PEPPER SPRAY Q-TIP SWABBING CASE OPENS IN SAN FRANCISCO

MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate
release
Sept. 7, 2004

PEPPER SPRAY Q-TIP SWABBING CASE OPENS IN SAN FRANCISCO

Jury Selection September 8; Solidarity Rally at noon

Beta cam video news releases and courtroom drawings are available
through the contact phone number. Video images, legal documents,
other background and links available at http://www.nopepperspray.org.

Contact: Karen Pickett, 510-548-3113

WHO:
Lundberg et al. vs. County of Humboldt et al.
Pepper spray plaintiffs represented by the civil rights legal team
from the successful 2002 Earth First! (Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney)
vs. FBI and Oakland Police civil case.

Plaintiffs - The "Pepper Spray 8": Spring Lundberg, Terri Slanetz,
Mike McCurdy, Sam Neuwirth, Maya Portugal, Lisa Sanderson-Fox,
Jennifer Banka Schneider, and Noel Tendick.

WHAT:
Retrial of the Pepper Spray by Q-tip case, stemming from the 1998
case charging unconstitutional use of excessive force when Humboldt
County Sheriffs Deputies and Eureka Police responded to non-violent
sit-in protests by applying liquid pepper spray directly to the eyes
of the immobile protesters via Q-tips and close-range spraying.

WHERE:
San Francisco Federal Building, 450 Golden Gate Ave., court of Hon.
Susan Illston.
19th floor, room 10. Noontime rally on Polk St. side of federal building.

WHEN:
Wednesday Sept. 8
Court is in session 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. Jury selection will take place
Sept. 8; opening arguments are expected Sept. 9. Attorneys and
plaintiffs will be available for media interviews after court. A
press conference will take place on Thursday, Sept. 9 at noon.

Background:
National television audiences were jarred when footage was aired of
Humboldt County police forcing pepper-spray soaked Q-tips into the
eyes of young non-violent activists in 1997. The swabbing happened
at sit-in protests calling for the protection of the ancient redwoods
of Headwaters Forest in northern California. Amnesty International
called the officers' actions "tantamount to torture." The activists
sued.

Although the incidents drew international outrage and condemnation,
state officials have codified the police tactic by incorporating
these practices into guidelines for dealing with civil disobedience
in California.

After a hung jury in the 1998 trial, challenges at the state, appeals
court and US Supreme Court levels, the civil rights case returns to
San Francisco before a new judge to be argued by an award-winning
legal team.
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Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters (BACH)

2530 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
phone: 510 548 3113
email: bach [at] headwaterspreserve.org

http://www.HeadwatersPreserve.org