CAN I GET A WITNESS
Hanging ‘World Can’t Wait, Bush Step Down’ posters in poster-free Cleveland
Heights has already cost activist Carol Fisher six hours in jail (‘Step
Away From The Poster,’ City Chatter, Feburary 1). But it gave her a chance
to wear her ‘Wanted for Mass Murder’ t-shirt, which features pics of George
Bush, Dick ‘Shotgun’ Cheney, and Condoleezza Rice. She says it was a big
hit in jail.
The 53-year-old Fisher, who’s
5-foot-4 and weighs about 130 pounds, is charged not with the misdemeanor
crime of hanging posters, but with felonious assault of two police officers.
Cleveland Heights police say she lashed out at them while they were talking
with her about the posters. She says they attacked her when she attempted
to comply with their orders to take the posters down.
‘This is frightening,’ says her
attorney, Dan Shields. ‘I’m seeing an increase in incidents where people
are quickly arrested after a minor incident, and if they ask any questions
they are arrested and thrown down. Then if there’s any question of police
brutality, they are charged with felony assault.’
Between now and her next pretrial
hearing March 13 ( and if it gets that far, her trial, April 3 (
Fisher and Shields are looking for witnesses who can take time off work to
tell her side of the story. Police have statements from four witnesses. Shields
says he’s found plenty of character witnesses who will say Fisher has a long
history of nonviolent protest, and that she wouldn’t have lashed out. But
they’re still looking for people who actually saw what happened. Anyone who
did and is willing to testify can call Shields at 216.221.2889.
( Michael Gill