Drone Protester Aquitted by Jury
ACQUITTED! Vietnam Vet Drone Resister
Syracuse July 31, 2014 After two hours of
deliberation,Vietnam Veteran and Buffalonian Russell Brown, was
acquitted tonight by a six person jury in DeWitt Town Court, East
Syracuse. He was facing charges of Obstruction of Governmental
Administration (OGA), a misdemeanor carrying up to a year incarceration
and up to $1000 fine, as well as Disorderly Conduct charge, a
violation. Mr. Brown who went before the court Pro Se (he served as
his own counsel) was assisted by Buffalo Attorneys Daire Irwin and Paul
Fallon.
Mr. Brown was arrested during a nonviolent protest at Hancock Air
National Guard Base on April 28, 2013. In a roadway across from the
Airbase, he lay down to symbolize the death of drone victims. There are
biweekly demonstrations at Hancock Airbase. Several times a year there
are larger demonstrations and nationally coordinated events. On six
occasions there have been arrests, leading to six trials since 2011. Mr.
Brown's trial is the second acquittal. There are twenty activists are
facing prosecution, working with Upstate Drone Action.
During testimony, Russell told what he did leading up to the "Global
April Days of Action" gathering in Syracuse. This included his writing a
poem that links the drone attacks conducted at Hancock with the
missions he conducted in Vietnam. A marine from 1965 - 1967, he told of
the war he experienced. His participation in senseless killing and
brutality in Vietnam informed his understanding of the Drone War Program
at the 174th Attack Wing. Russell now finds allegiance with the
victims of the drone attacks.
Laying on the street with "blood" spattered clothes lifted a weight
of guilt from Russel. Transforming guilt to regret makes possible a
voice: poet, marcher in a 'legal' protest, drone victim laying in the
street were deemed protected speech. The message was closely attended
by the jury. Brian Hynes said, "They saw the human power of the message
and the public value of the method used to deliver it. Drones kill
senselessly and illegally and traumatize our airmen."
Russell said that the wars of the last decade brought back his
experiences in Vietnam. “Lying in that road was the most peaceful moment
I've experienced since I left Vietnam,” he said. "I was silent then in
the face of those atrocities and I can't be silent anymore."
The jury was smiling as they returned to give the verdict. Later one
juror asked a supporter to "Thank Russell for us! My brother was in the
Vietnam War and lost his leg. We know what the vets went through." The
juror also acknowledged the PTSD drone pilots experience. Another
juror said, "We did what was needed to be done. It was fair and just".
###
Hancock Air National Guard Base, home of the 174th Attack Wing, is a
domestic hub for drone assassinations, support and operation,
particularly in Afghanistan. The Niagara Falls Air Base is also
embarking on a mission to operate weaponized drones. The Hancock
emerged following arrests at Creech Airforce Base in Nevada, and the
Gandhian Wave of protest there has spearheaded national and
international movements against the use of drones for assassination in
countries we are not at war with and wars of occupation.
The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars,
supported by local organizations such as the WNY Peace Center, works
nonviolently to stop the scourge of assassination and community terror
perpetrated by weaponized drones. The Upstate Coalition to Ground the
Drones is in coalition with the global movement to end the drone
assassinations and to stop US imperialism and militarization.
--
David Swanson wants you to declare peace at http://WorldBeyondWar.org His new book is War No More: The Case for Abolition. He blogs at http://davidswanson.org and http://warisacrime.org and works for http://rootsaction.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @davidcnswanson and FaceBook.
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