Judge Orders City to Release 560 Protesters

[Dancing_Dave]

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By The Associated Press

September 2, 2004, 2:44 PM EDT


A Manhattan judge ordered city officials Thursday to process and release 560 anti-GOP protesters within hours after hearing that the detainees had all spent at least 36 hours in custody since their arrests.

The defendants, including scores who had spent more than 38 hours in custody since police picked them up on Tuesday, must be arraigned or brought to the holding pens at the arraignment courts by 5 p.m., said state Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo.

Legal Aid attorney Irwin Shaw told the judge that most of the protesters were held for minor offenses such as disorderly conduct. In contrast, he said, shoplifters and other petty criminals arrested on Wednesday night had already been released.

About 40 to 50 protesters gathered in a park across the street from the courthouse. They cheered and applauded as a few detainees walked out.
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http://www.nynewsday.com/news/politics/rnc/nyc-protestorsarrested0903,0,656934.story?coll=nyc-swapbox1

[Goldmund]

1. I just talked to my sister

who is there at Central Booking. The NYPD _refused_ to obey the judge's order and the lawyers are back in court. The ACLU is planning to file a big lawsuit. The Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by the National Lawyers' Guild can be found here: http://nyc.indymedia.org/usermedia/application/6/rnc_legal1.pdf

[Shoeempress]

2. LOVE the use of the word "detainees", it's so Gitmo.

[AspenRose]

3. Who's the judge that ordered them out?

eom

[Moderator]

4. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x796796