By Richard Locker
The Commercial Appeal July 15, 2011
NASHVILLE -- Seven young men and women -- six from Memphis -- who were dragged out of a state legislative committee hearing in March while protesting anti-union bills were found not guilty Friday by a Nashville judge of all charges against them.
All seven were charged by capitol police with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest on March 15 after they began chanting in a Senate committee hearing, refused to leave and were physically removed by capitol police and state troopers.
Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge Casey Moreland found the protesters not guilty after a short trial. The judge said the defendants had a First Amendment right to protest and said that in most similar cases, defendants are issued citations in lieu of arrest.
"We feel vindicated that we went there to have our voices heard. We feel like the judge made the right call in this case. We did not violate the statute and the judge made the correct call according to the law," Sally Joyner, 26, a University of Memphis law school student, said Friday after her court appearance.
The others who were found not guilty were Leah Abby Shoaf, 19; James Justin Sledge, 30; Jeffrey Lichtenstein, 25; Paul Garner, 22; and Bennett Foster, 25, all of Memphis, and Ashlee Henderson, 25, of Chattanooga. Joyner said Sledge is a graduate student at U of M, Shoaf is a student at Memphis College of Art and Garner just graduated from the College of Art.
"We believe that the first amendment is sacred and we think the ruling was fair," said their attorney, Jonathan Farmer of Nashville.
On the day after the protests, state Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, a U of M graduate, called for the students to be expelled from school over the protests.
Contact Nashville Bureau chief Richard Locker at (615) 255-4923.
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