Be Careful what you hear-Do Your Research

I've been reading many posts regarding what may or may not come of the demonstrators that were arrested from Thursday on. I started to stress out about what is going to happen, so instead of busting an artery over it, I called the ILG. They are so strapped right now, they have volunteers answering the phones and answering general questions.

This is what I learned:

Call the DA's office 1-2 weeks before your arrainment hearing to confirm whether or not your hearing is still going to happen. In many cases, the charges will be dropped. Over 2000 arrests have been made and the courts just won't be able to handle everyone.

If it turns out you have to still show up for court, an ILG attorney will represent you, you'll have your day in court, and the most you'll get is something the equivilant of a traffic ticket (depending on your "other" charges [such as failing to disperse]). I even asked about jailtime and was told the worst thing that could happen is a fine.

So, please, everyone, call the ILG and ask the questions you need answered instead of posting rumors here. And don't believe everything you read in the papers. The media tends to like to exaggerate the bad and not say much about the good.