob have their plea hearings. We would like to invite you again to be there in the courtroom with us for what we expect to be one final time: * When: Tuesday, October 19, at 9am * Where: Ramsey County Courthouse, 15 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul We also [...]