Call in Campaign to Drop the Charges Janurary 10th

By DefendJ20Resistance

January 9, 2018

On 12/21/17 a jury returned a not-guilty verdict for the first six defendants in the J20 case. Forty-two charges acquitted: twelve felonies, thirty misdemeanors. This is a huge victory! But the fight isn’t over yet as 188 people still face decades in prison. Now is the time to keep the pressure on the District of Columbia US Attorney’s Office. We know these charges are spurious, and now there’s legal precedent. We are asking that everyone call the US Attorney’s office from 9am-5pm on 1/10/18 and 1/11/18 and tell them to DROP THE CHARGES against the remaining defendants!

Now is the time to keep up the pressure! The US Attorney’s office can decide to drop the charges at any time; let’s make sure they can’t get any other work done until they do! We’re asking people to call the desks of:

  • Jennifer Kerkhoff – The Lead Prosectuor on the case, Deputy Chief of the Felony Major Crimes Trial Section (202) 252-7380
  • US Attorney for DC Jessie Liu – The person in charge of the US Attorney’s office, a Trump appointee and member of his “transition team.”
  • John Gidez – The Chief of the Felony Major Crimes Trial Section, Kerkhoff’s direct colleague (202) 252-6752
  • Lisa Greene – The Deputy Chief of the Superior Court Division, Kerkhoff’s direct supervisor (202) 252-7485
  • Richard Tischner – The Chief of the Superior Court Division, Kerkhoff’s direct supervisor (202) 252-7274

Call-in Script

For maximum impact: Make it personal. Why are you upset? Let them respond. Make it a conversation. Ask them what they plan to do in response to public comment. End with a clear call to action. If you can’t think of anything to say, no worries! Here’s a sample script to get you started:

Hello. My name is ____.

I am calling because I’ve seen in the news that almost 190 Inauguration protesters are still facing trumped-up criminal charges. In light of the first trial’s outcome–where the judge threw out one charge for complete lack of evidence, and the jury handed down NOT-GUILTY verdicts for the rest–I ask that your office drop the remaining charges.

Over the last year, these prosecutionshave pushed every limit:

  • using over-inflated charges, some of which were not even real, to intimidate and coerce plea deals,
  • issuing gag orders to shield law enforcementfrom public accountability,
  • making these prosecutions as disruptive as possible, and the investigations surrounding this case as intrusive as possible,

Most defendants will wait more than a year for their day in court – under the constant threat of decades in prison.

Prosecutors have the choice of when or how to bring charges, and the responsibility for how that power is used. Your office has abused that power to punish, repress, and intimidate.

Drop the charges now.

Return