LOVE PARK 4 NO MORE!

This story is about two weeks old, but we needed to share this with you. You might recall a few years back, when four individuals were accused of attacking a police vehicle with persons inside who claimed they were there to participate in a white power rally at Love Park here in Philly. Well, the case is now officially closed with the Love Park 4 – as they were called – walking away with what amounted to a traffic ticket. We haven’t spoken on this case for a while, but that wasn’t because we didn’t care. It was simply the fact that the wheels of justice turned slowly. Real friggin’ slowly. We want to send our well wishes to those of the Love Park 4 and hope to see them on the frontlines very soon!

Love Park 4

“Cops wanna knock me, D.A. wanna box me in But somehow, I beat them charges like Rocky”
-Jay-Z

It´s been a long time since we sent out any news on our case; almost a year by our calculations because until now, there was nothing new to report. After last February´s frustratingly comedic court date (LOVE Park 4 Update: The End Is Finally In Sight?) we heard nothing about our case or the plea deal we had been offered. Calls to our lawyers yielded the same – they hadn’t heard a peep about our case from the District Attorney´s office. Checking our court dockets and calling the courts, it seemed the case had been forgotten about.  Then in late November the District Attorney´s office awoke from their slumber and scheduled a court date so we could  accept the plea offer; and end this case once and for all.

On December 9th, we returned to court yet again.  We appeared in front of the judge and verbally agreed to the plea; all 8 misdemeanor charges were reduced to a single summary offense of disorderly conduct (the equivalent of a traffic summons). Making the deal even better, there would be no further punishment, meaning no fine or probation. The judge made sure we understood what we were agreeing to, and told us all to have a nice day. Truth be told, we were expecting a much more formal process, but that was it.  Three and a half years of court proceedings, having charges, and being on bail resolved in under 90 seconds. Anti-climatic? Yes, but a huge relief for us, our friends, and our families. A good deal for us in the end, and no better time of year for it to happen.

The last thing left was for us to get our bail money back. We should have known better, but that’s a task that´s going to be a lot easier said than done. At the bail refund window, we were told to return in 20 days with our bail receipts and ID. Once we do that, then it´ll be another 2-3 weeks until they cut checks and mail them to us.  As $500 of this bail money was community raised, we wanted to let people know that we will be using a portion of that money to pay our court fees. The remainder will be donated to comrades in Phoenix who were arrested trying to stop the National Socialist Movement from marching in their city. For more information on that legal case, see Phoenix Class War Council’s reportback: Riot, Si Se Puede

Thank You’s

Last but definitely not least, we wanted to thank everyone that has stood by us and supported us during this court case. We wouldn´t have been able to do this without all the moral, emotional and financial support people showed us. We are all very thankful for the wonderful family, friends and comrades we have.

First and foremost, our fantastic lawyers Larry Krasner and Paul Hetznecker.  You saw this case all the way through to the end and did a great job defending us. Thank you for all your time, effort, and brilliant strategy.

We also want to specifically thank a few others who went above and beyond in their support (this is not by any means an exhaustive list, so please don’t be offended if you are not named specifically – we still appreciate everything you did for us!):

Shoelacetown Anarchist Black Cross
Hit the Bricks Distro
Fire to the Prisons
The Anti-Racist Action Network
The Defenestrator
EM
CP
JCR
CK
SM

And finally to the cops, the courts, the KKK, and all our enemies in between:

Thanks for strengthening our resolve and making us pledge to fight even harder in the future! We will never give up! We will never surrender!

Much love and solidarity,
Tom, Jared, Jason