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>Subject: Sara Olson Defense Fund Committee
>Bcc:
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>Support Sara Olson and her Defense Fund Committee! Hearing
>December 3rd
>9:30 am
>Superior Criminal Courts Building
>210 W Temple
>Downtown LA Cookbook Sale!
>Saturday, December 8th
>11am - 3pm
>Peace Center
>8124 West 3rd Street
>Update on Sara^s Case:1pm
>323 653-3610 This cookbook has an extensive menu of vegetarian and
>nonvegetarian recipes, including appetizers and beverages; salads and
>vegetables; main dishes; rice, pasta and breads; and desserts. Recipes are
>those of Sara Jane Olson, her family, and friends.
>Section pages are visual commentary on the trumped-up conspiracy charges
>against Sara Olson. Sara^s cookbook or a hand silkscreened poster which
>are the Defense Committee^s main vehicles for fundraising and networking.
>buttons,
>t-shirts, bumper stickers and videos.
> Statement from The Sara Olson Defense Fund Committee November, 2001
>works towards building support for Sara in light of the recent developments
>in her case. A hearing is scheduled for December 3rd for Judge Fidler to
>decide whether Sara will be permitted to withdraw her guilty plea. As an
>innocent defendant, Sara never wanted to plead guilty and was determined to
>prove her innocence at trial. Her decision to plead guilty on October 31
>and affirm her guilty plea on November 6th was made reluctantly. In
>affirming her guilty plea on November 6, Sara stated unequivocally in court
>that she neither possessed the bombs, constructed the bombs nor placed the
>bombs under police cars as charged in the indictment. But under the legal
>definition of aiding and abetting, she acknowledged guilt. I am not
>second guessing my decision as much as I have found the courage to take
>what I know is the honest course.^
>(Please see declarations of Tony Serra and Sara Olson filed recently and
>posted on our web site: www.saraolsondefense.org). The December 3rd hearing
>will be critical. We urge you to support Sara by coming to Judge Fidler^s
>court room on the ninth floor in the Criminal Courts building for the 9:30
>a.m. hearing. If Sara is successful in withdrawing her plea she will need
>your support even more. through the use of the law of conspiracy which is
>extremely broad and carries a lower burden of proof. Evidence and witnesses
>of past events or unrelated crimes can be introduced against a person
>charged with conspiracy even though the association with others did not
>exist until after these events took place. The court gave the prosecution
>permission to introduce evidence of 22 crimes for which she was not charged
>and most of these crimes occurred long before Sara allegedly began any
>association with anyone in the SLA. The Sara Olson Defense Fund Committee
>continues to stand behind Sara. We hope that you also will understand her
>actions in light of today^s trying circumstances. Supporting Sara Olson^s
>defense can be added to the radar screen of anyone who has been a committed
>progressive and defender of justice and civil liberties. This case, like
>the current dragnet of suspects (especially immigrants who appear to be
>from the middle east or have Arab sounding names), and concurrent
>suspension of their civil liberties by federal law enforcement agencies,
>demonstrates that any activist can be threatened with dire consequences for
>giving peripheral support to what may become unpopular causes. By
>continuing your support for Sara Olson, you can help ensure that today^s
>activists who challenge authority will not find themselves facing the broad
>sword of conspiracy law. From Eugene Debs to Mother Jones, from Doctor
>Spock to the Chicago 8, from the Harrisburg 7 to the Berrigan Brothers,
>conspiracy law has been used to stifle dissent and silence protest. But the
>legacy of these cases is an unqualified affirmation of those individuals
>who led the protests against injustice and inequality, against racism and
>ignorance. Knowing Sara as we do, we continue to give her our unqualified
>support. We hope that you will also support her.
> The Sara Olson Defense Fund Committee 8124 West 3rd Street #204 ^ LA,
>CA., 90048 ^ Ph: 323 653-3610 ^ Fax: 323 653-3837
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sun Dec 02 2001 - 20:05:47 EST