The appeal below was issued today by the ANSWER Coalition. The PSL is a member organization of ANSWER.
Dear supporter of the ANSWER Coalition,
Not only were hundreds of people arrested in the police raid in Los
Angeles last night but the LAPD and Mayor, having socked each arrested
person with a $5,000 bail, are now refusing to release them from jail
and are refusing to allow them to meet with their attorneys.
National
Lawyers Guild board member, Carol Sobel, condemned the action of the LAPD. “The
Los Angeles Police Department is deliberately refusing to release anyone
arrested in the Occupy raids with a notice to appear. The City is holding them
in jail on $5,000 bail until they can be arraigned by a judge, which can take
up to 48 hours. This punishes people for exercising their First Amendment
rights.”
Send a letter to the Los Angeles mayor and
the chief of police
Sobel continued: “California law is clear. Penal Code §853.6 is mandatory in requiring that
anyone charged with a misdemeanor shall be released with a written
notice to appear.”
Eyewitness report from attorney Ian Thompson
Ian Thompson is an attorney and the ANSWER Los Angeles coordinator. He is the attorney for arrested activists
Mike Prysner and Doug Kauffman.
“This
afternoon, after finding out where Occupy LA protesters were being held
following last night’s assault and eviction of peaceful demonstrators carried
out by the LAPD, I went down to check on the status of my clients and others
who were arrested.
“When I
arrived, the doors were closed and a line had formed outside. I saw a notice which read, ‘Front lobby closed
until further notice.’
“I knocked on the
door to talk to someone. An LAPD officer came out. I told him I was an attorney
for two of the protesters being held inside. ‘We are closed,’ he said. ‘You
cannot visit your clients or anyone.’ He informed me I could not post bail or
talk to anyone there. ‘Call my watch commander,’ he added.
“I then called
the watch commander with the same request. ‘You cannot see your clients,’ he
told me. ‘Call back in several hours.’
“Hundreds of
people are being held inside this jail without access to legal counsel. As of now they are being held on $5,000 bail
until they can be arraigned which can take up to 48 hours. Apparently the LAPD
and Mayor Villaraigosa are refusing to allow people to post the bail even if
they can.
“This is
unconscionable and a violation of civil rights for my clients and all people
held inside,” Thompson stated.
In the press
statement calling for the release of the arrested people, the National Lawyers
Guild chapter in Los Angeles said, “New York City
was successfully sued in 2004 when they tried the same tactic against
individuals involved in protesting at the Republican National Convention.”
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