The demonstrators arrived late at night with a plan to set off fireworks as part of a noise demonstration to show solidarity with those detained inside. A few of the protesters spontaneously broke off from the main group and vandalized cars in the parking lot, a guard shack, slashed the tires on a government van and broke a security camera. When a police officer arrived on the scene and drew his weapon, one of the activists fired an AR-15 from the woods, hitting the officer in the shoulder. The officer survived.
Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto and Meagan Morris were sentenced to 50 years in prison. Maricela Rueda, another demonstrator, was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Benjamin Song, who fired the gun at the police officer, was sentenced to 100 years in prison
The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was not at the protest, but was convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record after prosecutors said he moved leftwing zines and other materials at the request of Rueda, his wife, after she was arrested. Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday.
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30 years for moving some pamphlets.
True about anonymity, I didn’t necessarily mean never know who you’re working with, if it’s your true homies and family there’s probably less risk but yeah like with Fred Hampton, there are a lot of ways the feds can pressure people close to you. If someone is told they would get sentenced to 30 years in prison if they don’t help the investigation it’s a tough bargain to go against them.
It really does suck
I read books from guerilla fighters like Che Guevara talking about the disadvantage in regards to having to work in the shadows, weaponry, organization and funding. It’s wild how much more power the state security forces have gained. But the revolutionaries fighting an evil state will gain the sympathies of the people which is an advantage, as well as the sheer number of potential fighters, always much greater than the state’s numbers if they can be organized sufficiently.