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<a href="http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/05/19/d1.cr.protest.0519.p1.php?section=cityregion">
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/05/19/d1.cr.protest.0519.p1.php?section=cityregion</a>
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Protest lands activist in jail<br>
By Bill Bishop<br>
<i>The Register-Guard<br>
</i>Published: Friday, May 19, 2006<br>
<br>
Declaring that environmentalists are not terrorists, about 75 protesters
gathered Thursday outside the federal courthouse in Eugene to complain
that the government is improperly using grand juries to intimidate
activists rather than to indict criminal suspects. <br>
<br>
One activist subpoenaed to testify Thursday before the federal grand
jury, Eugene resident Jeff Hogg, pledged not to cooperate with the grand
jury. He was jailed later in the day after a closed hearing in which U.S.
District Judge Michael Hogan found him in contempt for refusing to
testify, according to event organizers. <br>
<br>
Hogg, a longtime activist and nursing student who works for a nonprofit
group dealing with autistic adults, could be held through September,
organizers said. <br>
Lauren Regan, a Eugene lawyer and executive director of the Civil
Liberties Defense Center, told the crowd that dissent is a source of
strength in a democracy but that the Bush administration is determined to
paint dissidents as terrorists in order to justify wholesale erosion of
privacy rights and spying on legitimate activists. <br>
<br>
She described Hogg's resistance as "an example of true
patriotism." <br>
Regan, who is involved in defending 13 suspects arrested in the sweeping
"Operation Backfire" investigation of arson by environmental
radicals, said federal prosecutors want to improperly use Hogg's
testimony to bolster their case against the Backfire suspects. Under the
law, grand juries are empowered to gather information for new
indictments, and not to gather data for existing cases, she said. <br>
<br>
However, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Sheldahl denied any
impropriety. <br>
<br>
While he is banned from discussing specific grand jury testimony,
Sheldahl said it is possible the grand jury is considering additional
charges against those already indicted or against individuals yet to be
charged. <br>
<br>
He said there is no effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to use grand
juries to intimidate individuals involved in legitimate activities. <br>
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"Absolutely, there is no such directive," Sheldahl said.
"Grand juries investigate people who blow things up, burn things
down. They're not investigating free speech." <br>
<br>
Nevertheless, activists are feeling intimidated, said Alejandro Queral,
executive director of the Portland-based Northwest Constitutional Rights
Center, who attended Thursday's demonstration to remind participants that
the government has intimidated political, labor and peace activists in
the past. "Today, we are seeing a repeat of American history,"
Queral said. "Americans must remain vigilant." <br>
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