NYC Agrees to Pay 52 Antiwar Protesters $2 Million

The City of New York has agreed to pay $2 million to a group of fifty-two protesters who were swept up in a mass arrest during a peaceful antiwar protest outside the headquarters of the Carlyle Group in 2003. We speak with the lead plaintiff in the case, Sarah Kunstler.

The City of New York has agreed to pay $2 million dollars to a group of fifty-two protesters who were swept up in a mass arrest during a peaceful protest in 2003 against the invasion of Iraq. The protest occurred outside the headquarters of the Carlyle Group, an investment firm with an extensive portfolio of holdings in the military-defense sector.

The protesters were charged with blocking pedestrians but videotape of the demonstration shows there was ample space for people to pass by. The protesters were arrested by the NYPD without any police warning or opportunity to leave. Only two people were tried; they were acquitted, and charges against the other 50 were dismissed.

According to the New York Times, the city had five lawyers handling the case over the last four years, along with a special appellate team. A conservative estimate is that the city spent $1 million dollars on the defense, including the salaries and benefits of police officers and lawyers, before agreeing to a settlement.

Sarah Kunstler is a lawyer and filmmaker and is the lead plaintiff in the suit. She joins us in the firehouse studio. Welcome to Democracy Now.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/8/21/nyc_agrees_to_pay_52_anti