“While we respect Erik’s personal decision, it is his alone and is not indicative of our joint defense strategy,” said Eryn Trimmer of the RNC 8. “Additionally, we feel it is not indicative of Erik’s actual guilt or innocence. The criminal ‘justice’ system is designed to overwhelm and wear down defendants to force them to take plea agreements so the government can justify its repression of the people, not to ensure we have a just and free society.”
All eight defendants were pre-emptively arrested prior to the 2008 Republican National Convention and were originally facing felony terrorism charges under the MN PATRIOT Act. In early 2009, the state dropped the terrorism charges, leaving each defendant facing felony conspiracy to riot and conspiracy to commit property damage charges.
The RNC 8 have waited over two years for their case to be heard, sifted through mounds of evidence from the state and successfully raised over $100,000 for their defense. Each of these obstacles are indicative of the ways the courts systematically prevent defendants from exercising the rights supposedly guaranteed to them under the Constitution.
The remaining defendants have re-affirmed their dedication to holding strong in the face of state repression aimed at punishing them for their political views and activity. Said co-defendant Monica Bicking, “There will be no more pleas. The seven of us co-defendants remaining are fully committed to the position we’ve held all along: seeing this politically motivated case through a political trial in court.”
Oseland was sentenced to 91 days in the Ramsey County Workhouse beginning on Wednesday, October 20 at 9 a.m. He will receive credit for the time he served while in custody during the RNC. He will also pay a fine of $100 before he reports to the Workhouse. The plea agreement also specified that Oseland is severing his case from those of his seven co-defendants, including by waiving his right to outstanding motions that are being reviewed by Judge Teresa Warner, such as the probable cause motion to dismiss the charges. Finally, Oseland will not be compelled to testify in any RNC-related case in the future, including those of his co-defendants.
The next pretrial hearing for the seven co-defendants is September 10 at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul. More information will be available at http://RNC8.org.
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