A jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas returned not guilty verdicts yesterday for all twelve defendants arrested during the course of an Occupy Philly political demonstration at a Wells Fargo bank branch on November 18, 2011.  KRMF partner Jonathan Feinberg joined with six other Philadelphia lawyers — Paul Hetznecker, Mike Lee, Leo Mulvihill, Marni Snyder, Michael Coard and Lawrence Krasner — to represent the defendants.
The verdict represents a significant victory for the exercise of First Amendment rights to engage in political expression. Â The protestors charged in the case conducted their demonstration to bring public attention to Wells Fargo’s unfair and racially discriminatory lending practices and to Wells Fargo’s having entered into one-sided loan deals with the Philadelphia School District which resulted in the School District losing tens of millions of dollars. Â Although the prosecution argued to the jury that First Amendment rights are limited when they are exercised on private property, the jury’s verdict recognizes that, in a case like this one, political expression calling attention to important social issues is justifiable.
Unsurprisingly, the case has received wide media attention. Â A few relevant sites for more information on the case are:
- Video of the demonstration
- Information on Wells Fargo’s controversial lending practices
- Press release from the defendants
- Philadelphia Inquirer article on the verdict