Johnson, who is currently in jail, was denied bond in Cook County Circuit Court on August 2. The case is scheduled for a bond hearing on August 7.

Johnson is a member of Occupy LA and Occupy Walk USA, a national walk-a-thon from the west coast to the east coast to advocate for economic justice. In February, he began walking from San Diego to New York with other participants as part of the campaign, and was in New York when he learned about Alvarez's move to recriminalize him.

Because Johnson had no permanent address at the time of his surprise indictment, a bench warrant was issued against him. He returned to Chicago and surrendered to authorities in mid-July after hearing of the indictment and bench warrant, where authorities took him into custody.

“Danny Johnson returned to Chicago to turn himself in because he is innocent and wants to fight these charges,” says Micah Philbrook of Occupy Chicago, which participated in organizing NATO-related protests. “It's both telling and outrageous that State's Attorney Alvarez is willing to criminalize dissent – and re-criminalize a peaceful protester – at the same time that she refuses to hold the police officers who killed Rekia Boyd and Stephon Watts responsible for their crimes. Johnson should be immediately released.”

The National Lawyers Guild is representing Johnson, and is committed to fighting the charges against him. Occupy Chicago has formed a committee to support those charged with serious crimes during the NATO week of actions. In particular, they are making sure that the grouping called the NATO 5, most of whom were charged with state terrorism crimes, are fervently supported and receive regular jail visits. For information on these efforts, visit: http://nato5.occupychi.org/

“Why are we wasting resources persecuting political activists when our city is mired in a crisis of police accountability?” asks Joe Iosbaker of the Committee Against Political Repression. “The police are still patting themselves on the back for brutalizing demonstrators during NATO, while the State's Attorney's office refuses to prosecute the crimes of police officers against torture victims and targets of police brutality – including people the police have murdered. Where are our priorities?”

#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #Occupy #NATO5 #InjusticeSystem

Chicago, IL – Activists from Occupy Chicago, the Chicago Committee Against Political Repression and Hammerhard Media met here, July 9, to discuss the police and FBI attacks on protests here and across the country.

The event featured Jen Waller and Tom Hintze of Occupy Wall Street, who organized a national speaking tour, called “Less Wall, More Street: From Mass Arrests of OWS to Mass Incarceration.” Their purpose is to foster solidarity for people like the NATO 5, victims of an undercover operation by the Chicago Police Department and a trumped up case by the state’s attorney. They also explained how oppressed Black and Latino communities, as well as Arabs and Muslims in the U.S., have been targeted by the state.

As Waller put it, repression “…is an everyday occurrence for people in this country who are criminalized because of their race, national origin, religion, or economic status, and targeted by law enforcement and the legal system.”

Waller and Hintze also updated the people on the case of the Cleveland 5, Occupy activists who had been infiltrated and entrapped by the FBI.

#ChicagoIL #PoliceRaid #politicalRepression #OccupyChicago #NATO5 #Cleveland5 #ChicagoCommitteeAgainstPoliticalRepression

Joe Iosbaker of the CSFR reports that during the past two weeks, nearly 1300 people have signed the petition. Iosbaker urges all progressive people to sign the petition and forward it to their friends.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the CSFR’s call to sign the petition. Sign the petition for the NATO 5!

Drop all charges against the NATO 5 and all anti-NATO protesters!

Protesters are still being held in Cook County Jail in Chicago. Release them all now!

Sign the Petition Here: http://www.stopfbi.net/petition/nato5

The charges against the NATO 5 and the others are false. All these prisoners urgently need your solidarity. Please sign our petition. Share it with your family, friends and coworkers. Signing the petition will generate a direct email to:

-- Illinois State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez -- Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart -- Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and —Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and several other public officials, demanding all charges against the NATO 5 be dropped.

Background info

Drop all charges against the NATO 5 and all anti-NATO protesters!

Eight people continue to be held in jail in Chicago, arrested before or during the protests against the NATO summit in Chicago in May.

Four of the men face terrorism-related charges and the other four serious felonies, while the NATO generals responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands have left town to return to their occupation of Afghanistan and plotting for their next war.

Brian Church, Jared Chase, Brent Vincent Betterly and Sebastian Senakiewicz have been charged under a State of Illinois anti-terrorism law passed after 9/11 that has never been used. Together with Mark Neiweem, they’ve been called the NATO 5 for the seriousness of their charges and because they were all targeted by undercover officers exposed by the National Lawyers Guild. The agents went by the nicknames “Mo” and “Gloves.”

The NATO 5 were arrested without any evidence of their involvement in violence, other than the statements of undercover provocateurs. The first three arrests took place in an unlawful police raid of a home on Wednesday night, May 16, during which the police kicked in doors without presenting a warrant, beat up people, shackled protesters hand and foot, and then “disappeared” 11 people for up to 40 hours. The National Lawyers Guild and Occupy Chicago activists faced repeated denials by the Chicago Police in their attempts to locate those arrested. The next two were arrested several days later. Again, no evidence has been presented other than the statements of the undercover police. Both of those men were held longer than the 48 hours required by law before being given access to use of a telephone or to speak with an attorney.

The three others who are still being held were involved in a protest action at the point which the police turned violent, causing over 70 injuries from baton blows, including many serious head injuries. Over 24 protesters had to be treated at area hospitals for broken bones, knocked out teeth, concussions and wounds requiring stitches or staples.

On top of the arrests and charges, the protesters are being held with outrageous bails: $1.5 million each for the first three facing terrorism charges; $750,000 for the fourth charged under the same state terrorism law; $500,000 for the last of the NATO 5; and as high as $250,000 for the rest.

It is the Chicago Police Department that is responsible for the violence that took place during the anti-NATO protests. The Chicago Police Department and the State’s Attorney are violating the law and the Constitution.

Charges of terrorism, preemptive raids and prosecution, charges based on entrapment and violence against protesters are all standard procedure when the U.S. government declares a National Special Security Event, as they did with the NATO summit. These tactics were employed at the Republican National Convention in 2008, resulting in the cases of the RNC 8; the 23 anti-war activists raided by the FBI and subpoenaed to a grand jury for investigation of support for foreign terrorists; and the trial of Carlos Montes in Los Angeles. Now in Chicago, they’ve added the element of excessive bail.

The charges against the NATO 5 and the others are false. All these prisoners urgently need your solidarity. Please sign our petition. Share it with your family, friends, and co-workers. Signing the petition will generate a direct email to State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, demanding all charges be dropped.

#ChicagoIL #PoliceRaid #antiwar #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #antiimperialism #NATO5

Chicago, IL – Three of the young men arrested in the days before the NATO summit appeared in court here, June 12. Charged with “material support for terrorism, possession of an incendiary device and conspiracy,” Jared Chase, Brent Betterly and Brian Jacob Church have been held for nearly a month on $1.5 million bail each. They expected to be able to see the evidence against them, such as police reports, a search warrant and an affidavit.

Wearing prison jumpsuits and shackles, the men were briefly ushered into the court, only to be sent back to their cells. Their supporters were disappointed and even the judge was surprised when the States Attorney declined to present any evidence. The judge ordered the States Attorney to present the evidence at an arraignment on July 2.

Attempts were made by the Chicago Police Department to brutally suppress the anti-NATO protests, especially on May 20 after the end of the permitted march and rallies sponsored by the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda (CANG8). The National Lawyers Guild recorded 80 people injured by baton blows. The case of Betterly, Chase and Church has been highly controversial because it involves infiltration and an untested Illinois state terrorism law. There are two others who face indictments on June 13, one under the same terrorism law and another under explosives charges. Three others are awaiting indictments on felony charges as well.

Tom Durkin, one of the attorneys for the three, harshly criticized the state’s case and treatment of the men. “These defendants are being treated differently than other prisoners,” Durkin said. “They are treated worse than murderers,” he said, “and they justify that with the domestic terrorism charges.”

Durkin also scoffed at the law behind the case. “The statute is ridiculous. For example, burning a corn field is considered terrorism.” Regarding the state’s case, he remarked, “When this is over, I’m sure this is not a terrorism case; it might not be a case at all.” Finally, he stated, “The case stinks. It’s an informant created case.”

Over 20 Occupy Chicago activists, along with other supporters of the NATO 5, were present in the court room and vowed to continue to demand that all charges be dropped. Joe Iosbaker, an anti-war activist whose home was raided by the FBI in September 2010, urged the anti-NATO protesters to continue their resistance. He pointed to the case of Carlos Montes who won a victory in Los Angeles last week. “The District Attorney said he wanted Montes to spend five years in prison for his anti-war activism,” explained Iosbaker. “But the pressure from our movement forced the D.A. to accept a plea with no prison time for our brother. Repression can be defeated, if we unite, and if we mobilize broad support.”

#ChicagoIL #PoliticalPrisoners #CarlosMontes #PoliceRaid #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #NATO5 #InjusticeSystem

Fight Back News service is circulating the following call to action from the Committee Stop FBI Repression. Joe Iosbaker is one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists targeted by the FBI and was one of the organizers of the 15,000 person anti-NATO protest in Chicago.

Anti-NATO protesters held on terrorism charges, extreme bail. Call States Attorney Anita Alvarez at 773-674-6209 – Demand all charges be dropped against anti-NATO protesters! “Release them all now!”

Nine people continue to be held in jail in Chicago, arrested before or during the protests against the NATO summit, according to information provided by the National Lawyers Guild. They face felony charges and even terrorism charges, while the NATO generals responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands have left town to return to their occupation of Afghanistan and plotting for their next war.

Of those still being held, five of them have been charged under a State of Illinois law passed after 9/11 that has never been used. The NATO 5 were all targeted by undercover police officers exposed by the National Lawyers Guild. The agents went by the nicknames “ Mo” and “ Gloves.”

The NATO 5 were arrested without any evidence of their involvement in violence, other than the statements of undercover provocateurs. The first arrests took place in an unlawful police raid of a home on Wednesday night, May 16th, in which the police kicked in doors without presenting a warrant, beat up people, shackled protesters hand and foot, and then “disappeared” 11 people for up to 40 hours. The National Lawyers Guild and Occupy Chicago activists faced repeated denials by the CPD in their attempts to locate those arrested.

The remaining two were arrested several days later. Again, no evidence has been presented other than the statements of the undercover police. Both men were held longer than the 48 hours required by law before being given access to use of a telephone or to speak with an attorney.

The other four still being held were involved in a protest action at the point which the police turned violent, causing over 70 injuries from baton blows, including many serious head injuries. Over 24 had to be treated at area hospitals for broken bones, knocked out teeth, concussions, and wounds requiring stitches or staples.

On top of the arrests and charges, the protesters are being held with outrageous bails: $1.5 million for the first three facing terrorism charges; $750,000 and $500,000 for the second two charged under the same state terrorism law; and as high as $250,000 for the remaining men. Bail for one Chicago youth, Raziel Azuara is set at $150,000.

It is the Chicago Police Department that is responsible for the violence; and the CPD and the States Attorney are violating the law and the Constitution.

Charges of terrorism, pre-emptive raids and prosecution, charges based on entrapment, and violence against protesters are all standard procedure when the US government declares a National Special Security Event as they did with the NATO summit. These tactics were employed at the Republican National Convention in 2008, resulting in the cases of the RNC 8; the 23 anti-war activists raided by the FBI and subpoenaed to a grand jury for investigation of support for foreign terrorists; and the current trial of Carlos Montes in Los Angeles. Now in Chicago they’ve added the element of excessive bail, as if the protesters were part of the 1%, rather than the 99%.

We must speak out against this repression. We know the charges against the anti-NATO protesters are false. All these prisoners should be free.

Call States Attorney Anita Alvarez at 773-674-6209. Demand all charges be dropped against anti-NATO protesters! Release them all now!

In struggle, Joe Iosbaker Committee to Stop FBI Repression

#ChicagoIL #PoliticalPrisoners #PoliceRaid #ChicagoNATOSummit #NATO5