I’m reaching out for help raising money at https://rally.org/EndPoliceAbuse to fight back against some criminal cops and corrupt prosecutors in Austin. I’m asking all my friends to please donate what they can, to share it with their friends, and to convince three others to also donate. On New Years Day, 2012, I was arrested after trying to take pictures of and question two Austin cops who were assaulting an unarmed woman who had committed no crime. I was falsely charged with a felony of spitting in a cops face, as well as resisting arrest, while the woman they assaulted was charged with three crimes she didnt commit. (https://youtube/watch?v=qNVZDpGCKks) I was lucky enough to have numerous witnesses step forward, including one who recorded the event, and people rallied around me. We went on the offensive against the Austin Police, and I launched the Peaceful Street Project to hold the police accountable. I was subsequently arrested a few more times for filming police. 15 months after the initial arrest, I finally had my cases go before a grand jury where all my charges were no-billed (dismissed); however, in an unprecedented move they indicted me on four Class C Misdemeanor charges I had never been arrested on. We believe this was a favor from the District Attorney to the City of Austin to help them cover up civil rights violations and to prevent us from filing a 1983 Civil Rights lawsuit in Federal court. Last week, 2 years and 11 months after my initial arrest, the city took me to trial over a Class C Misdemeanor charge of Disobeying an Order, the first of the four indictments. Nothing about the trial was normal. First, the state did not provide us with the dash cams from my arrest until 2 year and nine months later. And they never provided us with the 7-Eleven surveillance video, which they were legally required to do (we had to get it through other channels). Class C Misdemeanors have a maximum fine of $500, and if they go to trial they rarely last more than half a day. This trial lasted four days, and spanned a seven day period. The city prosecutors office had about eight of their employees in the courtroom during the trial, and over a dozen on-duty Austin Police Officers watched the trial. The prosecutor Matt McCabe deliberately distorted and misrepresented the facts of the case to the jury during the trial, and he misstated the law. Despite the show of force and unethical conduct by the prosecutor, I was found not guilty (austinchronicle/news/2014-10-31/buehler-acquitted). This case is having an outsized impact on police accountability nationwide. It has already led to a Federal ruling in the 5th Circuit that filming police is protected activity. It also has been used to make people aware of the problem of police abuse and the lack of accountability. Here’s a clip from Democracy Now! that ran last week: democracynow.org/2014/10/29/is_filming_a_police_officer_a. Next up are three more criminal cases (two for disobeying orders, one for interference with public duties), and then the civil trial against the city and four Austin Police Officers in March. I would appreciate it if you would consider supporting me as I fight to preserve my innocence and to expose the crimes of the Austin Police Department. You can help by doing any or all of the following: 1. If you havent already, consider donating to the legal fund (https://rally.org/EndPoliceAbuse) that we have set up. None of the money goes to me or to pay my lawyers; it goes to pay for expenses related to my suit against APD and its officers. Any money raised in excess of legal expenses will go to the Peaceful Streets Project. 2. Share my story and fundraiser on facebook, twitter and email. 3. Personally convince three other people to donate to the cause. Any help you could provide would be fabulous. Our goal is $30,000. We’re only $520 away from $10,000. Would you be willing to help us move toward the $10,000 mark? Thanks so much, Antonio Buehler
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 22:04:10 +0000
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