“The County Attorney’s decision to dismiss the charges against activists at the October 17th Black Lives Matter protest is a good first step — but there is much more to be done to ensure actual justice for all. For starters, the charges must be dismissed with prejudice, to put these political prosecutions to rest once and for all. Anything less is a useless and empty gesture. There are 20 plus remaining protest related cases (July 18, 2020, August 9, 2020, October 3, 2020 and other intermittent dates) that must also be dismissed with prejudice immediately. The Maricopa County Attorney has enough material evidence of misconduct to make that call right here, right now. It is the office’s absolute duty.

Phoenix Police officers must be held accountable for their violence and the Phoenix Police Department must implement a zero-tolerance policy for racism. We demand the immediate dismissal of Police Chief Jeri Williams and City Manager Edward Zuercher for failing to address countless incidents of extreme violence and racism. They are responsible for Phoenix Police Department’s incompetent response to protests. We also call for the City of Phoenix to fire all officers who aided in the creation of the neo-Nazi challenge coin and/or kept or shared it, including Ben Moore, George Herr, Jeffrey Howell, Glen Neville, Jay Scott and John Sticca. We demand that our public monies and resources no longer be used to fund the police. Instead, we demand that those funds be used to provide resources to the Black and brown communities that have suffered under the racist tyranny of the criminal legal system. These protesters must also receive swift reparations.

We also agree with defense lawyer, Marci Kratter, who is currently representing a protester from a different case: “Most defendants don’t have a talented investigative journalist delving into their case. What would have happened to the many defendants in this case is the same thing that happens to thousands of Americans every day–they would become just another victim of our ‘justice’ system.”

The fact that grassroots organizing, reporters, and twitter users cracked this case is disturbing. Prosecutors had evidence of police falsifying reports and committing perjury the entire time. Police in these cases committed multiple felonies; False swearing in the Form 4 is a Class 6 felony, False reporting in a police report is a Class 6 felony, and lying under oath, which is perjury, is a Class 4 felony. Why is the community subjected to laws that police are not? It’s not sufficient to put these cops on the Brady list, they need to be fired to ensure they never wield power again. These officers are not credible. It is also clear that the Phoenix Police Department is incapable of self-regulation. It’s time for the Department of Justice to investigate the agencies handling these cases.

Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has a deep culture problem that must be addressed. Prosecutors helped police fabricate cases and manufacture evidence. Prosecutors knew better, but brought these cases anyway, despite having an affirmative duty to seek exculpatory evidence. All of the prosecutors involved must be placed on administrative leave until a thorough and transparent investigation is conducted. They must be held accountable for their abuse of power and their overt efforts to quash free speech by politically targeting Black Lives Matter protestors. They are unfit for the office and the practice of law.”