A judge upheld charges against people who were protesting the Straight Pride Parade in Boston, even when prosecutors wanted them dropped.
36 people were arrested in the counter-demonstration against the Boston Straight Pride Parade this weekend, often with charges like disorderly conduct that are usually dropped by prosecutors.
On Tuesday, Judge Richard Sinnott upheld charges against all of the protestors, even in cases where prosecutors wanted the charges dropped. Prosecutors asked for no bail and moved to drop some of the charges, but Sinnott refused and set bail for the protestors.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins accused the judge of overstepping his role. She said that part of the prosecutors’ job is to use their discretion to “triage” cases so that they can protect protestors’ First Amendment rights.
“Make no mistake: some people were appropriately arraigned and will be held accountable for actions that put the safety of the public and law enforcement at risk,” Rollins said. “For those people now tangled in the criminal justice system for exercising their right to free speech – many of whom had no prior criminal record – I will use the legal process to remedy the judge’s overstepping of his role.”
The Straight Pride Parade was organized by several people with ties to white supremacy and anti-semitism. The Grand Marshal of the parade was rightwing troll and mess of a human being Milo Yiannopoulos, and the marchers complained about how Jewish people made up the Holocaust and created the LGBTQ movement to destroy Western Civilization. …
ModerateMind
Article URL : https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/09/judge-wants-make-sure-36-people-pay-crime-protesting-straight-pride/