http://okcitykid.bravejournal.com/ A fellow veteran and member of Veterans for Peace, Mike Ferner who served as an active duty Navy Corpsman during Vietnam was arrested on the 1st of July in a coffee shop of a Chicago VA center while drinking coffee, taking a brake from his war protest. The charge - "criminal trespass and weapons possession."
Mike said, "Hey, listen. I'm a veteran, this is a VA facility." "No, not with that shirt," said one of the arresting officers.
Mike Ferner was wearing a Veterans for Peace T-shirt with the "Police State Advisory System" posted on it.
After being handcuffed and searched Mike was found carrying a nifty Swiss Army pocket knife. Eric Ousley informed Mike that the pocket knife would have to be confiscated and destroyed, but he was allowed to keep his shirt. Eric decided to let Mike off with just a fine of $275. (Ofcourse it would be about money, because the rich man doesn't pay his due, we have to.) Mike however was warned that should he ever return with "that shirt" again, he would again be arrested but booked into jail.
I can understand Mike being charged with weapons possession, and the confiscation and destruction of said weapon. Those Swiss Army pocket knives are pretty dangerous, I know, I cut myself with one once, but how can a Vet be charged with criminal trespass for having coffee in a Veterans Administration Center coffee shop?
Mike Ferner says he's not going to pay the $275.
From AfterDowningStreet.org: "I'm sure I could go back to officers Adkins' and Ousleys' fiefdom with a shirt that said, "Nuke all the hajis," or "Show us your tits," or any number of truly obscene things and no one would care. Just so it's not "that shirt" again.
And just for the record? I'm not paying the fine. I'll see Adkins and Ousley and Dubya's Director of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, if he wants to show up, in United States District Court on the appointed date. And if there's a Chicago area attorney who'd like to take the case, I'd really like to sue them -- from Dubya on down. I have to believe that this whole country has not yet gone insane, just the government. This kind of behavior can't be tolerated. It must be challenged."
You can find the full story on Democracy Now!>
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/06/1349239
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