Recordpub.com - Protesters planning to fight charges Hearing today for four arrested during May 4

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

The Kent State Anti-War Committee plans to protest today against charges facing four people arrested Sunday after they refused a Kent Police Department order to vacate the West Main Street Bridge during an anti-war protest.

The four protesters -- William G. Arthrell, Yvette Coil, Aaron M. Brooks and Samantha S.M.J. Foster -- will be arraigned in Portage County Municipal Court in Kent today on charges of failure to comply with the order of a police officer, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The four had marched and protested the Iraq War following the annual commemoration of the May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State University earlier that afternoon.

The march reached downtown Kent and held up traffic on the West Main Street bridge until 4:30 p.m. when the protesters were ordered to disperse by police. The four who were arrested refused to clear the roadway after being warned by police.

Isaac Miller, president of the KSAWC, said the committee plans to have members present this morning at the Kent municipal courthouse on South Water Street to show support for those who were arrested.

He said one aim of the committee is to see that the protesters are acquitted "or at least get their charges lowered" from first-degree misdemeanors. First-degree misdemeanors carry a maximum jail sentence of six months and maximum fines of $1,000.

"Probably (prosecutors) will bring them down, but we're not counting on them doing that. It seems sort of like an intimidation thing, really," Miller said.

Arthrell, 59, of Cleveland Heights said before his arrest that he was at KSU both in 1970 and during the 1977 protests of the construction of the Memorial Gym Annex near the site of the shootings. Brooks, 26, of Cuyahoga Falls, is a Ravenna High School graduate and lead vocalist and guitarist for the punk band Trendy. Foster, 20, is from East Liverpool.

Miller also said Coil, 38, a Hudson resident, KSU student and the wife of a disabled veteran, was injured during her arrest when she was handcuffed with plastic flex-cuffs or zip ties.

"At the time we thought her arm had been broken, but a muscle had been pulled. She was released from custody prior to the others so she could go to the hospital," Miller said.

The arraignments are set for 8:15 a.m. today before Judge John Plough.

Posted by Dowhatsright May 8, 2008

Come on Peacenik you get real, we know that blocking a road is not the same as blowing up a building. The concept is what I was talking about. McVeigh said that the government does not pay any attention to you until the body bags come out thus, he rationalized blowing up the building. These protesters used the same reasoning to reach their concept that they had a right to violate other people rights. The concept is that they think they are so right they can do anything to make you take notice. That my friend is the same thing McVeigh did. The question is how far would these people in Kent go? We saw that on May 4th. Would these people jump in front of a car to keep the car from using the bridge and maybe killing someone in the accident. The concept is the point.

Posted by PeaceNik May 8, 2008

Civil Disobedience, i.e. blocking an entrance to a building or blocking access to a road, bridge or whatever is NOT the same thing as blowing up a Federal building. Come on "Dowhatsright" please get serious in your statements. Also, it's your right to have access to a bldg. or road, I'm not saying it isn't, but you could have also have taken another route even though it might be a slight delay in your travels. McVeigh should have got life in prison and not the death penalty, his martyrdom has even you confused what is civil disobedience and mass murder. Civil Disobedience should not even be lopped in with DUI's and genocide. The former is a misdemeanor and the latter are, as far as I'm concerned, are felony crimes. Getting drunk and getting behind a steering wheel is as bad as pulling a trigger of a weapon or explosive, not blocking a bridge from traffic getting through, enough said on this matter.

Posted by Dowhatsright May 8, 2008

Peaceful protest is one thing, but denying me the right to use a road, building or anything that I want to is not peaceful protest. It is a violation of my rights.

Kent State Anti-War Committee should know that we will also be watching these procedures and if they are let off with a lighter sentence, we will vote the judge, and the prosecutor out of office. We citizens are sick and tired of a bunch of nuts thinking they can do what ever they want. McVeigh thought this when he blew up the Federal Building, should he have been let off.

You can stand on the street corner and speak to the people and say what you want, and I will listen, but when you think you have the right to make me go another route, or not allow me to enter a building, or deny me my rights in any manner, I will fight you.

Did you ever think that you have to do criminal acts to force people to even think about what you are protesting, that you might be wrong. If you are right the evidence would be over whelming, apparently it is not.