Jonas Goes To Court

Court was today. It has been continued and will go to trial. The next court day is December 5th. We will need an additional $225 to give our lawyer before then. If anyone can donate, we need it now. I hate to beg but we do not have it. If you know anyone who can donate, tell them, now is the time.
Jonas said that he had "the stupidest case on the docket". He was dismissed before court even started. I guess the prosecution was not ready to try the case. The have to research what they can actually charge him with.
As a coincidence, I have jury duty the week before his court date.

SILENCED!

Well, my lawyer has informed me to keep silent until this case is over. So I cannot discuss anymore details regarding my case. But I will field any questions anyone has as best I can. Sorry, this sucks for me because I have to refrain from freeway blogging also. :(
BUT I ENCOURAGE ALL AMERICANS TO DO IT! Especially here in Asheville!
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AND I SHALL RISE AGAIN, (one day soon i hope).
PLEASE HELP WITH MY LAWYER FUND! We have raised $100 so far!!! Its a great start and any other kinds of support would be going for the fight for FREE SPEECH.

Your local Freedom Fighter, Jonas

Freeway Blogging ~ Sometimes OK, Sometimes Not

In Mike Stark's Diary on the Daily Kos he spoke with Lt. Welch and Chief Hogan about the charges against Jonas. Lt. Welch told him that 'as a result of City Council interest and the inordinate amount of attention the case had received, there was a special meeting going on that involved the Police Chief and that a decision would be made at the conclusion of the meeting.'

Later in the evening on the same day, Chief Hogan relayed the following "facts" regarding the case:

• This was not the first time a sign-holder had been asked to refrain from standing on the overpass with their sign: Jonas' wife, just a couple of weeks earlier, had been asked to stop and complied with the request.
• Trouble was brewing. As Jonas has stated, this was something he has done more than once. It turns out that the highway he held the sign above is a main traffic corridor in Asheville that, during rush hour, get's very busy. As people drove beneath the overpass, his activism caused some people to slow down, honk horns, etc. The poloce expressed a concern for the worst case scenario - that Jonas might accidentally drop the sign and cause an accident.
• On previous occasions, the police had received calls from passing motorists. The motorists were told that the police couldn't - or wouldn't - take any action. At that, the motorists called into a local radio show and sentiment was whipped up until a plan was hatched to confront Jonas on the overpass with signs of their own. This escalation concerned the police.
• the Chief was concerned for the repuation of his department. He repeatedly told me how diligently his force has worked to provide safe spaces for protestors. From Wiccans that wanted to pray over trees on private property scheduled for a date with a chainsaw, to KKK members that insisted that their rights be respected, the Asheville PD has consistently made efforts to protect and accomodate both protestors and the public at large.
• regarding the incident in question, Jonas crossed went to the other side of the bridge when the police first approached, causing them to have to circle back in order to accost him. (I didn't ask, but this may be the reason Sgt. Riddle was called to the scene.)
• I asked why Jonas was handcuffed and arrested instead of simply ticketed and released. The Chief said that was a matter of Police discretion.
• Sgt. Riddle is a dyed in the wool Democrat and really stunned at some of the email he has received. This entire state of affairs is a shock to everyone concerned. He thought he was writing a ticket and never expected it to blow up into this. Jonas' adept use of the internet has really blown this up in a way that nobody expected.
• When I asked if there was an avenue that Jonas could pursue in which he might offer to waive any right to a civil suit in exchange for the City telling him exactly how he could protest and why what he did ran afould of the law, the Chief said that was out of his hands, but that it would be something that he wouldn't mind seeing come to pass. Jonas would have to speak with the DA about it.
• In retrospect, the Police do have some regrets with regards to what was said on the scene.

On the day I (Kindra, Jonas's wife) was approached by the police officer on the bridge I was never told to stop and I have been back since that encounter. The officer told me that the same individual had called the police department 3-4 times complaining about 'someone loitering on the bridge'. He said that he drove by a couple of times and saw that I was not doing anything wrong, but with the continuing phone calls he was prompted to stop and talk to me. He said that as far as he knew, there wasn't any ordinance against what I was doing and at the end of our conversation he drove off letting me continue with my freeway blogging.
On another occasion which was a day or two after Jonas's arrest, I was approach by two different officers in the same hour. The first officer asked for my ID and I told him that I did not have it on me and that it was in my car. He questioned me about why I was on this specific bridge (Haywood Road). I told him that I was there because it was a convenient location close to my house. He then asked to look at my sign to see what it said. After reading it he said "It looks like free speech to me", and then returned to his car and drove off. Moments later I was approached by another officer and she conveyed her concern over it being a dangerous distraction to motorists, which is the first time that any officer had expressed this concern. By this time I had already been there 50 minutes and my hour was almost over. I had also secured my sign with a cord that was hanging behind my neck. She did not make me leave and I continued staying the additional 10 minutes I had planned on.
Downtown on the Flint Street bridge, several people have been freeway blogging for the past few months. On a couple of occasions, the police have questioned them and let them continue about their business.

This is the guiding principles of the Asheville Police Department:

Guiding Principles
The Asheville Police Department will achieve its mission by committing to excellence through:

Integrity
Honesty, compassion, trust, and accountability. Police officers have the courage to do what is morally, ethically, and legally right regardless of risk.

Fairness
The Police Department will treat everyone impartially without favoritism or bias.

Respect
The Police Department will treat everyone with dignity and courtesy without prejudice.
Professionalism
The Police Department will deliver quality services through cooperation, open communication and a commitment to continuous improvement.

How fair are they really?

Silenced in Asheville. ??

Well, it appears the statement by the chief of police has left a dangling state charge over my head and questions in my mind as to what will happen if I Freeway Blog again. In three separate articles in the Asheville Citizens Times, he stated that he was consulting with the district attorney before moving forward with an additional charge. The charge appears to be a DOT one where it is unlawful to post a sign on a bridge, OR that it was a danger to motorist. So where does that leave me? I will post all the articles and other local reports later today.

We are starting an effort to raise money for my lawyer so please help us! (One quote is $500 and an additional $250 to go to trial.)

Jonas

What? What? What?

The statement by the Asheville Police Department raises further questions. If they felt that Jonas was a danger to traffic, why did they not tell him that when they arrested him? Especially if that was the original police complaint. Why did Officer Crisp need Sergeant Riddle to arrest him? Is he not a law enforcement officer? And how can one person impede traffic?
After freeway blogging for two months now, I have never seen cars slow down to honk. They 'keep on a truckin'.
Due to the changing circumstance, we will not be making any further statements at this time regarding this specific incident. But we will continue to freeway blog, and so will others.

This Picture was taken by Kindra on 8-20-07 on the Flint Street Bridge in Asheville.

Freeway Blogging in America

Does anyone have information on someone else being arrested for Freeway Blogging? This is a phenomena that goes on across the country. Check out: Freeway Blogger.com for examples. People have been freeway blogging in Asheville for years now and my arrest is unfair. I did not 'hang my sign over the overpass' or post my sign on the bridge, (which is illegal in this city). I did however prop my sign on the ledge of the overpass as I held onto it. Lets not forget Sergeant Riddle's exclamations about me 'blocking the sidewalk'. Or the large printout of City Ordinance 16-2 in his hand as I was arrested. He never mentioned anything about me being a danger to motorist below. And as I mentioned before, we have a right to protest peacefully on the sidewalks of this city. As long as you do not block the walkway, road or business.
Besides, how can reading three words, 'IMPEACH BUSH / CHENEY' be a danger to motorist?

Asheville and America we encourage you to MAKE A SIGN, PICK A BRIDGE, and RAISE IT HIGH FOR ALL TO SEE! (Be sure to check your local ordinance). Freeway blogging has been going on for years and is a great and easy way to get your opinion seen by thousands of people.
When we started, it was our sole purpose to counter the corporate medias disinterest for Impeachment. We never imagined our message would spread across the country!!! Just Google 'Asheville arrest' or 'Jonas Phillips Asheville' and see for yourself. Since my arrest last Wednesday I have lost count of the minds that have been penetrated by our message online! So thank you Sergeant Riddle, you have helped our cause more than I could have ever done by myself!

Thanks everyone! Jonas

Trouble Right Here in River City

During an interview with Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Adam Behsudi yesterday evening, my husband Jonas was informed that the APD has plans to possibly change his charges. Apparently they want to charge him with a state charge concerning endangering motorists. How is a motorist endangered by cardboard? We have yet to hear from APD concerning this matter. What's next, a terrorism charge?
Certainly they are trying to quell any dissent in Asheville and across the country. Their terror tactics will not stop many. Although slightly filled with trepidation, I will return to the Haywood Road bridge this morning. I will use a sign just like the one my husband used on Wednesday, but I have attached a cord to hang across my neck and help support the sign. There is no possible way that this sign could fall on the road. But then again, my husband's sign was also supported in a way that it would not fall on the road. He's a tall man and can handle holding a cardboard sign without dropping it.

Please join us Tuesday night at the West Asheville Library on Haywood Road at 6:30PM. We will discus how our civil liberties are being threatened across the country, not just here in River City. We do have Trouble, right here in River City. With a capital T, that rhymes with P, which stands for Patriot Act!

Abuse of Power in Asheville

Yesterday morning at about 9-9:30 am my husband called. This was the usual time he would call after he got to work. He left a little early to do some freeway blogging before he went to work as he had been doing off and on for the past couple of months. He says to me, "Hey, I need you to come pick me up...I got arrested." I laughed at him. We have often joked about similar things especially after what happened recently to another couple in West Asheville. He had to tell me three times before I took him seriously. In his own words, my husband relates what happened:

I am writing to tell you about an abuse of power in Asheville, NC by a police sergeant. I occasionally stand on an interstate overpass near my place of work in the mornings and hold a sign that says 'IMPEACH BUSH / CHENEY'. On Wednesday August 15, I was standing alone with my sign for about 10 minutes, when I was approached by Police Officer Russell Crisp. He asked me how long I was planning to stay there and I told him just a few more minutes because I had to go to work at 8:00. He asked for my ID and I obliged. I asked him if I was doing something wrong, and he said that his Sergeant was on the way and he was going to wait for him. SO, I went back to my sign holding over the interstate. A few minutes later Sergeant Randy Riddle showed up with a paper in his hand. He spoke briefly to Crisp, then walked over to me and told me to put down my sign, put my hands behind my back, and that I was under arrest! I was shocked and almost thought he was joking until he told me again to put down the sign and put my hands behind me and I was under arrest. So I peacefully agreed and he cuffed me. I asked him why I was being arrested, he told me I was in violation County Ordinance 16-2, (the print out in his hand that he didn’t bother to read to me or show me.) He told me I was obstructing the sidewalk. I told him I was not and that officer Crisp had witnessed a guy walk by me moments before. Riddle yelled at me, "You were obstructing the sidewalk!" and "I'm sick of this shit!" then he said, "Here’s your 15 minutes of fame buddy!" I looked back to see his name plate and he said in a mean condescending tone, "Yea, that's 'Sergeant Riddle’ get it right!" He then put me in Officer Crisp's police car. Riddle took my sign with him and I was taken downtown and booked by Crisp.

I was never read my Miranda rights. While at the jail I was asked several times about what groups or organizations I was with, like a local group Veterans for Peace. And more specifically the Southeast Convergence for Climate Action group that had protested at the Bank of America on Monday. I was told by officer Crisp that since that protest the police had pulled out this ordinance. I was searched, and they took pictures of me and my tattoos. Since I haven’t been in trouble in 15 years, I was given a court date and allowed to sign a written promise to appear in court.

This is an example of an American citizen having his/her civil liberties tread upon. In Asheville, you are allowed to protest on city sidewalks without a permit. The sidewalk is about 5 feet wide. I never blocked the sidewalk; I knew about that ordinance already and was not trying to be arrested. It was obvious to me that Riddle had a problem with my sign because there is no way I could block the sidewalk all by myself. I feel like my rights were trampled by this harassment from Riddle. I got the feeling that he was trying to scare me away, but he only strengthened my resolve to protest more!

By the way, I never got my sign back from Sergeant Riddle.

He stood on Haywood Road in West Asheville on the bridge that overpasses I240. At lunch time, after contacting all the local media about my husband's ordeal, I went to the Flint Street bridge downtown to do some freeway blogging myself. Other local activists often use this bridge with 'Honk to impeach' signs. Meeting me there was Barry Summers, co-host of Making Progress: News for a Change on WPVM 103.5FM, a local progressive radio station. I consider it one of the only sources of unbiased news in the area. He brought along a photographer friend. He came to catch it on film if I too were to be arrested. One and a half hours in the hot midday sun later and I had not been arrested. During an interview with Barry, he asked if my goal was to get arrested. I answered him, "No. Our goal has always been to get people to wake up to what is happening in our country and it still is."

At 4:30 PM my husband and I planned to return to the same bridge, on Haywood Road, that my husband was removed from, accompanied again by Barry. Joining us this time was Virato, host of Virato-Live!, and his wife, Dhiraja. Virato has planned a community action meeting at the West Asheville Library next Tuesday at 6:30pm. He will mention it on his show on Saturday.

We will continue to stand up for our freedoms and against the blatant abuse of power in our government, on the local and national level. Please join us!