On August 15, ACT UP Philadelphia announced that all of its members who were arrested two weeks ago during the Republican convention in Philadelphia are now out of jail. All of them face criminal charges. Others did block traffic, and were charged with much more serious offenses than usual for such protests. Also on August 15, seven medics for the protesters sued Philadelphia for civil-rights violations, claiming that police systematically stopped and harassed them during the protests. They said that they were not demonstrating or helping to plan or coordinate actions.
Many more lawsuits are likely.
Ann Northrop is co-treasurer of ACT UP New York, and is helping ACT UP Philadelphia's legal defense fund. This contribution is not tax deductible. Copyright 2000 by John S. James. Permission granted for noncommercial reproduction, provided that our address and phone number are included if more than short quotations are used. This document was provided by AIDS Treatment News .