FREE CARWIL

ALERT: CARWIL ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH RIOTING + 5 OTHER FELONIES IN
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

Comrades,

Our dear friend Carwil has been arrested and charged with no less than
6 felony charges - "rioting, threatening an education official,
attempted burglary, attempted arson of an occupied building, vandalism
and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer" - along with 7
others after a protest escalated at the Chancellor's mansion at
UC-Berkeley--which, like many universities across California, has been
occupied and shut down by students in response to massive 33% fare
hikes and class warfare on working-class students.

More to come on how we can support our brother in and out of court.

In the meantime, send Carwil your thoughts, your love, your words of
solidarity and, if you can, a donation to the bail fund - after Arnold
Schwarzenegger called our friend a "terrorist," his bail was set at a
criminally unjust $135,000.

Free Carwil!
Pass it on!


http://www.freecarwiljames.org

FREE CARWIL!

Carwil James and 7 other people were arbitrarily arrested on Friday
following a rally, concert, and march at UC Berkeley. They were there
in solidarity with those arrested that morning during a violent police
crack-down inside of Wheeler Hall. Everyone there was supporting
affordable and accessible higher education.

Carwil is currently in jail and has an arraignment hearing on Tuesday.
It is uncertain what he will actually be charged with but the current
charges are very serious and may lead to a long and expensive trial.

What you can do to help get Carwil out of jail and keep him out:

1) Attend his arraignment hearing this Tuesday at 2:00PM in Oakland.
Show support by coming to Carwil’s arraignment hearing this Tuesday
December 15th at 2:00PM. It will be at Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse,
Dept. 112, the addres is 661 Washington Street, Oakland. Carwil is a
lover of peace, so if you attend please come in that fashion.

2) Donate to his legal fees: his bail is currently $135,000 and we
need to raise $25,000 for legal expenses.

Carwil is currently facing significant charges and his legal fees are
likely to be daunting. UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau has
publicly stated that he intends to pursue prosecution of all those
arrested, and an expensive legal battle may be ensuing. Even if you
can only chip in a little, please donate to help cover the legal
costs.

3) Lend to Carwil’s bail money fund
It is not known how much his bail will be after his arraignment, but
it could be substantially more than we currently have. If you are able
lend money to Carwil’s bail fund, money that will be returned after
his trial starts, please contact David Taylor at david@riseup.net

4) Sign up for updates
Fill out the sign-up box if you want to get email updates as things
progress. If something really important happens we are going to send
out a text message, so put in your cell # if you want to get a heads
up.

Thanks,
- Friends of Carwil



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(Following is the latest from the San Francisco Chronicle - note the
last name in the list of arrestees)

"California will not tolerate any type of terrorism against any
leaders, including educators," Schwarzenegger said. "The attack on
Chancellor Birgeneau's home is a criminal act and those who
participated will be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law."

"UC Berkeley police arrested Cal students Zachary Bowin, 21, and
Angela Miller, 20, on suspicion of rioting, threatening an education
official, attempted burglary, attempted arson of an occupied building,
vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer,
Mogulof said.

Six nonstudents, Julia Litmancleper, 20, of San Francisco; John
Friesen, 25, of Fullerton (Orange County); Donnell Allen, 41, of San
Francisco; David Morse, 41, of Oakland; Laura Thatcher, 21, of Rolling
Hills Estates (Los Angeles County); and James Carwil, 31, of Brooklyn,
N.Y., were arrested on the same charges."

Most of the eight remained in custody Saturday in lieu of $132,500
bail and were scheduled to appear in court Monday or Tuesday.

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Indybay.org Saturday Dec 12th, 2009

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/12/12/18632328.php

Students at UC Berkeley re-grouped Friday evening to protest the early
morning raid on the Open University at occupied Wheeler Hall. A rally
at Wheeler was followed by a concert and a march on the north side of
campus. Police dispersed the marching crowd and arrested at least 8,
who are being charged with "riot vandalism."

Students at UC Berkeley re-grouped Friday evening to protest the early
morning raid on the Open University at occupied Wheeler Hall. Police
raided Wheeler at around 5 am Friday morning while many of the students
occupying the building were asleep. 66 people were arrested. Students 
had been occupying Wheeler since Monday, and the space was being used for
study sessions, lectures, workshops, and celebrations during "Dead 
Week," the time between the end of classes and the beginning of final
examinations.

At the evening rally, students denounced the arrests earlier that 
morning, which came without warning. Campus police and administrators had 
seemed to indicate that the students would be allowed to continue the occupation
until Friday. Students also pointed out that while the occupation had 
not disrupted classes and study sessions at the building, the police locked
the building and closed it to students after the raid. Speakers stated
that the occupation was an example of how the university could be run 
and that it was a critique against the privatized nature of the university.

After the rally, a concert, featuring Boots Riley from the Coup, that 
had been scheduled to take place inside Wheeler Hall was held at an 
alternate location. The concert was followed by a march on the north side of 
campus. Police dispersed the marching crowd as it passed by the chancellor's
residence. At least 8 people were arrested and are being taken to Dublin
jail. They are charged with "riot vandalism."

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8 arrested in vandalism of UC chancellor's home

Dec 13, 2009 SF Chronicle

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/12/
BASN1B3D59.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0ZVNpoIUb

(12-12) 19:15 PST BERKELEY -- Eight people were in custody Saturday 
after a crowd of angry protesters broke windows and threw burning torches 
at UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau's campus residence in protest of 
fee hikes and budget cuts, authorities said.

As many as 75 people - some of them carrying torches - surrounded the
mansion, known as University House, on the north side of campus off 
Hearst Avenue at about 11:15 p.m. Friday, police said.

The crowd, including a man taken into custody in a university protest a
day earlier, chanted, "No justice, no peace," and began smashing 
planters, windows and lights. Several hurled their torches at the building, said
campus spokesman Dan Mogulof.

Birgeneau was sleeping at the time and was awakened by his wife, Mary
Catherine, Mogulof said. They were frightened, but unharmed, he said.

"These are criminals, not activists," Birgeneau said in a statement 
issued Saturday morning. "The attack at our home was extraordinarily 
frightening and violent. My wife and I genuinely feared for our lives."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger condemned the attack Saturday as a form of
terrorism.

"California will not tolerate any type of terrorism against any leaders,
including educators," Schwarzenegger said. "The attack on Chancellor
Birgeneau's home is a criminal act and those who participated will be
prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law."

The demonstrators had marched earlier Friday night from Wheeler Hall to
the chancellor's home. Most of the protesters ran away when police
arrived, but some of them threw torches and other objects at officers 
and patrol cars, Mogulof said.

UC Berkeley police arrested Cal students Zachary Bowin, 21, and Angela
Miller, 20, on suspicion of rioting, threatening an education official,
attempted burglary, attempted arson of an occupied building, 
vandalism and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, Mogulof said.

Six nonstudents, Julia Litmancleper, 20, of San Francisco; John Friesen,
25, of Fullerton (Orange County); Donnell Allen, 41, of San Francisco;
David Morse, 41, of Oakland; Laura Thatcher, 21, of Rolling Hills 
Estates (Los Angeles County); and James Carwil, 31, of Brooklyn, N.Y., were
arrested on the same charges.

Most of the eight remained in custody Saturday in lieu of $132,500 bail
and were scheduled to appear in court Monday or Tuesday.

The incident came a day after university police arrested 66 people -
including Friesen - in connection with a four-day protest last week at
Wheeler Hall. The building was also the site of a Nov. 20 occupation and
clash between protesters and officers from several law-enforcement
agencies.

E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.

Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/12/
BASN1B3D59.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0ZdwZ5D8T