Occupy protesters go on trial claiming free-speech rights violated
PORTLAND, Ore. – Some of those arrested during the Occupy movement's encampment in downtown Portland last fall finally went on trial Wednesday.
The first group of three to head for trial was in court. There were a dozen defendants in just that group. They claimed getting kicked out of the downtown parks was unconstitutional.
After an encampment lasting five weeks, the city ordered police in November 2011 to evict Occupy Portland from Lownsdale and Chapman squares. Among those arrested during the evictions was Cameron Matta who'd allegedly thrown a firecracker at police on horseback.
Home video showed Matta's arrest after fellow protesters pointed to him as the culprit.
On Wednesday, Matta acted as his own attorney in court, questioning police why they arrested him and 11 others in and around Chapman Square during the sweep.
Instead of doing the usual – settling their misdemeanor arrest cases with minor fines, the protesters and their attorneys have fought with prosecutors for most of a year. They claimed city officials ordered police to close the parks to illegally silence the Occupy Movement.
"Whatever reasoning the state produces to justify the actions that were taken against these defendants, can't stand in the face of the constitutional protections that accrue to their political assembly and political speech," said defense attorney Robert Callahan.
City leaders and police said the encampment had become more sewer than speech – a magnet for crime and health problems.
Prosecutors played video, taken by police, to support police testimony that the arrested protesters physically confronted officers carrying out a lawful order to close the parks, not just to protesters, but to everyone, for one main reason:
"The motivation was the health and safety concerns that I had witnessed leading up to this date from the beginning," Sgt. Jeffrey Nyyia with the Portland Police Bureau said in court.
Wednesday's trial is supposed to last at least through Thursday.
"City leaders and police said the encampment had become more sewer than speech" Yep. Sounds about right.
 @Jabroni Yup... Now there is an understatement...
The freedom to destroy in the name of protesting. In Portland that just might fly.
@TimBurr ........sadly, you just might be right !
Let's not make Clint Eastwood a total outcast. Employ one of his movie titles and "Hang 'em High".
 @Nobody Wow. What a stupid remark. Let's "hang 'em high," those who cannot find work in this brutal economy.Â
 @Lisa  @Nobody Why cant you find a job? My company has never stopped hiring EVER. There are jobs available, they just don't want to do the jobs that require ACTUALLY working.
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It's not my fault that your liberal arts degree is worthless in the real world.
The constitution guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Closing the parks did not prevent either.
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Nothing prevents them from assembling elsewhere and protesting. Nothing prevented them from making speeches on street corners or carrying signs. Sorry, mouthpiece, but that dog won't hunt.
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By the way, camping is not protest. I spent 26 year and my own blood protecting American ideals in uniform, and I will defend freedom of speech and protest with my last breath. You "enclave" was not protest.
ShallowEnder,
Thank you for wearing the uniform honorably! I thank you for your service to our country.
Let's hope they don't get a silly Portland type kuku Judge who decides trashing the parks is not illegal if the work "Protest" is part of the defense like the silly Portland type kuku Judge who decided being nude at the airport is not illegal since the word  "Protest" was part of his defense.
 @hankhandsome Yeah it would be ironic if the nude protester is on the next plane high jacked into a building, maybe he could strip down before they hit :) Â
These people are the scum of the earth and seem to be the type of people the citizens of Portland like to celebrate, then they wonder why their city is a big pile of...........................well you know!!
Destroying public property, blocking public sidewalks and streets, and harassing passerbys is NOT freedom of speech. It's illegal and you should be punished for it.
Camping is not free speech, destroying public property is not free speech, crapping in a bucket, asking for handouts, doing drugs, screaming at people, blocking sidewalks, assaulting police, defacing statues, NONE of these are free speech.
When are there people going to stop causing crime and the recourses of the working mans tax dollers? How long to we allow people to break the law? The only reason this is still happening is because society and government has gone too soft, its time to reconize the law and inforce it instead of wasting our time and recourses!
Everyone wants them to just go away.
So if his "rights" we're violated then, I would like to know where in the Constitution it states that they had the right to destroy the parks that they did and break the laws like they did! If they can show me exactly where it says that it was their right to do so then I will give them sympathy. But until then I want them prosecuted!
I am still wondering where in the Constitution that you have the right to throw Fire Crackers at Police on Horse back? Or camping in a Park that is Day Use only? Are we a nation of laws or lawlessness? They should have taken the fines. Now they are going to pay alot more+jail time I hope.
"They claimed getting kicked out of the downtown parks was unconstitutional." Really?..... As a tax payer, I would have kicked them out of the park myself if I could! Lets all remember how much DAMAGE they caused to the park and city statues. Who pays for that in the end? ME! and other fellow tax payers.
@lped Don't forget smashed windows and blocking traffic to keep people from shopping or going to work. I think they should all have gottin stiffer punishments.
Such a shame that the OWS movement is/was so pathetic. It'd be nice to have a worthwhile movement that the average citizen could/would support. This country needs one. OWS is not it.
@Lips I agree, it needs to be a movement that takes back this country from big government.
@MadMax64 That would be the Tea Party.  Big Gov't cannot exist without a tax base to feed it.
I find it hard to believe that these people can stand there in a court of law and spout "Free Speech" with a straight face..!   They weren't thrown out of the parks because anyone wanted to "silence" them (although their spiel got awfully tiresome after a while)... they turned 2 beautiful parks into garbage dumps, with human waste in the streets and in the parks; they blocked the streets and sidewalks, and the entrances to nearby businesses, and their "encampments" attracted druggies and other criminals.  Â
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Insofar as this guy is concerned, "free speech" does not - EVER! - include throwing explosives at other people or at animals...and where at least some members of Occupy ever got the notion that it did is w-a-y beyond me..!   Our founding fathers must be totally dizzy from turning over in their graves so much..!   Â
There is no "protest" in this country... there is only the 1%, corporations, big banks, wall street... the rest of us dont exist untill it is time for the parasite to feed.
Did you not get enough attention as a kid?
This is one thing I can not condone, Throwing anything at an animal can risk injury to every one innocent or not.
@lee986321 I think he should have been charged with inticing a riot.
Delusional.
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Threw a firecracker at a horse... I gained a small ounce of respect for some in the Occupy movement for outing him guy.
Your own people outted you, Matta. Those were the non-violent Occupiers...the ones who, perhaps, can play the Freedom of Speech card. They obviously sided with the police in your case, which must make you a REAL piece of work, all things considered.
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If you throw explosives at another human being, and an animal even, you deserve something more violent than a trial. You're no better than they are and, in fact, much worse. I was there...the police didn't throw fireworks at me. When I talked to them, they were in fact very polite.
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I hope the one you threw the fireworks at beat you sufficiently that you've learned not to resort to violence against people--let alone ANIMALS--who are simply sworn to uphold peace and order.
@Dienekes4160 He whom represents himself in court is represented by a fool. I guess he was waiting for a public defender paid for by the tax payers, thank goodness we didn't give this dirtbag another handout.
Depending on how one wishes to twist and manipulate the Constitution, Any crime can be considered "allowed" by inalienable human rights. Do nothing, and this city could turn into an uprising of citizens against those that wish to inflict themselves upon others. To allow one group to force their beliefs and ideals onto the public is a violation of the public's civil rights. Where does this stop?! Can the public vote whether to allow the occutard's alleged "protests"? or will our local pansy government continue to let it happen? No worries, the courts will reduce all fines and those fines will be paid by "watchdog" groups who oppose any law enforcement. These .....holes wont have to pay but you can be assured they'll be first in line for handouts and green hair dye..
Remember Mr. Obama Supported them. He said this group was good for America.
Now, now...lets not mis-interpret what he meant...and try to spin it like he supported those cretins in our parks....he did support it at it's core, which was started on Wall Street in N.Y. by the average joe citizen like you and me....I supported this movement when it started, we all should of if you're a tax paying, middle class citizen during this joke of a financial nightmare we have today. This movement was detroyed by the anarchists and street scum of ptown, it became a very bad joke.
 @PD1202 It was not started by the average Joe, it was started by Unions and Socialist groups. Funded by BIG Corporations that would benefit from the government getting even larger, turning the US into a country none of us would recognize.
I checked and I did NOT mis-interpret what Mr. Obama said. I posted what he said, By the time he said it the Occupires where causing heck in Seatle Washington. All you need to do is Check for the Date and time of his Speach for the Occupiers, then cross check the time and date of the damage from them.It was all about the same time. If it was so Piecefull in New York then why did they have a Rape Crises Tent set up at the Occupires camp in New York?
These protesters are going to cost the city a lot of $$$ with their attitude. It is too bad they were not just fined and tossed in jail until they could pay. They are going to keep pushing the city to spend money. Thefree speech rights to destroy property and endanger others around them.
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@Just Lookin I think they all should be held accountable to pay back the Tax Payers for everything they damaged. Rermeber they said this was a Piecefull Protest. So since it was Nothing but Piecefull they shold Pay for every Penny. Also they did this Protest without the proper permits. If it was piecefull then they it would have been LAWFULL and not cost us 1 red cent. But over 5million in damages in Portland alone tells me that they are thugs who want something for nothing.
 @cpt.iceman, You said it very well. They are just thugs who want something for nothing. They should all be held accountable for their actions...no permit = penalty and fine. Trespassing = penaly and fine. Destruction of public property = penalty and fine.
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@cpt.iceman spelling corrections. Peaceful, not piecefull; Lawful, not lawfull; I believe you meant to say  "inciting a riot" not inticing (which is acually spelled enticing); Speech, not Speach; Crisis Tent, not Crises Tent; gotten, not gottin, however, "gotten" is grammatically incorrect in your sentence. Received would have been a better  choice. "I think they should all have received stiffer punishments."
I'm Sorry Haslips BUt I just got out of the dentist's office and was still way Loopy from having a few teeth removed. I was alittle out of line and I apologize to you for what I said. You have a good day.
@cpt.iceman My post was to point out that you are either an idiot or a troll... You post above proves both....Thanks for making that so easy.
I get a Kick out of People Picking apart other's Post. Spelling,Miss a Period is all good for me. But if someone Only can complain about the spelling Then I have made a Point. I know how to spell but I don't allways wear my glasses cause they are Yellow to help with my Light Blindness. Then sometimes I mess-spell to what I call Fishing. See I hooked you. Now I think I'll release you. But thanks for the info.
actually....Missed a t.