On May 6, Chicago-area anti-war activists Jeff Zurawski and Sarah Hartfield rode their bikes to a pedestrian bridge on the I-355 tollway near Glen Ellyn. They unfurled a banner that read “Impeach Bush and Cheney—Liars.” They also displayed an American flag upside-down.
Ninety minutes into the action the sheriff’s department shut down the protest. Officers told them that their protest could distract motorists and cause an accident.
Two weeks after this incident, the DuPage County Sheriff’s office filed criminal charges against the activists. Police arrested Zurawski at his home. He spent seven hours in jail
The official charges against the two read as follows: “knowingly without a county permit, staging a war protest on the Great Western Trail overpass in unincorporated DuPage County, Illinois causing the vehicles on the highway (I-355) to swerve causing a traffic disturbance because unknown objects were being thrown on the expressway as well as the American flag being displayed in an upside down manner from the overpass.”
No objects were thrown by the two protesters. This is a complete fabrication on the part of the sheriff’s office.
If Hartfield and Zurwaski are found guilty, they could each face a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. According to prosecutors, there is an unnamed truck driver who is willing to testify against the two.
The DuPage County state’s attorney who is prosecuting the case is Joe Birkett. He is notorious for being pro-war.
Supporters of Zurawski and Hartfield are urging people to contact Birkett’s office to demand that all charges be dropped.
Click here for contact information: http://www.co.dupage.il.us/statesattorney/.
