OntheWilderSide

Occupy Wall Street activist Cecily McMillan has been found guilty of assaulting a New York City police officer in a trial that critics say should have been about the police assaulting her. Today Democracy Now! speaks with McMillan’s attorney Martin Stolar, who is co-counsel for her case, and her friend Lucy Parks, field coordinator for the “Justice 4 Cecily Support Team.”

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Watch the 15-minute segment here:
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/5/6/occupy_wall_street_on_trial_cecily

McMillan was arrested in March 2012 as protesters tried to re-occupy Zuccotti/Liberty Park, six months after Occupy began. McMillan was convicted of deliberately striking officer Grantley Bovell with her elbow, leaving him with a black eye. McMillan says she swung her arm instinctively after being grabbed in the right breast from behind. To support this claim, defense lawyers showed photos of bruising to her chest during trial. In addition to her injuries, McMillan says she went into a seizure as officers pinned her down. She was later treated for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Democracy Now! interviewed Cecily McMillan immediately following her release from the hospital in March 2012. Watch that interview here:
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/23/exclusive_ows_activist_cecily_mcmillan_describes

After a four-week trial, the jury took just three hours Monday to deliver a verdict. The judge in the case rejected defense pleas to allow her release on bail. McMillan was placed in handcuffs and taken to Rikers Island, where she’ll remain until sentencing in two weeks. She faces up to seven years in prison.

For more coverage on the Occupy movement, check out our Occupy Wall Street topics page here: http://www.democracynow.org/topics/occupy_wall_street

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Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, media, new york, New York State Politics, News, Occupy Wall Street, politics, video Tagged: | Cecily McMillan, McMillan, new york city, New York City Police Department, Occupy movement, Zuccotti Park