Arturo Innocent

Activist Found Not Guilty

 

Arturo Castillion

The Northampton radical group Poverty is Not a Crime, the brainchild of activists Caty Simon and Ira McKinley, organized a number of rallies earlier this year to protest downtown economic development policies, in particular the proposed ordinance that would have all but banned panhandling for spare change on Main Street.

At one such event two prominent local activists, David Beyer and Arturo Castillion, were arrested for alleged rowdy misconduct during the demonstration. The charges against Beyer were eventually dismissed, but Arturo Castillion went to trial. Today he was found innocent when a video surfaced just before trial that appeared to show that police over-reacted in arresting him. The ever intrepid Caty Simon (below) sent me a previously unreleased photo of the arrest as well as an account of today's court proceedings:

Arturo Castillon was one of the founders of Poverty Is Not A Crime, and is a long time low income rights activist, as well as a former UMass student who has since transfered to Temple University.

He was charged with disorderly conduct & assault and battery on a police officer. The first charge was later dropped. Basically, the police officer claimed Arturo shoved him when he told Arturo to clear off the street, but in actual fact the cop shoved *him* and Arturo went quietly, which was later shown in a video taken from a cop car nearby, evidence that was wrangled last minute from the prosecution. (The Friday before the Monday of the trial!) Also, eyewitness and PINAC member/Umass student John Colvin testified to these facts as well. It seems the patrol officer lost his temper and covered up for it later with the charge, as ACLU lawyer Luke Ryan, Arturo's representation, theorized in his closing argument.

In a trial ruled by the judge (the right to a jury was waived) Arturo was found not guilty.

Here is a photo of Arturo in police custody.

Hopefully Arturo's acquittal will be a lesson that police should try to be more restrained at these kinds of events. Then again, maybe the protesters should show a little restraint as well. 

Two Cartoons

This cartoon is all too tragically true and self-evident.

This one is a little hard to figure. It came to me with the punchline, "So I said to him, "Barack, I know Abe Lincoln, and you ain't Abe Lincoln."

 



First of all, the joke is not very funny. Furthermore, to get the joke requires one to remember a similar line from the 1988 debate between Lloyd Bentson and Daniel Quayle, which not one in ten American's does. Besides that, it isn't clear who is saying the punchline. Lincoln himself in a fit of egomania? And look who is there among the GOP luminaries. Richard Nixon? Who would trust him in a card game? And Jerry Ford? Nice guy but no presidential giant. In fact the only two people at that gathering who might be considered historic giants are Ronald Reagan and Lincoln himself. 

The rest are lightweights: Eisenhower whose outstanding military career was certainly not surpassed by his political one, and Teddy Roosevelt, whom most Republicans consider to have been in many ways a closet Democrat. And what are the two Bushes doing there? They aren't even dead yet, and while the verdict of history is still out on their presidencies, few think they will rise to Lincolnian stature. And where is this ghostly card game taking place? Look at the background. You mean there are political conventions in heaven? If so that settles it - I'm hellbound and glad of it.

On Campus

The UMass Cannabis Club was holding its annual cookie and brownie sale today. Consume at your own risk. 

The Amherst College singing group that call themselves "The Route 9" perform at the school talent show. 

 

Me standing in the way of a view of paradise this afternoon at Amherst College. 

Today's Video

Just like you mistreat someone somebody's gonna mistreat you. 

 

Sunderland.