[Action-forum] Jane Scharf-Final day of Bridge Trial
Jane Scharf
For Immediate Release
Last Day of The Bridge Trial
The final day of court in the criminal mischief trial of Jane Scharf resumes
Monday Nov 28, 05 at 10:00 am in courtroom 10, 161 Elgin St. Ottawa.
In 2003 during the Homeless Action Strike under the Terry Fox Bridge Scharf
was arrested for obstruct police for failure to relinquish their protest
sign, which read, łWelcome to the Ritz Under the Bridge.˛ This charge
followed a ticket for erecting a business sign without a license. The entire
incident is captured on video tape and was submitted in court.
After the police removed Scharf from the protest they confiscated both signs
and all the personal property of the homeless protesters and shut the
protest done without cause.
Protest signs are exempt from business licenses. Therefore, Scharf should
not have been given a ticket nor should police have tried to confiscate the
sign or arrest her for refusing to relinquish the sign to them.
Consequently, later that day while Scharf sat in jail the police changed her
charge to obstruct the city cleaning. They claimed her actions of trying to
stop the police from removing the sign obstructed the cleaning.
Scharf has pleaded not guilty and is agreeing that her right to expression
and assembly has been violated by her arbitrary arrest and detention as well
as by unlawful police dismantling of the protest. Now after more than 6 days
of trail the only evidence brought against Scharf in court was by Ottawa
police officer Sergeant Lamonth. However, Lamonthąs testimony was not backed
up by any other evidence and was subsequently contradicted by all the other
officers, and the city Maintenance Supervisor and the Zambone driver who
testified as well as the testimony of Scharf and two witness who were
homeless at the time of Scharfąs arrest as well as the evidence in the video
tape.
Scharf says, łif the court finds me guilty by overlooking or misconstruing
evidence of my innocence including witness statements and the video tape of
the entire conflict and arrest over our protest sign I will most definitely
appeal the decision. I did not obstruct the cleaning, and conducting this
protest in support of the Homeless was the right thing to do in the interest
of peace and equality. And in the end if there is no justice in the courts I
will lose complete confidence in the legal system and I expect everyone who
knows about this atrocity will have similar leanings.˛
-30-
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