On Aug. 20, felony charges of reckless conduct were dismissed against two Chicago-area anti-war activists. Over 50 people packed a DuPage County, Ill., courthouse in support of the two activists, Sarah Hartfield and Jeff Zurawski.
Despite having no case and an extremely questionable witness, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett’s office kept the court case going for 15 months. In addition, the judge allowed the Birkett to change the charges against the two on several occasions.
Sarah Hartfield and Jeff Zurawski
were targeted by the cops and the
courts for opposing the war.
Hartfield and Zurawski were arrested in 2007 for holding anti-war signs on a public sidewalk near a freeway overpass.
Throughout the case, it was clear that Hartfield and Zurawski were being targeted for their anti-war politics and because they decided to take a stand against the county’s attack on free speech.
Zurawski said: “The State had fifteen months to gather evidence, produce witnesses, and prepare for the trial. In the end though, assistant State’s Attorney Johnetta Sanks moved to dismiss all charges against us due to a lack of evidence. The witnesses didn’t show up for court. … The State’s decision not to proceed with the trial shines a bright light on the true nature of the case. It had nothing to do with public safety. It was a malicious attempt to intimidate us from expressing political opinions critical of the Bush Administration.”
When Judge Ronald Sutter dismissed the case, the packed courtroom cheered and gave defendants Zurawski and Hartfield a standing ovation.
On May 6, 2007, Jeff Zurawski, 40, and Sarah Hartfield, 45, unfurled a banner over a pedestrian bridge on I-355 near Glen Ellyn that read, “Impeach Bush and Cheney – Liars.” They also displayed an American flag upside down. That is when Charles Hardin, the truck driver that became the prosecution’s key witness, called 911 to fallaciously report that there were two people throwing debris on the expressway.
State troopers approached the two activists and ordered them to stop their protest on the grounds that it could distract motorists and cause an accident. Hartfield and Zurawski complied.
But as the two protesters were packing up, DuPage County sheriff’s deputies arrived and started harassing them. One of the deputies yelled at the protesters, spouting reactionary politics and saying that they had no respect for the troops serving in Iraq.
Two weeks later, the DuPage County police arrested Hartfield and Zurawski. They were originally charged with disorderly conduct, but in October the charges were upgraded to reckless conduct―a charge that carries a one-year maximum sentence.
At a pretrial hearing, the witness Charles Hardin admitted that he did not see anything thrown onto the expressway, claiming instead that he saw the protesters making throwing motions. Neither of the activists threw anything or made a throwing motion at any time during their protest.
It is to Hartfield and Zurawski’s credit that they chose to struggle until the end of the case. They could have taken the easy way out and settled for a plea bargain—an especially attractive option given the current climate of political repression.
Their victory is also a victory for the people’s movement. Numerous protests, press conferences and events were held in order to build support for and defend Hartfield and Zurawski. Their case highlights the importance of people organizing and struggling in defense of democratic rights under the capitalist system.
