RNC's Molotov cocktail vs FBI informant trial: Hung Jury

[annm4peace]

Source: Star Tribune

RNC defendant released for now
A hung jury means a Texas man accused of making Molotov cocktails can go home until his new trial starts in March.

The Texas man accused of making Molotov cocktails during last summer's Republican National Convention stepped out of the federal courthouse in Minneapolis on Monday a free man -- for a while, at least. A jury of eight women and three men told the judge that they had no hope of reaching a verdict, prompting a mistrial.

But McKay, who admitted to making the explosives in an interview with the FBI and in a letter to the judge, insisted at trial that it was the FBI's informant, Brandon Darby, who coaxed him into the deed. McKay and his attorney, Jeff DeGree, said an overzealous Darby entrapped McKay. In fact, McKay said, it was Darby who first brought up the idea the night before the convention started.

Almost from the start of deliberations, it appears that at least one juror gave entrapment a lot of thought.



Read more: http://www.startribune.com/local/38825597.html

---

as someone who's Peace Group was infiltrated by a Deputy Sheriff via Joint Terrorism Task force.. I have been watching this trial closely. I can't tell you how happy I am this went to a Hung Jury. Didn't think it was possible.
IN the past 7 years there have been many infiltrated groups, and I saw several provacators at the marches/rallies during the 4 days for the RNC in St. Paul.

This kid has served 5 months in Jail already. the charges should be dismissed.

[annm4peace]

1. more detailed info on the case from indymedia

http://twincities.indymedia.org/2009/feb/hung-jury-david-mckay-free-now
UPDATE 7pm: Bond was posted and McKay walked out of jail for the first time in 5 months this evening.

The case of United States vs. David McKay was declared a mistrial Monday afternoon when the jury was unable to reach a verdict. McKay was granted a conditional release, provided $25,000 bail or $2,500 bond can be posted. Unless the charges are dropped, a re-trial will commence on March 16.

After the jury confirmed it was unable to reach a unanimous decision and a mistrial was declared, prosecutor Asst. U.S. Attorney Paulsen requested that jurors not be permitted to talk to media, that McKay be held in custody, and that McKay be retried within 70 days.

Defense attorney Jeff DeGree asked that the judge put together a set of conditions under which McKay would be released, noting that McKay's father had attended the trial and would house McKay, and that he would have employment in Austin with his aunt's firm.



To find out more about the arrests during the RNC and this case
http://rnc08report.org/must-see-items/index.shtml

[Downtown Hound]

4. Glad he's off the hook for awhile

These infiltrators are the scum of humanity. They goad naive young kids into committing criminal acts and tell them they're doing it for the cause. Total set up and entrapment. I hope his second trial ends just as well or better. But I'm encouraged that the government seems to be having as much difficulty as it's having prosecuting these cases.

[Radical Activist]

2. He should also sue the FBI.

If nothing else they can start gathering evidence to make public how widespread this was.

[annm4peace]

3. more trials to go.

So far we have 10 more Felony trials to go (unless Ramsey County DA adds some more)

and several 100 misdeamnors..

Have to wait till these go through before the lawsuits start.

[Downtown Hound]

5. I can't wait for those lawsuits

That's what's really going to throw a wrench into all the hot air cop defenders of the RNC. That's what happened in New York back in 2004. In the aftermath, it was revealed just how full of shit the police really were and that they arrested hundreds of innocent people. The city ended up paying out millions in damages. Probably why the RNC took out an insurance policy this time.

[barbtries]

6. i was happy to see this headline

the RNC police were horrible.

[byeya]

7. Jury Nullification

Nobody wants to talk about but it's real and is not uncommon. It happened most often in the south where KKKers were freed, when obviously guilty, by racist jurors...there's a place for it when police - local, state and/or federal - abuse community standards to such a degree that the jury, in effect, overrules the judges' charges to the juries. Entrapment and cointelpro type police abuses would seem the logical place for jury nullifications.

[FraDon]

9. Bingo! • BlackOps are the middle finger of the fist of Fascism.

I second the reference to cointelpro.

COINTELPRO (an acronym for Counter Intelligence Program) was a series of covert and often illegal projects conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political organizations within the United States. The FBI used covert operations from its inception, however, the formal COINTELPRO operations took place between 1956 and 1971. The FBI motivation at the time was "protecting national security, preventing violence, and maintaining the existing social and political order."
• <snip>
The directives governing COINTELPRO were issued by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who ordered FBI agents to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" the activities of these movements and their leaders.

• Back in the day we used to warn: beware the guys in spit-shined sandals.

[Downtown Hound]

10. Now it's beware the boys in extremely black masks

And by extremely black I mean shiny black, like brand new and never been through a washing machine black.





And then there's this, the video of the Macy's window being broken (by those guys with the pole in the pictures). Pause it at 2:25, and you can see a whole line of cop cars probably not more than 30 feet away. If you were an anarchist hell bent on breaking windows, would you really choose the one that close to the cops? A lot of witnesses say they saw the guy run up from behind the police line with a pole. Don't know where he went afterwords or if he's ever been arrested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOHHr2r_Oms

[Ian David]

8. I don't think I could be entrapped into doing that, unless it was by a really hot chick.

Oh, no.

I've said too much.