Chantelle Herschberger & Michael Plaut: How to Defeat Police State Repression

Chantelle Herschberger and attorney Michael Plaut discuss the case of the Freeway 9 in Los Angeles - activists who blocked the highway in 2017 with a banner reading “Trump/Pence Out Now.” The case was finally dismissed this spring after two mistrials. Organizers with Refuse Fascism in LA mounted a political defense, admitting that they were in fact on the highway, but that it was necessary and protected under the first amendment due to the danger posed by this regime. Over the course of the prosecution it was discovered that the LAPD sent undercover informants to spy on protesters. This week, as Trump and acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf have sent federal forces to Portland to suppress protesters and threaten to deploy this secret police to many other cities, there are vital lessons to learn from this case and how to fight police state repression on all fronts. 

LA Times: City attorney drops all charges against anti-Trump protest group that LAPD spied on 

RefuseFascism.org: Victory in Case of Refuse Fascism Freeway Protesters in Los Angeles

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Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown.