#DropTheChargesMCAO Rally + Petition Drop
On April 22, 2021, Allister Adel wrote a four page, emotion-laden letter in response to these demands and published it on social media, refusing to drop the last few remaining charges or take accountability for nearly 40 political prosecutions. There is no legal reason for MCAO to refuse to dismiss these remaining cases. Each day these cases carry on, there is significant emotional, financial, and social harm for the people being charged.
WHO: Mass Liberation AZ, multiple directly impacted protesters, Julie Gunnigle, and Ken Countryman (attorney for one protester)
WHAT: Press conference and rally to hand-deliver 5,285 signed petitions to Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel and prosecutors April Sponsel and Nick Michaud demanding the office drop the remaining charges against protesters from the 2020 protests for Black Liberation. Mass Liberation launched an online petition in late February 2021 with the following demands to her office:
- Drop ALL charges against protesters with prejudice
- End political prosecutions
- Disband the First Responders’ Bureau
- Pay reparations to all people harmed by political prosecutions