[Imc-newsroom] PRESS ADVISORY

[Jyoti Asha Bhatt]

Hello,

I am an Oberlin College student writing to you as a participant in what 
became the DeWine "action".  We simply asked for a meeting with the 
Senator regarding Plan Colombia and the School of the Americas, and 
were shown the door and the county jail, respectively.

Please take a look at this press advisory and my next e-mail (a 
detailed account of the situation) and publish it in your newsmedias.
Our upcoming trial is this Tuesday July 9th.  It will address 
interesting issues of democracy, the First Amendment, and our laws.

Respectfully,
Jyo

*^*

The Ohio Working Group on Latin America
http://mahost.org/owgla
July 6, 2002
 
DEWINE PETITIONERS' TRIAL BEGINS TUESDAY
 


 Tuesday, July 9, 2002 
at 11:00am
Ø Franklin County Municipal Court, Courtroom 
15-D                                             
375 S. High St., Columbus, OH 43215

Ø Contact: Defendant Paula Ewers, ewers at donet.com or (937) 
278-5446
                            
Attorney William Owen, wowen at williamowenlaw.com or (614) 
885-0800
                             
(The address I was given for him is wowen at owenowen.com. 
Just checking!)
                

The right of Ohio citizens to access their elected officials will be 
tested 
in court on July 9 as eight Ohioans each face 120 days and a $1,000 
fine for 
attempting to schedule a meeting with Senator Mike DeWine. The eight 
are among 
ten who were arrested in DeWine's Columbus office on April 30, 
2002 and spent 30 hours in jail. Five of the eight (better, Six of the 
ten ?) have traveled 
in Colombia and seek to discuss the Senator's support of Plan Colombia, 
a $1.3 
billion U.S. military aid package which they say exacerbates human 
rights 
abuses, environmental destruction, and the displacement of millions of 
rural 
civilians.

Join us on July 9 as a jury of eight 
Ohioans tests the strength of Ohio's democracy.              
(There will be eight on the jury as well ?)
Columbus seminary student Vince Ramos will be represented by Attorney 
Fredrick Benton when he goes to trial two days later, on July 11, 
2002. Ramos also faces a possible 120 
days of imprisonment and a $1000 fine.  (Will it 
be confusing if we don't mention the tenth ? Could say, The tenth, 
Cheryl Ann Raver Sanchez, is currently in 
Colombia.)
                                                                        
      
##

The Ohio Working Group on Latin America (OWGLA) is a statewide 
coalition of peace and solidarity 
organizations and individuals working to address escalating U.S. 
intervention in 
Latin America.
For more information on Colombia: 
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia or http://www.usfumigation.org