{"article":{"id":130520,"heading":"Banner-Bearing Protester at Convention Is Acquitted","author":"Fredric L. Rice","created":"2005-06-26 02:04:14","modified":"2005-06-26 02:04:14","last_modified":"Sun, 26 Jun 2005 09:04:14","article":"<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print<\/a> <br><br> Banner-Bearing Protester at Convention Is Acquitted <br><br> By ANDREW JACOBS <br><br> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print<\/a> <br><br> A Manhattan jury rejected all charges last night against a California woman who was arrested at the Republican National Convention, when she unfurled a banner criticizing President Bush during his acceptance speech. <br><br> Prosecutors had accused the woman, June Brashares, of several crimes, including the assault of two convention volunteers who had escorted her from Madison Square Garden moments after she stood on a chair and held up a hand-painted bed sheet that said \"Bush Lies People Die.\" <br><br> One of the volunteers testified that he needed 10 stitches to close a gash on his shin caused by the heel of Ms. Brashares's shoe. Jurors,  speaking after the verdict, said they rejected that allegation, however,  and said they believed Ms. Brashares and other witnesses who said she was not even wearing shoes when she was dragged screaming from the hall. <br><br> \"This is wonderful,\" said Ms. Brashares, 41, an events planner from San Francisco, after the verdict was read last night. \"Free speech has been upheld.\" <br><br> In addition to misdemeanor assault, Ms. Brashares faced charges of disorderly conduct, harassment and attempted assault. Her case was one of the last stemming from the arrests of more than 1,800 people during last summer's convention. It was also one of the few to be argued in front of a jury. <br><br> ...cuts by Fredric L. Rice due to copyright.  However there is much more to the article available at the URL: <br><br> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print<\/a> <br><br> Well, the freedom of speech of progressives exposing Bush's war crime atrocities was upheld so of course Republicans are going to be upset by this. <br>  <br> \n","contact":"frice@skeptictank.org","link":"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2005\/06\/24\/nyregion\/24protest.html?pagewanted=print","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"A Manhattan jury rejected all charges last night against a California woman who was arrested at the Republican National Convention, when she unfurled a banner criticizing President Bush during his acceptance speech.","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/","filesize":null,"article_url":"\/news\/2005\/06\/130520.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}