Carol Fisher Update
Carol Fisher is a 54 year old woman who was putting up "Bush Step Down"
posters on telephones in Cleveland Heights. For this, she was assaulted by
police, charged and convicted of 2 counts of felony assault on police
officers. Carol is now in the Cuyohoga County Jail. On June 2, Judge
Timothy McGinty sentenced her to 2 months in jail, 2 years probation with
community service and mandatory "anger management classes."
11:30 am--The media and Carol's supporters finally get into the courtroom
and are seated. Judge McGinty comes in and immediately points to one of
Carol's supporters, ordering that he be removed from the courtroom. McGinty
claimed that weeks earlier, this particular man had made a statement after
the "guilty" verdict was read, "speaking about justice," and that was not
allowed! The deputies then grabbed the man by his coat, pushed him out the
courtroom, and escorted him out of the building. Judge McGinty then
directed his fire at Ms. Fisher, wearing her now famous t-shirt (“WANTED for
Illegally Crossing Borders: The Bush Regime,” which contains mug shots of
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Condoleeza Rice), and demanded that she remove
her shirt. When she refused, he declared that he was postponing the
sentencing til later in the day. He threatened that if Carol didn’t change
her shirt, he would issue a warrant for civil contempt. He postponed the
sentencing for another 4 hours.
4:30 pm--Carol, her supporters, and the media returned to the courtroom.
Carol was still wearing her t-shirt, but the judge went on with the hearing
anyway. In fact, McGinty didn't even mention the shirt until a ways into
the hearing, and no warrant was ever produced. During the hearing, almost
every statement given by the defense was interrupted continually by McGinty.
A resident of Cleveland Heights had just begun to speak as a character
witness for Carol when she was also interrupted by the judge, complaining
that he didn't want to hear a "political diatribe." This character witness
refused to be silenced, kept giving her statement despite her being yelled
at by the judge and surrounded by armed balilffs. She was then thrown out
of the courtroom, and escorted out of the building. Shortly after that,
another of Carol's supporters was thrown out of the courtroom for "sighing."
posters on telephones in Cleveland Heights. For this, she was assaulted by
police, charged and convicted of 2 counts of felony assault on police
officers. Carol is now in the Cuyohoga County Jail. On June 2, Judge
Timothy McGinty sentenced her to 2 months in jail, 2 years probation with
community service and mandatory "anger management classes."
11:30 am--The media and Carol's supporters finally get into the courtroom
and are seated. Judge McGinty comes in and immediately points to one of
Carol's supporters, ordering that he be removed from the courtroom. McGinty
claimed that weeks earlier, this particular man had made a statement after
the "guilty" verdict was read, "speaking about justice," and that was not
allowed! The deputies then grabbed the man by his coat, pushed him out the
courtroom, and escorted him out of the building. Judge McGinty then
directed his fire at Ms. Fisher, wearing her now famous t-shirt (“WANTED for
Illegally Crossing Borders: The Bush Regime,” which contains mug shots of
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Condoleeza Rice), and demanded that she remove
her shirt. When she refused, he declared that he was postponing the
sentencing til later in the day. He threatened that if Carol didn’t change
her shirt, he would issue a warrant for civil contempt. He postponed the
sentencing for another 4 hours.
4:30 pm--Carol, her supporters, and the media returned to the courtroom.
Carol was still wearing her t-shirt, but the judge went on with the hearing
anyway. In fact, McGinty didn't even mention the shirt until a ways into
the hearing, and no warrant was ever produced. During the hearing, almost
every statement given by the defense was interrupted continually by McGinty.
A resident of Cleveland Heights had just begun to speak as a character
witness for Carol when she was also interrupted by the judge, complaining
that he didn't want to hear a "political diatribe." This character witness
refused to be silenced, kept giving her statement despite her being yelled
at by the judge and surrounded by armed balilffs. She was then thrown out
of the courtroom, and escorted out of the building. Shortly after that,
another of Carol's supporters was thrown out of the courtroom for "sighing."