It is no crime
to
protest against warmongers.
It is no crime to complain about
police
brutality.
It is no crime to complain about dangerous medical
malpractice.
Dr. Catherine Wilkerson will fight back. Will you stand
with her?
Previous Updates
The most recent information can be found on the main page.
Tuesday 2/12/2008Support Grows for
Physician Fired for Supporting Human Rights for Palestinians
On Saturday,
February 9, the Committee
to Defend Catherine Wilkerson (CDCW) issued an urgent action
alert
regarding the firing of Dr. Wilkerson by the Packard Community Clinic
(PCC) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, for her support of human rights for
Palestinians. We can report that many people have stepped up to show
their solidarity and seek justice for Dr. Wilkerson. In retribution for
this, on Sunday, February 10, Dr. Wilkerson
was abruptly notified by the PCC management that all of her
appointments with patients in the coming week would be reassigned to
someone
else and she was not to come into the office during business hours.
On the brighter side, in less than three days, the number of signatures
on our online
petition has gone from zero to more than 150 and in the wake
of Dr.
Wilkerson's firing two
other members of the PCC clinical staff have
resigned. Also, several people have informed us that they
will
be withholding donations
to the PCC in protest over Dr. Wilkerson's
firing. This includes one regular donor who makes an annual
contribution of $5000 to the PCC. While neither Dr. Wilkerson nor the
CDCW have encouraged the staff resignations or a funding boycott of the
PCC we understand and appreciate these acts of solidarity.
It is our earnest hope that the PCC Governing Board will act soon to
overturn the decision of management to fire Dr. Wilkerson so everyone
can go back to work practicing medicine and so donors can once again
contribute to the PCC in good conscience.
If you have not
already signed the online
petition and
written to the PCC Governing Board then please
do so
today (see more info below).Governing
Board or Advisory Board members listed below then please
consider
making a phone call to them to urge them to offer reinstatement to Dr
Wilkerson and the two other clinical staff members who have resigned.
Letters and
faxes to the
Governing Board are especially important. Also, if you personally know
any of the PCC Governing
Board or Advisory Board members listed below then please
consider
making a phone call to them to urge them to offer reinstatement to Dr
Wilkerson and the two other clinical staff members who have resigned.
Governing Board
James Frenza, President, Retired Executive
Ray Rion, MD, Medical Director
Kimberly Kratz, MSW, MPH, Executive Director
Duane Newland, Treasurer, Retired Hospital Executive
Fran Lyman, Secretary, Retired Educator
Jerry Walden, MD, Retired Physician/ Founder
Sharon Moore, Retired UAW Official
Jeffrey Sanfield, MD, Physician
Mary Hunter, Nurse
James F. Peggs, MD, Physician
Tom Rieke, Marketing Business Owner
J Paul Dixon, Insurance Executive
Robert Laverty, Retired Hospital Executive
Kim D. Walsh, Alzheimers Association Program Director
Sarah Williams, Lawyer
Bettye Mcdonald, Retired Educator
Advisory Board
Gina Amalfitano, MD
Laverne Jackson Barker
Bonnie Billups, Jr.
Letitia Byrd
Cassie Cammann, MSW
Angelos Constantinides, DO
Molly Dobson
James Dolan
Eugene V. Douvan
Thomas Fleming
Gregory Fox
Carl E. Gingles, DDS
Vicky I. Henry
Rev. Judy Jahnke
Natalie Kellogg
Manfred Marcus, MD
John Martin
Elizabeth Michael
Rev. Kenneth Phifer
James Saalberg
Clifford Sheldon
Alma Walls
Contact the PCC
Governing Board
Please contact
the Governing Board as soon as possible. A written
letter is
considered one of the most effective forms of advocacy.
You can mail one to the address in the sample letter below and/or send
a fax to the Governing Board at (734) 971-8545. You may also leave a
phone message at (734) 971-1073 or send an e-mail to info@packardclinic.org. Please also sign our online
petition, which you can find at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/keepwilkerson/
.
Sample Letter to the
Packard Community Clinic Governing Board
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip
Today's Date
Board of Directors
Packard Community
Clinic
3174 Packard Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI
48108
Dear Members of
the Governing Board of the Packard Community Clinic:
I am writing to
urge you to stop the termination proceedings
against Dr. Catherine Wilkerson, MD and, further, to stop the
harassment of Dr. Wilkerson by Packard Community Clinic (PCC) Medical
Director Ray Rion and Executive
Director Kimberly Kratz. It was known when she was hired that Dr.
Wilkerson was politically active. Her profile on the clinic web site
notes: "she is particularly interested in social and economic
determinants of health, gender issues in medicine, and medical ethics.
She has been an activist involved in a number of issues related to
public health, including the health effects of war and nuclear weapons,
and universal health care." The only thing that has changed is that she
is now--after successfully fending off a malicious criminal
prosecution--being
targeted for, on her own time and in her own name only, criticizing
racism in the local Jewish community in its support for the apartheid
state of Israel. Dr. Wilkerson is the senior and most experienced
physician at the PCC and beloved by many of her patients. No good
purpose can be served by depriving them of the compassionate care
provided by this conscientious physician simply because she has
nonviolently exercised her First Amendment rights to speak out against
all forms of racism. Please keep Dr. Wilkerson on the staff of the PCC
and stop the political harassment of her by PCC management.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Name
###
Saturday 2/9/2008
Urgent
Action Alert--Help Save Dr. Wilkerson's Job; Stop the Harassment
Last
December, Dr. Catherine Wilkerson dealt a blow to local forces of
repression when, after a six-day trial, she was acquitted of the bogus
charges brought against her by the University of Michigan and Washtenaw
County Prosecutor Brian Mackie. She had hoped then to get on with
caring for her patients at the Packard Community Clinic
but, if anything, local Zionists and their minions seem more determined
than ever to punish her for speaking out against the Jewish apartheid
state of Israel and its local backers. The management of the Packard
Community Clinic has decided to fire Dr. Wilkerson and on February 4th
they set February
15th as her last day of work. Below you will find a
statement by Dr. Wilkerson explaining more fully what is happening.
The Committee to
Defend Catherine Wilkerson has issued this urgent action alert
because we want to encourage the Governing
Board of the Packard Community Clinic
to stop the firing of Dr. Wilkerson and to stop the harassment of her
for engaging in constitutionally-protected free speech activities on
her own time and in her own name. Specifically, we are asking
supporters of Dr. Wilkerson to do two things. First, please contact the
Governing Board as soon as possible. A written letter
is considered one of the most effective forms of advocacy. You can mail
one to the address in the sample letter below and/or send a fax to the
Governing Board at (734) 971-8545. You may also leave a phone message
at (734) 971-1073 or send an e-mail to info@packardclinic.org.
Second, please sign our online petition, which you can find at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/keepwilkerson/
. A press conference and a rally in front of the clinic are being
contemplated but have not been scheduled at this time pending the
Governing Board's response to an appeal by Dr. Wilkerson for a special
meeting with the Board.
Sample
Letter to the Packard Community Clinic Governing Board
Your
Address
Your
City, State, Zip
Today's
Date
Governing Board
Packard Community
Clinic
3174 Packard Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI
48108
Dear Members of
the Governing Board of the Packard Community Clinic:
I
am writing to urge you to stop the termination proceedings against Dr.
Catherine Wilkerson, MD and, further, to stop the harassment of Dr.
Wilkerson by Packard Community Clinic (PCC) Medical Director Ray Rion
and Executive Director Kimberly Kratz. It was known when she was hired
that Dr. Wilkerson was politically active. Her profile
on the clinic
web site notes: "she is particularly interested
in social and
economic
determinants of health, gender issues in medicine, and medical ethics.
She has been an activist involved in a number of issues related to
public health, including the health effects of war and nuclear weapons,
and universal health care." The only thing that has
changed is that she
is now--after successfully fending off a malicious criminal
prosecution--being targeted for, on her own time and in her own name
only, criticizing racism in the local Jewish community in its support
for the apartheid
state of Israel.
Dr. Wilkerson is the senior and most experienced physician at the PCC
and beloved by many of her patients. No good purpose can be served by
depriving them of the compassionate care provided by this conscientious
physician simply because she has nonviolently exercised her First
Amendment rights to speak out against all
forms of racism. Please keep Dr. Wilkerson on the staff of
the PCC and stop the political harassment of her by PCC management.
Sincerely,
Your
Signature
Your
Name
Statement
of Dr. Catherine Wilkerson Concerning the Termination of Her Employment
at the Packard Community Clinic
Despite
the exhilarating victory for the First Amendment right to freedom of
expression that my acquittal achieved, I remain the target of those who
seek to quash that right. Now I am being forced out of my job. For over
five-and-a-half years I have worked at Packard Community Clinic,
providing medical care to disadvantaged members of the Ann
Arbor/Ypsilanti community. Most of my patients are Black, Latino, Arab,
or Asian. My patients overwhelmingly come from the ranks of the working
class.
These
are the people within our own borders who suffer most from the wars and
occupations being perpetrated, funded, and otherwise enabled by the US.
These are the people whose brothers and sisters disproportionately wind
up as cannon fodder. These are the people who struggle everyday to
obtain the necessities of life and whose fundamental human right to
health care is denied, while billions of dollars flow to wage these
wars and occupations.
The
wars and occupations currently waged or backed by the US have killed,
maimed and sickened millions of Iraqis, Afghans, Palestinians, Haitians
and Filipinos. How can a doctor turn a blind eye to this suffering and
injustice? How can a doctor, of all people, not take a stand?
It
is likely that a good many of those who obtain care at Packard
Community Clinic agree with that analysis. The same is true, no doubt,
for many of the clinic workers and for many of the clinic's supporters
in the community. Yet, Medical Director Ray Rion and Executive Director
Kimberly Kratz have deemed me "not a good fit for the clinic."
Months
before the trial and the not-guilty verdict, the wheels to force me out
had been set in motion. In early October, the Ray Rion called me in for
a chat. I was not a good fit for the clinic, he claimed, because of my
political activities. He cited the publicity surrounding the
approaching criminal trial, my Palestinian human rights activities, and
his desire for the clinic to "piddle to the middle." A few people had
threatened not to donate money to the clinic. A local doctor threatened
not to refer patients to the clinic. Who were these people? What kind
of people threaten to withhold their money and not to refer patients in
need of medical care to a clinic that is known to provide excellent
care and to take all comers?
We
talked, for the first time, about the case against me. He disputed my
assertion that I had an obligation to help a person in need of medical
attention, stating that in Michigan there is no duty to treat. We would
have to wait and see how the trial turned out before he would know how
that issue would affect my employment. But my Palestinian human rights
activities were also a problem. Among those activities was my
affiliation with Jewish
Witnesses for Peace and Friends, a group that has stood vigil
in front of Beth
Israel Congregation
for several years, silently holding signs protesting Israeli oppression
of Palestinians. He wanted to know why I did that. I answered as I
always have, "I do it as an act of solidarity with Palestinians."
I
do it because more than four million Palestinian refugees live exile
after being violently expelled from their homes by Jewish forces in
1948 and 1967. I do it because another four million or so Palestinians
live under brutal Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. I do it
for the more than one million Palestinians who live as second-class
citizens in Israel. I do it because Israel's oppression of Palestinians
is enabled by the American Zionist community and billions of
US-taxpayer dollars that go to support Israel every year. I do it
because Beth Israel is a political as well as a religious institution.
As Rabbi Dobrusin wrote in the Ann
Arbor News
in January 2007: "Beth Israel Congregation affirms without any
hesitation or equivocation the legitimacy of the existence of the State
of Israel as a Jewish state." I do it because the flag of Israel hangs
in the synagogue and because the Rabbi Dobrusin uses his influence to
defend Israel I do it because I believe that there is no more
appropriate time to think about right and wrong than when worshiping. I
do it as an act of solidarity, knowing as I stand there being assaulted
with slurs and obscene gestures and swerving
automobiles by those
heading inside to worship God, that the harassment we endure in front
of the synagogue does not even rise to the level of the tiniest smidgen
of what Palestinians endure every day and have for decades. I do it to
remind those who pass by of the plight of an oppressed people, whose
oppression is facilitated by all of us who do not take a stand against
it. At least I used to do it. After much soul-searching over the next
few days after that meeting last October, I informed the medical
director that I had decided to stop participating in the vigil. While I
was already facing a criminal trial I didn't want to lose my job, too.
When
the jury found me not guilty, I hoped my boss would no longer threaten
me with termination. But three weeks after my victory, he presented me
with a contract requiring me to "refrain from conduct, both at work and
outside of work, which tends to reflect negatively on the reputation
and public image of Employer, which may negatively affect the ability
of Employer to retain current patients, attract new patients or attract
donations, or which may otherwise in the judgment of Employer's Medical
Director reflect poorly upon the public image of Employee or Employer."
When
in the course of my attempting to negotiate with the Medical and
Executive Directors of the clinic, I protested the vague and
restrictive clause. I asked for more specific language and for guidance
about what kinds of activities would constitute violation of the
contract. They repeatedly criticized my political activities, and
finally, the executive director terminated the negotiations, declaring
that it was clear that my continued employment would not work, and that
we should proceed with determining the terms of my severance.
No
one should have to forfeit her constitutional right to freedom of
expression to keep a job. It was not a fair contract and I believe that
it was presented to me, on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, for the purpose
of strong-arming me out the door. I believe that we could have
negotiated a fair contract if both parties had negotiated in good
faith. If it were not true, as I believe, that my termination is the
culmination of months of efforts to force me out, they would have done
so. But the saddest part of this story to me is that the needs and
desires of so many of my patients to continue their relationships with
me don't seem to matter.Friday 12/21/2007In this update:
1. Help Fund Freedom
2. New Media on the Web Site
1. Help Fund Freedom
In a speech in 1852, abolitionist Wendell
Phillips said "Eternal
vigilance is the price of liberty." Phillips was part of a movement
that eventually helped bring freedom from chattel slavery for millions
of people. Moreover, he was part of a radical fringe that had broken
with an older, racist, go-slow, don't-challenge-the-law anti-slavery
(or, arguably, a slavery reform) movement. Like Phillips did, Dr.
Wilkerson
understands that oppressors and would-be oppressors must be actively
resisted if any liberty whatsoever is to be salvaged from a system that
Phillips likened to a "pirate ship."
Dr. Wilkerson protested when Ray Tanter came
peddling his war-mongering snake oil last year and she protested when
campus police violated university policy and staged a cop riot at the
behest of Tanter's hosts, the American Movement for Israel. When she
was charged with two attempted felonies she could have taken the cheap
and easy route of accepting a plea deal--everyone else did and, for all
but one person, those charges are now expunged--but instead she stood
up against this abuse of power. Nothing we can do now can make up for
the stress and time exacted from Dr. Wilkerson during this
politically-driven prosecution but we can step up and help pay some of
the more than $50,000 in outstanding legal costs Dr Wilkerson is
facing.
Some of you will be wondering about recouping the legal costs in a
civil suit and that idea is being explored. But no decision has been
made and that, too, will be costly and difficult with no guarantee of
victory. In the meantime, the bills from the criminal trial must be
paid. Over the past six months, the Committee to Defend Catherine
Wilkerson has paid $3500 in legal fees but that is obviously not
enough. If
"an injury to one is an injury to all" then, surely, Dr. Wilkerson's
jury acquittal was a victory for us all. Therefore, let as many of us
who are able and willing help pay for that victory. Please make a
donation to the Committee. You can donate online here or you may
send a check or money order, payable to either "CDCW" or "Committee to
Defend Catherine Wilkerson", to:
Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson
P.O. Box 8041
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
2. New Media on the Web Site
With the successful end of the criminal trial there are two new
articles and three new multimedia clips on the web site. First is the
excellent closing argument of defense attorney Hugh "Buck" Davis at
trial on December 3, 2007. There is also the December 10, 2007,
interview with Dr. Wilkerson on Law and Disorder Radio and
there is a much clearer video of the original incident at the center of
the case; this clip was presented as evidence at the trial. Dylan
Wilkerson's article, "Doctor 'not guilty' for protecting anti-war
protester" from the Party for Socialism and Liberation web site is there,
too. And be sure to check out "Jackboot State Stubs Its Toe in Ann
Arbor" by Alexander Cockburn, writing in CounterPunch. All of
these items can be accessed from the main menu of the web site but you
have to click on "Radio/TV/Video
About Dr. Wilkerson's Case" link/menu item to access the new
version of the original
incident video clip.Victory--Monday 12/03/2007
Defense co-counsel Hugh "Buck" Davis delivered an impassioned closing
argument today in the trial of Dr. Catherine Wilkerson that put on full
display both the political stakes of the case and the dishonesty of
police and prosecution. Attorney Davis pointed out that only one
witness, UM custodian Michael Lafleur, ever testified to any overt
physical act by Dr. Wilkerson and that testimony was not credible nor
was it corroborated by any other of the 19 witnesses. Davis made it
clear that the University of Michigan and Washtenaw County Prosecutor
Brian Mackie were trying to criminalize speech and protest. Huron
Valley Ambulance paramedic supervisor Dean Lloyd was pinpointed as the
man who instigated the attack by Ann Arbor Police Officer Kevin Warner
on Dr. Wilkerson after she criticized Lloyd's dangerous use of a toxic
substance on a man he said he thought was faking (medical records
admitted into evidence on Friday indicated that he had suffered a
traumatic brain injury). Lloyd, said Davis, told Warner to take away
Dr. Wilkerson's free speech rights and "to his everlasting shame,"
Warner obeyed. In his final remarks, Davis compared Dr. Wilkerson's
case with the case of the LS&A 109 who staged a sit-in at the
University of Michigan in 1970 against the Vietnam war. Davis pointed
out that the LS&A 109 were technically guilty but that jurors had
acquitted those he represented because they had acted ethically in
opposing the war. By contrast, he argued, jurors today had in their
hands the fate of someone who was technically innocent but whom the
prosecution was still trying to convict precisely because she had acted
ethically.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Margaret Connors had the final word in
her rebuttal. She defended Dean Lloyd's use of ammonia, arguing that he
thought his patient was faking. Connors never acknowledged or,
apparently, never understood just how damaging this admission was to
her own case. It was clear that she was personally stung by Mr. Davis'
remarks; at one point, she even sputtered that she was a doctor, too,
because she had a Juris Doctor degree. The mainstay of her presentation
involved a large sheet of paper on an easel. The sheet had the
statutory elements of the crimes Dr. Wilkerson was accused of, though
tellingly "assault" was blacked out. As Connors rehearsed once more the
sad, fabricated police and prosecution narrative of the case, she would
place a check mark next to each element she had putatively proven. When
she was done the sheet had dozens of red check marks on it. But the
jury wasn't buying any of it, after four-and-a-half hours of
deliberation they returned two verdicts of "not guilty."Friday 11/30/2007In this update:
1. Another Day in Court
2. Trial Continues Monday--Additional Day Added
1. Another Day in Court
Friday's proceedings ended with the testimony of defendant Dr.
Catherine Wilkerson. Before that, numerous witnesses--including one who
did not attend the Tanter protest and was unacquainted with Dr.
Wilkerson--gave testimony that was identical in its essentials to
testimony that Dr. Wilkerson would subsequently give. During
cross-examination of the witnesses who came to protest last year,
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Margaret Connors highlighted the
political motivations of this prosecution by frequently asking
protesters about their protest history as if regularly exercising your
First Amendment rights somehow makes you an untrustworthy 'repeat
offender.' This is a police state mentality, pure and simple, one where
criticizing the government makes you a suspect when your testimony
contradicts the official story of police and prosecutor. At times,
Connors' courtroom antics have been laughable but there is nothing
funny about the (mis)use of state power to silence or punish government
critics. One witness was also excluded at the prosecution's request due
to involvement with these updates and defendwilkerson.org,
demonstrating what we already knew--police and prosecutors cruise the
internet and use it to collect 'criminal intelligence.'
The prosecution stipulated to allowing William Wilkerson, MD, to
testify as an expert in emergency medicine. He stated that in his
decades as an emergency room physician he had never used ammonia on a
patient and, speaking as a medical control officer for Huron Valley
Ambulance, that HVA had no protocol which included the use of ammonia
now or on the night of November 30, 2006. As noted above, Dr. Catherine
Wilkerson testified for the first time in her trial. During her
testimony, the defense presented the 46-second video
taken on the night in question. The jury attentively watched a visually
enhanced version of the video and saw and heard the arrestee gasp, "I
can't breathe." On cross-examination, Dr. Wilkerson was interrogated
about an
interview she gave in June on KUCI radio and about the following
phrase from a Myspace
page created for her by her daughter: "Heroes: Bill Wilkerson, who
taught me about Ho Chi Minh, another hero and about the immorality of
the US war against Vietnam." The prosecutor made specific reference to
Ho Chi Minh and his status as a hero. The intent of this line of
questioning seemed to be to stress Dr. Wilkerson's politics in an
effort discredit her and her fellow protesters as dishonest radicals
who contrived the whole incident last year as "political theater." At
one point, Connors baldly asserted that the protest of Tanter last year
had been well-organized and planned in advance. In fact, the protest
was an ad hoc event thrown together by two people without any
organizational coordination or backing just days before the event.
2. Trial Continues Monday--Additional Day Added
Trial continues on Monday, December 3rd at 8:30 AM in the
courtroom of 15th District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The
court is located at 101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown
Ann Arbor, for directions go here.
If you're coming from out-of-town
then you may want to call first to check on any scheduling changes. The
court phone number is (734) 222-3380. Your show of support by being in
the courtroom does help and is appreciated.
Thursday 11/29/2007In this update:
1. Another Day in Courtroom #10 #8
2. Trial Continues Friday
3. No Case Coverage in the Local Press
1. Another Day in Courtroom #10 #8
The
prosecution finished presenting its case today with the testimony of
Ann Arbor police officer Kevin Warner and Huron Valley Ambulance
paramedic supervisor Dean Lloyd.At one point Warner claimed that he
identified "five potential threats" in the group observing the arrest
and treatment of Blaine Coleman, whom police had rendered unconscious.
When asked if he could describe them Warner answered, "No." His
contemporaneous report of last year mentions "three white female
subject's [sic]" whom he did not then identify as "potential threats."
The ominous behavior which they were engaging in is described in his
report as "attempt[ing] to circle around the officers in an attempt to
see and make verbal demands of the medical personnel ..." Today, Warner
stated that he did not feel threatened by Dr. Wilkerson last year and
that she had followed the directions of HVA personnel. Warner also
testified that only four officers would have been required to secure
the scene; police records show that there were already 6-8 on the scene
at the time in question.
HVA
supervisor Dean Lloyd said that he felt "belittled" and "very
intimidated" by Dr Wilkerson's criticism of his use of ammonia but he
also stated that she had followed directions of HVA personnel. Lloyd
corroborated yesterday's testimony by two HVA paramedics that ammonia
was removed from the ambulances shortly after the incident last year.
Lloyd testified that he thought Coleman was faking unconsciousness,
which goes a long way toward explaining why he would use ammonia in a
punitive manner. However, it is not the job of paramedics to determine
if an apparently unconscious patient with obvious head trauma is
faking, their job is to stabilize and transport and it is certainly not
their job to use noxious chemicals to punish.
Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney Margaret Connors tried but failed for the third
time this week to add additional counts to the charges Dr. Wilkerson is
facing. She also tried but failed to add a new witness(es). Connors
tried again but failed to exclude as evidence the emergency room
medical record for Coleman. After the prosecution finished its case,
the defense moved for a directed verdict of acquittal, which was denied
by the judge.
2. Trial Continues Friday
Trial
continues on Friday the 30th at 8:00 AM in the courtroom of 15th
District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The court is located at
101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown Ann Arbor, for
directions go here. If you're coming from out-of-town then you may want
to call first to check on any scheduling changes. The court phone
number is (734) 222-3380. Your show of support by being in the
courtroom does help and is appreciated.
3. No Case Coverage in the Local Press
There was, apparently, no coverage of the case today in the Ann Arbor News or the Michigan Daily. Given their generally biased and inaccurate reporting, this may very well be a situation when no news is good news.
Wednesday
11/28/2007In this update:
1. Another Day in Courtroom #10
2. Extra Day Added--Trial Continues Thursday
3. Case Coverage in the Ann Arbor News
1. Another Day in Courtroom #10
Today, the prosecution's case continued to unfold or unravel, as the
case may be. UM police officer Mark West took the stand again and,
among other things, admitted that he never directed Dr. Wilkerson to
leave the scene. West's supervisor Sgt. Janet Conners testified that
she could have safely arrested Dr. Wilkerson on the night of 11/30/2006
but she simply chose not to, this after participating in or supervising
the arrest of three other people that night. Her testimony stands in
stark contrast to the account attributed to her in an 11/19 e-mail by
UM Detective Mike Mathews which was filed with the court along with the
prosecution's failed surprise motion on 11/20 to add additional
criminal counts.
In that e-mail, Mathews writes: "Sgt. Conners indicated that the reason
not to arrest was due in part to staffing, but also because there were
numerous protesters still about and the situation, even though Coleman
was transported off and two others were arrested, was still volatile
and chaotic." Conners' own contemporaneous report of the events of that
night says nothing of the sort and indicates that rather than warding
off dangerous crowds of seething protesters, Conners began interviewing
witnesses before Coleman had even been removed from the scene. Police
reports also indicate that there were at least 6-8 police officers on
the scene at the time it was decided to release Dr. Wilkerson.
UM custodian Michael Lafleur's testimony was so contrived and
contradictory that it elicited audible laughs in the courtroom, at
times. Lafleur is the man who can be heard in the
Youtube video objecting to being photographed. Two Huron Valley
Ambulance paramedics testified that ammonia was indeed removed from
ambulances shortly after 11/30/06. You may recall from Monday's update
that the prosecution tried in vain to have this fact suppressed from
testimony. Paramedic Anthony Jacob testified that the ammonia was
removed because Dr. Wilkerson's complaints about its use were
valid--remember, this is a prosecution witness! Paramedic Sean Bowe
couldn't remember ammonia even being used that night nor could he
identify Dr. Wilkerson in court. Although Dr. Wilkerson is charged with
attempting to resist or obstruct them, both testified that they never
made any formal or informal complaints against Dr. Wilkerson to police
or their employer.
2. Extra Day Added--Trial Continues Thursday
Judge Pollard-Hines added another day to the trial. Trial continues on
Thursday the 29th at 1:30 PM. Trial is also scheduled at
8:30 AM on Friday in the
courtroom of 15th District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The
court is located at 101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown
Ann Arbor, for directions go here.
If you're coming from out-of-town
then you may want to call first to check on any scheduling changes. The
court phone number is (734) 222-3380. Your show of support by being in
the courtroom does help and is appreciated.
3. Case Coverage in the Ann Arbor News
Local blogger
PeaceMonger continues coverage of the press coverage in a post
called "AA
News Coverage of Wilkerson Trial Improves".Tuesday
11/27/2007In
this update:
1. Another Day in Courtroom #10
2. Trial Continues Wednesday--Pack the Courtroom
3. Case Coverage in the Ann
Arbor News
and Michigan
Daily
4. Welcome, Traverse City
1. Another Day in
Courtroom #10
Today, the trial began in earnest. Michigan League manager Jeff Green
was an odd choice for the prosecution's lead witness as he, at times,
gave testimony that clearly undermined the prosecution's
case. He told
the jury today that he thought police had used excessive force against
the man whom Dr. Wilkerson assisted, Blaine Coleman. Next up was UM
Officer Mark West who came dressed in battle blues with trousers
bloused in black combat boots. He did not say that he "loves the smell
of cordite in the morning." However, he did testify that no one has
ever complained about his handling of arrestees and that he stopped to
put kid gloves on before arresting Mr. Coleman. Actually, what he said
was that he used less force than he was authorized to use against Mr.
Coleman. The prosecution's earlier frivolous motions and
objections put
the case so far off schedule that it was necessary to interrupt their
opening presentation to hear the expert witness testimony of Dr. Bryan Bledsoe,
emergency physician and EMS author, so that he didn't miss his plane
back to Midlothian, Texas. Dr. Bledsoe testified that Dr. Wilkerson had
a duty and an obligation to intervene on the night of Nov. 30, 2006. He
also expressed surprise that Huron Valley Ambulance was still carrying
ammonia ampoules on their ambulances in 2006. As mentioned in
yesterday's report, they were removed shortly after the incidents at
issue in this trial. The prosecution also offered into evidence a photo
it found on the internet (see bottom photo here).
Curiously, despite repeated requests the sleuths at the University of
Michigan and in the prosecutor's office have been unable to find the
four photos of Mr. Coleman and his bloody eye glasses taken and logged
by their very own Officer Crowley.
2. Trial
Continues Wednesday--Pack the Courtroom
The trial continues on
the 28th and 30th and it is beginning to look certain that it will
extend into next week. The trial resumes at 10:30 AM on
Wednesday--please note the time change. Trial is scheduled to resume at
8:30 AM on Friday and take places in the
courtroom of 15th District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The
court is located at 101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown
Ann Arbor, for directions go here.
If you're coming from out-of-town
then you may want to call first to check on any scheduling changes. The
court phone number is (734) 222-3380. Your show of support by being in
the courtroom does help and is appreciated.
3. Case
Coverage in the Ann
Arbor News and Michigan Daily
The Ann Arbor News and the Michigan Daily both
published
articles on Tuesday about Dr. Wilkerson's case. Local blogger,
PeaceMonger, is at it again with links and scathing criticism in a post
called "Local
Press Botches Wilkerson Reporting Again."
4. Welcome,
Traverse City
A belated thank you to our friends in the Cherry Capital, Traverse
City, Michigan. A group there called MidEast: JustPeace voiced its
support for Dr. Wilkerson about two weeks ago.Monday
11/26/2007In
this update:
1. Motions Heard and Jury Seated
2. Trial Continues Tuesday--Pack the Courtroom
3. Case Covered in the Ann Arbor News
4. Petition Continues to Grow
5. Welcome Orange County
1. Motions Heard and Jury Seated
In our report of 11/21, we mentioned that the prosecutor "filed a
contrived motion with reasoning unsupported by the police record to add
two more counts to the list of charges against Dr. Wilkerson--the very
charges denied by the judge on Monday." Before jury selection resumed
the judge heard oral arguments on the prosecution's Hail Mary play. The
pass was incomplete with the judge ruling against this act of
desperation. The prosecution also unsuccessfully tried to forbid any
mention that Huron Valley Ambulance removed ammonia inhalants from
their ambulances shortly after the incident at the heart of this case.
That is, the incident on November 30, 2006, when an HVA supervisor used
this toxic substance in a dangerous and inefficacious manner on an
unconscious man. In a telling display, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Margaret Connors objected to the judge referring to Dr. Wilkerson as
"Doctor Wilkerson" even though it has never been contested that she is
indeed a medical doctor. Before court was adjourned jury selection was
completed with six jurors and one alternate chosen.
2. Trial Continues Tuesday--Pack the Courtroom
The trial continues on
the
27th, 28th and 30th at 8:30 AM every day in the
courtroom of 15th District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The
court is located at 101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown
Ann Arbor, for directions go here.
If you're coming from out-of-town
then you may want to call first to check on any scheduling changes. The
court phone number is (734) 222-3380. Your show of support by being in
the courtroom is appreciated.
3. Case Covered in the Ann Arbor News
The Ann
Arbor News
has an article in Monday's newspaper about
the trial. Needless to say it has a rather different tone from Alexander
Cockburn's weekend article in CounterPunch. A local blogger
who has covered this story from its beginning has commentary and links
to the article here.
4. Petition Continues to Grow
Less than a week ago, members of the Committee to Defend Catherine
Wilkerson hand-delivered petitions to Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian
Mackie and UM President Mary Sue Coleman bearing the names of more than
3,500 people who want the charges against Dr. Wilkerson dropped. Since
that time 1,010 people have added their names to the Act Now to Stop
War & End Racism (ANSWER) petition and 469 have added their
names
to online petition set up by the Committee to Defend Catherine
Wilkerson. It's too late to sign the ANSWER petition but you can still add
your
name to the Committee's petition, if you haven't already done
so.
We know that the police and prosecutor's office staff look at the
Committee's web site (and this report will be there soon), they said so
in open court, so let's give them some more to think about.
5. Welcome Orange County
A physician in Orange County, California--Nixon country or Philip K.
Dick country, take your pick (I choose PKD)--writes to let us know that
Orange County Peace Action, Orange County Healthcare for All!, and the
Orange County Green Party have all endorsed the work of the Committee
to Defend Catherine Wilkerson. Thanks for the good news, Doc, and
welcome aboard new friends and allies. These groups join our earlier
supporters: National Lawyers Guild, Detroit & Michigan Chapter;
Council on American Islamic Relations, Michigan Chapter; Detroit
Coalition Against Police Brutality; Huron Valley Greens; Green Party of
Michigan; Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice;
Gray Panthers of Huron Valley; Bolivarian Youth (Miami); and, the
Broward (FL) AntiWar Coalition.
Sunday
11/25/2007In
this update:
1.
Trial Starts Monday--Pack the Courtroom
2. Case Featured in New CounterPunch Article
3. CTN Interview Online
1. Trial Starts Monday--Pack the Courtroom
The first day of trial is
Monday, November 26th, starting at 1 PM. Jury
selection is scheduled to continue on this day. The trial continues on
the
27th, 28th and 30th at 8:30 AM every day. All events take place in the
courtroom of 15th District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The
court is located at 101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown
Ann Arbor. For directions go here.
The court phone number is (734) 222-3380. We'll try to keep you
apprised of scheduling changes but if you're coming in from out-of-town
then you may want to call first. To quote Alexander Cockburn (see
below), "If you can, show up in court to support Catherine Wilkerson."
2. Case Featured in New CounterPunch
Article
Alexander
Cockburn has a new article out in this weekend's issue of CounterPunch
about Dr. Wilkerson's case. It's called "The Ordeal of
Catherine
Wilkerson, M.D." and subtitled "Welcome to the Jackboot State, Ann
Arbor Division." You can read the article on defendwilkerson.org or here.
3. CTN Interview Online
Dr. Wilkerson was interviewed
on September, 20, 2007 on Ann Arbor's
Community Television Network by Laurel Federbush. You can now watch the
entire half-hour interview on the Internet. To do so, go to defendwilkerson.org and click
on either "Radio/TV/Video About Dr. Wilkerson's Case" or "New! CTN
Interview" in the menu at left. 11/21/2007In this update:
1.
Legal Update/Prosecution Tries to Add More Charges
2. Petition
with Over 3,500 Names Delivered
3. Contact Prosecutor Mackie
4.
Rally for Justice and Peace
5. Trial Dates and Times
1. Legal Update/Prosecution Tries
to Add More Charges
Dr.
Wilkerson and her attorneys were in court this past Monday and the
prosecution didn't fare too well. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Margaret Connors tried to have testimony about ammonia and its misuse
by the Huron Valley Ambulance supervisor ruled inadmissable and she
lost. Connors tried to get testimony about the protest behavior of
other people allowed but wanted to leave out any reference to their
motivations for protesting and she lost--no testimony about the
protests of others will be allowed. With only four business days before
trial is scheduled to begin and nearly a year after the incident, in a
clearly political and retaliatory move, Connors tried to add two more
counts to the list of charges against Dr. Wilkerson and she lost.
Connors tried to defend the relevance of several potential prosecution
witnesses and she lost with several of her witnesses being stricken
from the witness list by Judge Pollard-Hines. In a surprise move, the
following day, Tuesday, Connors filed a contrived motion with reasoning
unsupported by the police record to add two more counts to the list of
charges against Dr. Wilkerson--the very charges denied by the judge on
Monday. As Dr. Wilkerson's attorneys noted, "This motion is suggestive
of bad faith and 'piling on' for political reasons."
2. Petitions Delivered
Yesterday,
members of the Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson hand-delivered
petitions to Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie and UM President
Mary Sue Coleman bearing the names of more than 3,500 people who want
the charges against Dr. Wilkerson dropped. A special thanks goes out to
Act
Now to Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER)
for collecting the overwhelming majority of the names. It's not too
late for you to add your name. Read the Committee to Defend Catherine
Wilkerson's petition and sign-on at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/defendwilkerson
3. Contact Prosecutor Mackie
If
you haven't already done so, it's not too late to make a call or send a
letter and an e-mail to Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie. You
can find the contact information and a sample letter at: http://defendwilkerson.org/sampltr.html
You can also contact University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman
President Mary Sue Coleman
University
of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
presoff@umich.edu
4. Rally for Justice and Peace
As
we have done for the last three weeks, on Friday, supporters of the
Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson will join the folks who rally
in Ann Arbor every weekday rush hour to protest the war in Iraq. Defend
Wilkerson signs and a banner will be provided. This will be your last
chance before the trial starts. When: Friday, November 23, 5PM
- 6PM
Where: Corner of Fifth & Liberty, Ann Arbor (in
front of the Federal Building) 5. Trial dates and times
Jury
selection is scheduled to continue on the first day of trial, which is
Monday, November 26th at 1 PM. The trial continues on the 27th, 28th
and 30th at 8:30 AM every day. All events take place in the courtroom
of 15th District Court Judge Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The court is
located at 101 E. Huron St. (corner of Main St.) in downtown Ann Arbor.
For directions go here. The court phone number is (734) 222-3380. We'll
try to keep you apprised of scheduling changes but if you're coming in
from out-of-town then you may want to call first. 11/10/2007In
this update:
1. Sign the online petition
2. Contact Prosecutor Mackie
3. Rally for justice and peace
4. Trial dates and times
5. New endorsers
6. Other things you can do to help
1. Sign
the online petition
The Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson now has an online petition
to University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman and Washtenaw
County Prosecutor Brian Mackie for you to sign. Read the petition and
sign-on at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/defendwilkerson
2. Contact Prosecutor Mackie
If you haven't already done so, it's not too late to make a call or
send a letter and an e-mail to Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian
Mackie. You can find the contact information and a sample letter at: http://defendwilkerson.org/sampltr.html
You can also contact University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman
President Mary Sue Coleman
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
presoff@umich.edu
3.
Rally for justice and peace
As we have done for the last two weeks, for the next two Fridays
supporters of the Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson will join the
folks who rally in Ann Arbor every weekday rush hour to protest the war
in Iraq.
Defend Wilkerson signs and a banner will be provided.
When: Friday, November 16 & 23, 5PM - 6PM
Where: Corner of Fifth & Liberty, Ann Arbor (in front
of the
Federal Building)
4. Trial dates and times
Jury selection is 11/19/07 at 1:30 PM. Trial is currently scheduled for
11/26/07 at 1 PM and on 11/27, 11/28, & 11/30 at 8:30 AM . All
events take place in the courtroom of 15th District Court Judge
Elizabeth Pollard-Hines. The court is located at 101 E. Huron St.
(corner of Main St.) in downtown Ann Arbor. For directions go here.
The court phone number is (734) 222-3380. We'll try to keep you
apprised of scheduling changes but if you're coming in from out-of-town
then you may want to call first.
5. New
endorsers
Thanks to the efforts of Paul L., the Committee to Defend Catherine
Wilkerson has two new Florida-based endorsing organizations: Bolivarian Youth
and the Broward
AntiWar Coalition.
Welcome and thanks to our friends and allies in Florida for joining
with our earlier endorsers: National Lawyers Guild, Detroit &
Michigan Chapter; Council on American Islamic Relations, Michigan
Chapter; Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality; Huron Valley
Greens; Green Party of Michigan; Michigan Emergency Committee Against
War & Injustice; and, the Gray Panthers of Huron Valley.
6.
Other things you can do to help
I was recently asked by an activist in Los Angeles what he
could do
to help. Here's a revised version of the list I sent him:
a. Spread the word to friends and fellow justice and peace activists by
e-mail
b. Phone or send a letter to the prosecutor urging him to drop the
charges
c. Let friends and allies in southeast Michigan know about the case and
the Committee and encourage them to get involved
d. Hold a fund raising event--Dr. Wilkerson could teleconference or
maybe send a video--or make a
donation to the
Committee.
e. Get organizational endorsements of our work.
f. Write an article or do an interview on the case.
g. If you have connections to any high-profile political figures who
might send a letter of support then please let us know. The trial
starts soon (see below), so please add your name and let
others know about the petition as soon as possible.
October
5, 2007
Rally against War & for
Justice
When: Friday, October 5, 2007, 5PM - 6PM
Where: Corner of Fifth & Liberty, Ann Arbor (In front of
Federal Building)
What: Join the folks who rally every weekday rush hour at this site to
protest the war in Iraq. Our participation is supported by the main
organizer of the regular protest that takes place at this location.
Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson signs and banner will be
provided.
This Friday, the Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson is going back
to its anti-war roots. As you may know, Dr. Wilkerson is charged with
two crimes for assisting to protester who was rendered unconscious by
police at a protest against Ray Tanter. Last year, the American
Movement
for Israel invited Ray Tanter, PhD, to speak at the UM. In his 1998
book, Rogue Regimes, Tanter admitted to being an unindicted
co-conspirator in the illegal Iran-Contra arms deal. In October, 2002,
Tanter told the Michigan Daily that the coming US invasion of Iraq
would
be "an antidote" and that there would be no backlash. "Arab people
won't
go crazy, Muslim people won't go crazy. They'll roll over because they
hate Saddam Hussein." Vanity Fair reported that in a speech in late
2005: "Tanter went as far as to suggest that the U.S. consider using
tactical nuclear weapons against Iran." During his UM presentation last
year, Tanter advocated reversing the State Department's designation of
the Mujahedeen-e Khalq as a "foreign terrorist organization" so that
they could receive funding to expand their terror campaign in Iran and
bring about a "civil war."
September 18, 2007
The Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson is calling on anti-war
activists and
civil libertarians to rally in solidarity with Catherine Wilkerson,
M.D. as she fights back against political repression, police brutality,
and
retaliatory misconduct by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Police
Department, and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie.
When: Friday, September 21, 2007, 4 PM until 6 PM
Where: Outside the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's
office at 200 N. Main
St (at Ann St.), Ann Arbor, MI
Rain date: Friday, September 28, 2007, 4 PM until 6
PM
Signs and leaflets will be provided.
July
19, 2007
Action Alerts: Write Prosecutor Mackie &
Attend 7/24 Hearing
The Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson is asking Dr.
Wilkerson's
friends and supporters to please CALL and WRITE to Washtenaw County
prosecutor Brian L. Mackie to ask him to drop the charges against Dr.
Wilkerson. Many experts agree that next to a personal visit, writing
letters and making telephone calls are the most effective means of
influencing elected officials. So, please make a phone call or send a
letter to Mr. Mackie--both would be best--in the next week or two. Mr.
Mackie's office phone number is 734-222-6620. For your convenience, we
have prepared a sample letter that people can use or alter as they
wish (see below or check defendwilkerson.org in the next day or two).
Also, on Tuesday, July 24, 2007, attorney Buck
Davis of Constitutional
Litigation Associates will be arguing for Dr. Wilkerson's right to an
evidentiary hearing. The hearing is scheduled for 9 AM in the 15th
District Court, 101 E. Huron Ann Arbor, MI, before Judge
Pollard-Hines. The Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson is asking
Dr. Wilkerson's supporters to please come to the hearing, if they are
able, and show their solidarity with Dr. Wilkerson.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sample letter:
Your Address
City, State, Zip
Today's Date
Brian L. Mackie,
Washtenaw County Prosecutor
P.O. Box 8645
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
Dear Mr. Mackie:
I am writing to urge you to drop your office's
charges against
Catherine Wilkerson, MD. The police record shows that Dr. Wilkerson
did nothing except issue verbal medical directions and necessary
criticisms to police and emergency medical personnel regarding the
treatment of an arrestee who had become a patient in her care, as
acknowledged by University of Michigan police officer West.
During Mr. Blaine Coleman's arrest, there were two instances
when Dr.
Wilkerson determined that the actions of police or emergency medical
personnel placed Coleman in a life-threatening situation. As a
physician and a conscientious human being, Dr. Wilkerson had an
obligation to protest and advise. No good purpose can be served by
prosecuting a medical doctor for doing her duty and nonviolently
exercising her First Amendment rights. Please drop the charges.
Sincerely,
Your signature
Your Name
May 28, 2007
The next court date has been postponed until
Tuesday, July 24, at 9 AM to accommodate the schedule of Guild attorney
Buck Davis. He will be arguing for Dr. Wilkerson’s right to have an
evidentiary hearing. Such a hearing will allow presentation of evidence
to demonstrate that the case should be dismissed on constitutional and
other legal grounds.
Articles about the case are published in the May-June 2007 edition of
southeast Michigan newspaper Critical Moment,
and in the May 2007 edition of In the Struggle,
the newsletter of the Michigan chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
Also Dr. Wilkerson has been invited to speak at the next meeting of the
Gray Panthers of Huron Valley. The June 9 meeting, organized under the
name “Panthers for Social Justice,” will feature three local activists,
including Dr. Wilkerson, who have had recent experiences with police
threatening their civil rights.
May 2, 2007
Catherine Wilkerson attended a pretrial hearing on
Tuesday, May 1.
Her lawyers moved for an evidentiary hearing to demonstrate that there
is no evidence of illegal activity on the part of Dr. Wilkerson. The
prosecution
objected to this motion and Judge Hines stated that she had not had a
chance
to carefully review the merits of the motion, so the judge scheduled a
hearing to determine whether to hold an evidentiary hearing prior to
trial.
The hearing about the evidentiary hearing was scheduled for May 29.
Earlier that morning the committee hosted a press conference
which
included
statements of support from Buck Davis on behalf of the National
Lawyer's
Guild and Trisha Cunningham on behalf of the Detroit Coalition Against
Police Brutality. Dennis Hayes, one of Catherine's attorneys, spoke
about the unique circumstances of her case, including that
she
was
the senior medical person on the scene and that established medical
protocol
was seriously breached by the emergency medical technicians.
For more information on how you
can get
involved or make a contribution to Dr. Wilkerson's legal defense fund,
explore this website or contact Aimee Smith at (734) 761-9901. The
Committee's work is supported by the Nationals Lawyers Guild, Detroit
& Michigan Chapter; Council on American Islamic Relations,
Michigan
Chapter; and, the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality.
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