San Diego Jury Acquits on All Counts Occupy Chalk Protestor Targeted by Bank of America

Subject: Re: San Diego Jury Acquits on All Counts Occupy Chalk Protestor
Targeted by Bank of America


So touchy!
Bank of America, the Too Big to See Their Own Stupidity bank, has come to
believe they can have their way anytime they please.
Chalk one up to the little guy(Pun Intended).
The Too Big Bank, once small enough to hide behind advertisements of kindly
old, grandfatherly figures giving us wise advice, now flaunts its royal,
untouchable Being in our faces. But little Jeff the Chalk wielding
protester, like young David with his sling, brought the behemoth to his
knees. At least for the moment.
However, since BA was not dealt a mortal wound, it will shrug off this
little annoying incident and continue its greedy snatching of everything in
sight.
Still, one small victory could lead to another...
Where's my stick of chalk?

Carl Jarvis

----- Original Message -----
From: "S. Kashdan" <skashdan@scn.org>
To: "Blind Democracy List" <blind-democracy@octothorp.org>
Sent: Monday, July 01, 2013 10:16 PM
Subject: San Diego Jury Acquits on All Counts Occupy Chalk Protestor
Targeted by Bank of America


San Diego Jury Acquits on All Counts Occupy Chalk Protestor Targeted by Bank
of America



by MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT



Truthout, July 1, 2013



http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18062-san-diego-jury-acquits-on-all-counts-occupy-chalk-protestor-targeted-by-bank-of-america?tmpl=component&print=1



Jeff Olson, the San Diego (SD) anti-big bank public sidewalk protestor, has
been acquitted of all 13 counts by a jury of his peers. As detailed over
the past four days on BuzzFlash at Truthout, Olson had used water soluble
chalk to write messages that warned of the powers of big banks.



Bank of America pushed for the prosecution of Olson on vandalism charges for
writing his First Amendment opinions on public sidewalks (and in one case on
Bank of America pavement). In fact the elected conservative SD City
Attorney, Jan Goldsmith, didn't even initiate charges against Olson until
months after he wrote in chalk on sidewalks in front of three Bank of
America branches in SD. It was only after the local security officer for
Bank of America relentlessly prodded the City Attorney's office that Olson
was charged with the 13 counts of vandalism.



As SD ABC 10 News reported the afternoon of July 1st



Jurors have acquitted a 40-year-old man accused of using sidewalk chalk to
write protest messages in front of three local banks.



The case received national attention, focusing on the rights of someone to
protest in public against repeated impositions on bank personnel.



Jeffrey David Olson was found not guilty on all 13 counts against him. He
faced 13 years in prison if jurors had convicted him of all counts and
sentenced on each one consecutively....



His purpose was not malicious. His purpose was to inform, Tosdal said of his
client.



Olson has not denied that he scrawled anti-bank messages and artwork outside
the banks last year. His messages included No thanks, big banks and Shame on
Bank of America.



The prosecution of Olson has brought condemnation of the City Attorney's
Office from Mayor Bob Filner, who called it a waste of time.



According to Dorian Hargrove of the San Diego Reader, in a phone call to
BuzzFlash at Truthout, presiding Judge Howard Shore condemned the media
after the acquittal for sensationalizing the case. Five city attorneys were
present for the verdict, which was a rebuke of City Attorney's Jan
Goldmith's pro-bank, anti-Occupy protestor prosecutorial bias.



The Bank of America should likely be on trial on federal charges instead of
pulling the strings on a vengeful and petty prosecution that wasted the
taxpayer dollars of San Diego residents.



Chalk this up to a rare defeat for the bank too big to fail emblazoned with
our nation's name The Bank of America.

_______________________________________________
Blind-Democracy mailing list
Blind-Democracy@octothorp.org
http://www.octothorp.org/mailman/listinfo/blind-democracy