Charges Against RNC Protesters Tossed Out

Prosectors have dropped charges against over 200 Republican Convention protesters that had been arrested near Ground Zero during the second day of the convention. According to the Post, Assistant D.A. William Beesch said, "No useful purpose would be served by continuing the prosecution," and the judge complied. Considering one of yesterday's defendants from the War Resisters League protest was Richard Hardie, 73 year old major and combat veteran who flew in the Korean and Vietnam wars AND spent 49 hours in police custody (we're talking bad PR for the city), it seems like the only move prosectors could make. Other district attorneys will probably move to have charges dismissed against other protesters that move through the courts as well. The NYCLU questions whether the police really had the authority to arrest protesters, but Police Commissioner Kelly released a statement, "The DA's action ... does not cast any doubt about the actions of the defendants, who were blocking pedestrian traffic in violation of the law, but reflects the difficulty of proving their intent in doing so."

The NY Times reported that protesters were illegally fingerprinted. Gothamist's posts from the week of the Republican National Convention.