Cleveland Protester Carol Fisher gets 60 Days.

I reported recently on the disturbing case of Carol Fisher who was sent to a psychiatric wing for protesting against Bush in Cleveland.

To those not familiar with the case here's a brief recap.

She was putting up fly posters in Cleveland and was approached by two police officers who asked her to remove the posters as this was an offence.

Fisher turned and walked toward the poster, in compliance with the officer’s warning. But instead of allowing her to take it down or just issuing a citation, Downey and Frinzl were on top of her “knee into [Fisher’s] back and [her] face into the sidewalk.”

Fisher said she told the officers she could not breathe. That didn’t matter. Two more officers showed up, and they dragged her to a bench, shackled her legs, and handcuffed her tight enough to cause serious bruising.

Fisher objected to her arrest, telling the officers that “as citizens we have the responsibility to stop the crimes of the Bush regime.”

According to her statements, this inflamed the officers. One told her, “I am sick of this anti-Bush shit,” and they threatened to kill her. “You are definitely going to the psych ward,” said another.

As I reported earlier she was, indeed, placed in a psychiatric ward. I thought people might want to be kept abreast of the story.

On May 2, she went to court and was found guilty of two counts of felonious assault against two police officers. The prosecution's "witnesses" had not seen the alleged assault; rather, they claimed that Fisher lacked respect for authority.

It took a jury more than eight hours to find her guilty.

According to a letter to the editor of The Free Press, the prosecution misquoted Fisher's testimony and gave the jury incorrect information about the city's arrestable offenses. When asked to clarify the law, the judge refused.

As part of the pre-sentencing procedure, the judge, Timothy McGinty, had Fisher undergo a state psychological exam. He had already surmised publicly that Fisher must be mentally unstable to resist arrest.

On Friday Fisher was brought before the same Common Pleas Judge Timothy J. McGinty who had previously warned McGinty to either "apologise or bring a toothbrush."

Fisher refused to apologise claiming that her arrest was unlawful.

"Let's get real," McGinty said, pointing a pen at Fisher. "You're here because you've been convicted. . . . I'm not here to listen to your political diatribe."

He then went on to sentence her to 60 days in jail.

Friday's drama was the end of a contentious five months. From the start, Fisher and her supporters claimed that police had political motivations for arresting her, and that the officers abused her.

The tension continued Friday when McGinty angrily postponed a morning hearing because Fisher wore a T-shirt bearing a mock "wanted" poster that included the faces of President George W. Bush and members of his administration. McGinty chastised Fisher and ordered her to come back in different attire.

"We are not here about her protest," McGinty said. "This is not about the war."

While Fisher's lawyer, Terry Gilbert, said he thought McGinty acted inappropriately when he demanded that Fisher change clothes, the court's presiding judge, Nancy McDonnell, said a judge can dictate what is worn in the courtroom to maintain decorum.

I find it rather astonishing that all this has come about because this woman was putting up fly posters protesting against President Bush. As far as criminal acts go this has to be at the lighter end of the spectrum.

And yet, this innocuous act has now resulted in this 53 yr old, 130 lb, former cancer sufferer being found guilty of two counts of felonious assault against two 200lb Cleveland Heights policemen (who, collectively, can bench 700lb’s) .

She has also had her sanity questioned and now must languish in jail for two months after an especially questionable trial before a judge who had the temerity to demand what she may or may not wear during the trial.

You've got to love Bush's America.

Lesson well and truly learned. Protest is a no, no.

Related Articles:

The Disturbing Case of Carol Fisher

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