Charges to Be Dropped Against RNC Protester Accused of Starting Dragon Fire
After half a year of legal tangling, it seems like prosecutors are going to drop charges against Yusuke Joshua Banno, the college student from Arizona who had been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer after allegedly setting fire to a big papier mache dragon on Republican National Convention eve. Banno's friend found the Daily News freelance photographer who was shooting the fire; Banno's lawyer says the photographs prove Banno did not light the float on fire (he was on the wrong side), which might make this yet another case of the intense documentation of the RNC helping set the record straight. And charges are being dismissed because a police officer who originally ID'd Banno as the firestarter now says he misidentified him. The NY Times has a feature on Banno's life since the charges, including what his family has been through with putting up money for his legal bills ($30,000 so far) and having "shamed" relatives in Japan. His friends started a Josh Banno Defense Fund to help raise money for his legal fees.
Photograph from IndyMedia
