from the ANSWER coalition: April 15th, 2000

a press release from the ANSWER Coalition:

IF that link doesn't work, they're also here:
www.actionsf.org

"After 10 long years of litigation filed by the attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund on behalf of those of us who were arrested, a huge civil liberties victory has been achieved, resulting in the largest protest arrest settlement in U.S. history.

This victory was due to the amazing diligence and expertise of the Partnership for Civil Justice, who worked pro bono for a decade, and the steadfastness of those who had been arrested.

Everyone who was arrested at 20th St., NW between I and K st, on April 15, 2000, is now eligible to collect $18,000, but they must file their claim by May 17, 2010.

... the urgent email from the Partnership for Civil Justice on how people who were illegally arrested on April 15, 2000, can collect their $18,000. If people do not file the claim by May 17, 2010, that money will revert back to the government."

(No, I wasn't there, and in fact I've never attended an ANSWER coalition event. On the face of it the amount strikes me as high but I don't know what happened, and it may partly reflect the enormous cost it took to wage a legal battle for so many years. (I note that April of 2000 through April of 2010 takes us through the last months of Clinton's 2nd term, the entire Bush II era and the first year of Obama's term in office, and apparently all three Justice departments ran up the government's tab rather than settle, which probably would have been much cheaper for the taxpayers 10 or 9 or 8 years ago. )

At any rate, I am posting this in case someone reading this knows someone who knows someone, etc. Unlikely, but you never know. I'm also impressed by the legal effort described and thought it deserved a mention.-JV)