Don’t let Kate and Joan go to jail for fighting for Medicare for All!

Phone Zap Alert for Monday, August 2, 2010

Assistant District Attorney Reopens Dismissed Cases of Healthcare Activists, Re-arrest Imminent.

Call the office of Cy Vance, Manhattan District Attorney, to Demand “No New Charges for Healthcare Activists”.

Ask to speak with Erin Duggan, Communications Director, (212) 335-9400

Background Information:

Last fall, Healthcare-NOW! co-founded the Mobilization for Health Care for All campaign, which organized peaceful sit-ins at insurance companies to highlight their deadly practice of putting profits over people. More than 200 activists were arrested in more than 20 cities.

The nationwide campaign was launched in New York City in September, when 17 healthcare activists were arrested during a sit-in in the lobby of the Aetna building, demanding Medicare for All.  This was the first of four related protests in New York City that resulted in 49 arrests.  The activists were charged with “criminal trespass” and “obstructing governmental administration” and spent the night in jail.

After repeated court dates over six months, all the defendants except Kate Barnhart were eventually offered conditional dismissals. Everyone accepted this offer except for Joan Pleune, who opted to stay in the case to be in solidarity with Kate.  The excuse given by the District Attorney’s office to not offer Kate a conditional dismissal was a previous misdemeanor conviction for an anti-war protest, despite the fact that several other defendants in the case also had prior convictions, including a felony. Kate alone was asked to plea guilty to a criminal charge and was originally offered jail time. After attorney Stephen Edwards filed a motion to dismiss the charges on the basis of “facial insufficiency,” Judge ShawnDya L. Simpson granted his motion and dismissed the charges on July 19th.

Unbelievably, on July 30th (incidentally Medicare’s birthday!), Assistant District Attorney Eric Kratzville informed the activists’ attorney that he is planning to re-file “amended charges” against Kate and Joan and that the two of them should either arrange a date to turn themselves in or be re-arrested against their will.