One year ago, on January 20, police arrested more than 200 individuals protesting the inauguration of Donald Trump. Last month, the first six defendants were acquitted on all charges.
But now, federal prosecutors are refusing to drop the charges against 187 remaining defendants, even though the vast majority were peacefully protesting the election of President Trump, and there is no way they could have been involved in any property damage.
This attempt by police and prosecutors to jail individuals who were merely present at these protests, exercising their free expression rights, is a direct assault on free speech.
The aggressive prosecution of these remaining protesters smacks of politics, not the law. The Justice Department is sending a clear message that dissent against the policies of the Trump administration will be dealt with severely.
Join us in calling on the D.C. City Council to launch a truly independent investigation into how police were allowed to use a controversial tactic called “kettling” to indiscriminately round up and arrest over 200 protesters—in violation of D.C. laws meant to protect First Amendment activity.
Peaceful protest and dissent are protected legal rights. And the appetite for patriotic dissent against the Trump administration is likely only to grow.
With Washington, D.C., being the epicenter of much of that protest, it is critical that the D.C. City Council strengthen free speech protections to prevent another unlawful mass arrest of peaceful protesters.
One recently acquitted protester said that the verdict “shows the country that the jury was unwilling to do what the government wanted them to do, which was criminalize dissent.”
- Suzanne Nossel
Executive Director. PEN America
