An update on what's happening with protesters arrested during the Republican National Convention: There's a hearing scheduled for next week to see if the city should be held in contempt for "failing to promptly arraign hundreds of protesters" was postponed, in a small victory for city lawyers. Basically, this postponement allows the city's lawyers to explain why the city should not be held in contempt, in hopes that the case can be be thrown out. [Related: NY Times article on the issue] Civil liberties groups are disappointed, to say the least. Some protesters have already already accepted deals ("provisional dismissal" - arrest record is erased after six months) instead of going to trial. There had been a protest at Pier 57 last Saturday over police tactics, but over the weekend, the Mayor scoffed at these claims, saying, ""They broke the law. We will prosecute them. They might as well just plead guilty and go on. The city did what it was supposed to do. It protected the streets of the city and we did as good a job as we could, given the vast bulk of people who came here to get arrested." Taking into account the people who were arrested but not protesting, the Daily News reports the NYCLU as saying, "The mayor's comment reflects a disdain for the principle that people are innocent until proven guilty." And finally, some seized bikes were released last Friday after two weeks.
Check out Gothamist's week of convention coverage
