Occupy Honolulu Press Release - Trial for 6 OH members on Wednesday 2/8
Occupy Honolulu General Assembly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE
CONTACT: OccupyHo...@gmail.com
OCCUPY HONOLULU
From the occupied ‘āina of Hawai'i in solidarity with
the peoples of occupied lands worldwide
Trial Date for six OH members arrested on 11/5
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Rally 12:30pm, Trial 1:30pm, Press Conference to follow trial
On November 5, 2011,
eight members of Occupy Honolulu were arrested as the group first began
its round the clock protest near Thomas Square Park. As over 100
supporters demonstrated on the sidewalk, eight members sat down in the
grass adjacent to the sidewalk along Beretania Street to show their
conviction for their cause and their right to occupy public space. As
more than 20 police officers lined up behind them, the protesters held
their ground and asserted their constitutional right to be there. They
referenced the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution and our
rights of freedom of speech and assembly. They also cited Kanawai
Mamalahoe, sacred Hawaiian law enshrined into the Hawaii State
Constitution, Article 9, Section 10, which grants all men, women, and
children the right to lie by the roadside without fear of harm. By
remaining in the grass, these eight members showed the courage to stand
up for our rights, which should not end at 10pm. In solidarity with
Occupy Wall Street and the global Occupy movement, Occupy Honolulu
resists oppression of all kinds and will not be silenced.
Six
of the eight members arrested have pled not guilty to their charges of
park closure. They will appear in court this Wednesday, February 8 to
justify their actions and request that all charges against them be
dropped. They are requesting community support and media coverage of
the trial. Supporters will rally outside the courthouse beginning at
12:30pm. The trial is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm and we hope to pack
the courtroom with supporters. The arrestees will not be available for
comment before the trial, but do plan to hold a short press conference
outside the courthouse directly following their trial to comment on the
verdict.
What is Occupy Honolulu? Occupy Honolulu, in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants. We call on all people to participate in local, consensus-based, participatory democracy. All voices will be heard. We will not be silent. Join us.
For more information, visit www.deoccupyhonolulu.org.