This deterioration of even the semblance of democracy has profound effects on the entire community, not just homeless people, but it became noticeable to me as a homeless advocate when the Council used extreme measures eleven years ago to have me arrested for making a brief silent “don’t act like fascists” salute after a speaker was censored and threatened with arrest.Rather than apologize or change its rules (perhaps compromising its authoritarian power in some small degree), successive City Councils chose to funnel over $100,000 to the  City  Attorney’s office to fight this case in court.I was never charged with disrupting a Public Meeting (though that was what I was arrested and excluded for).   The D.A. knew a phony case (at least in this instance) when he saw one.

The False Arrest civil trial of two former Santa Cruz Mayors, Tim Fitzmaurice and Christopher Krohn, ended in verdicts in their favor late last year in a federal courtroom in San Jose. My attorneys–David Beauvais and Kate Wells–have now moved for a new trial, claiming the jury verdict should be thrown out because it is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence and for other reasons. City attorney Kovocevitch disputes this in a shorter brief. The case will be heard Friday June 7th 9 AM in Federal Court. For those following the case , here is the transcript of last year’s trial and the motions pro and con for a new trial.

To review the documents, go to
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2013/06/03/18737866.php