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<font size=3>nlgmidwest@nationallawyersguild.org<br>
12/1/2009 2:53:21 P.M. Central Standard Time<br>
Press Release Concerning Davenport Grand Jury Activity from Minnesota
Chapter NLG<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE<br><br>
Contact Person: Sara Grant sgrant04@hamlineuniversity.edu ;
651-230-6513<br><br>
<br>
On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth of<br>
Minneapolis were subpoenaed before a federal grand jury in Davenport,
Iowa<br>
in the most recent use of Green Scare tactics by the United States<br>
government. These subpoenas go beyond the prosecution of violations
of<br>
federal law to broadly seek information about activists, in an attempt
to<br>
intimidate political and social activists and disrupt radical animal
rights<br>
and environmental movements.<br><br>
Carrie and Scott refused to cooperate and testify and were found in
civil<br>
contempt of court by District Judge John Jarvey, who had them taken
into<br>
custody immediately. Scott was subsequently charged with conspiracy
to<br>
commit property damage under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
(AETA).<br><br>
The National Lawyers Guild has a long history of standing beside<br>
environmental and animal rights activists, who the government
unjustly<br>
labels “eco-terrorists” in an effort to push a specific political
and<br>
corporate agenda. Both Carrie and Scott have made it clear that<br>
incarceration will not coerce them into submitting to potentially
wide<br>
ranging questioning about their political beliefs, their friendships,
and<br>
their political associations. The Minnesota Chapter of the National
Lawyers<br>
Guild supports their refusal to assist in the government’s prosecution
of<br>
alleged vandalism in the guise of terrorism. The National Lawyers
Guild<br>
condemns the use of civil contempt and incarceration to conduct wide
ranging<br>
investigations which threaten to invade liberties protected by the
First<br>
Amendment and the Constitution. Use of civil contempt under such<br>
circumstances is punitive as there is no reasonable likelihood that
these<br>
committed individuals will be coerced by state power into cooperating
with<br>
this government investigation. The subsequent indictment of Scott
Demuth<br>
serves to illustrate that the grand jury process is being used in an
attempt<br>
to obstruct his Fifth Amendment right against
self-incrimination.<br><br>
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild supports the
immediate<br>
release of Carrie and Scott and demands that the government abandon
its<br>
attempts to punish them for their political beliefs. We stand in
solidarity<br>
with Carrie, Scott, and all those who are imprisoned for their
political<br>
beliefs. More information about Carrie and Scott is available at<br>
<a href="http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com</a>, including the opportunity to
donate<br>
to their support fund. We call on the legal community and all people
of<br>
integrity and conscience to support Carrie and Scott in their resistance
to<br>
the political oppression being perpetrated by the United States
government.<br><br>
In solidarity,<br><br>
National Lawyers Guild, Minnesota Chapter<br><br>
For Further Information: Please see nlg.org
<<a href="http://www.nlg.org/" eudora="autourl">http://www.nlg.org/</a>
> web-site<br>
and download or purchase a copy of the pamphlet "Operation Backfire:
A<br>
survival guide for environmental and animal rights
activists".<br><br>
<br>
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