Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five other protesters have been indicted on federal charges, accused of damaging an ICE agent's vehicle in Broadview last month.
Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five other protesters have been indicted on federal charges, accused of damaging an ICE agent's vehicle while trying to block it from driving into the immigration processing facility in Broadview , Illinois, last month.
Abughazaleh and five others were indicted on two counts each: conspiracy to impede or injure a federal law enforcement officer; and forcibly impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a federal law enforcement officer while engaged in official duties.The other defendants include Catherine Sharp, who is running for a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners; Michael Rabbitt, who is the Democratic committeeman in the 45th Ward in Chicago; Brian Straw, who is running for Oak Park village trustee; Andre Martin; and Joselyn Walsh. According to the indictment, Martin worked for Abughazaleh. In addition to running for Cook County Board, Sharp is the chief of staff for Chicago Ald. Andre Vasquez .The charges accuse the defendants of blocking the path of an ICE agent's vehicle as he was reporting to work at the Broadview facility on the morning of Sept. 26.According to the indictment, they 'banged aggressively' on the vehicle's windows and hood, and 'pushed against the vehicle to hinder and impede its movement.' They also allegedly scratched the word 'PIG' into the body of the vehicle, and broke one of its side mirrors and rear windshield wiper.If convicted, they could face up to six years in prison for the conspiracy charges, and up to eight years in prison for the intimidation charges.Abughazaleh, a former journalist and community advocate, is one of several Democratic contenders running for Illinois' 9th Congressional District to replace retiring incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky. The district spans Chicago's northwest suburbs, including the city of Evanston. In a video statement posted on her social media accounts, Abughazaleh called the indictment a 'political prosecution and a gross attempt to silence dissent.''This case is a major push by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish anyone who speaks out against them. That's why I'm going to fight these unjust charges,' she said. 'This administration has resorted to weaponizing the federal justice system to scare us into silence, but we're not going to be silenced.'Some of Abughazaleh's opponents in the congressional race also denounced the indictment against her and other protesters.Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who also has protested outside the Broadview facility, said the charges against Abughazaleh and the other protesters should be dropped immediately.'The only people engaged in violent and dangerous behavior at Broadview have been ICE. As someone who has protested at Broadview multiple times, I know these protests are nonviolent demonstrations against the kidnapping of our neighbors. Now, the Trump Administration is targeting protestors, including political candidates, in an effort to silence dissent and scare residents into submission. It won't work,' Biss said.Illinois State Sen. Laura Fine, who also is running against Abughazaleh and Biss in the 9th Congressional District race, said she is 'disgusted by the partisan and unethical indictments of Kat Abugazelah and five others at the direction of Donald Trump's weaponized Justice Department. 'This unjust prosecution is an attempt to intimidate and silence those who stand up for their rights and beliefs. It's an attack on anyone sickened by masked men roaming our streets and shoving our neighbors into unmarked cars. It's a threat to everyone willing to call this what it is: creeping tyranny,' Fine said. 'Today it's Kat. Tomorrow it could be any one of us. This administration wants to rob us of our empathy - to make us afraid to fight for one another. But we cannot abandon the values that make us who we are. We're a community that shows up, links arms, and refuses to look away. No indictment, no threat, no act of intimidation will change that.'In a statement, Sharp called the indictment 'a scary moment,' but said she is 'confident that a jury of my peers will see these charges for exactly what they are–another effort by the Trump administration to frighten people out of participating in protest and exercising their First Amendment rights.'Sharp's attorney, Molly Armour, called the charges 'ludicrous.''We are confident that a jury of Ms. Sharp's peers will see them for exactly what they are: an effort by the Trump administration to frighten people out of participating in protest and exercising their First Amendment rights,' Armour said in a statement.Ald. Vasquez accused the Trump administration of targeting Sharp and the other protesters 'for standing up and speaking out against their brutal campaign against immigrants.' 'They want to scare us into submission. It won't work. With these charges, they're acting with the same lack of regard for the Constitution that we've seen from them every day on the streets of Chicago. All we need to say is 'see you in court,'' Vasquez said in a statement.Elizabeth Granato, who is running against Sharp in the 12th District race for the Cook County Board, criticized the indictment. 'Donald Trump's decision to indict protestors for exercising their constitutional right to speak out against federal agents targeting our communities is beyond the pale. I've demonstrated at Broadview myself, and we've all seen violence being incited by federal agents, not protestors,' she said in a statement. 'After pardoning January 6th rioters who assaulted police officers, Trump is once again weaponizing the Department of Justice, this time against ordinary Americans who believe in the rule of law. We will not be distracted from unconscionable violations of civil liberties ICE and CBP commit and the terror they unleash against our communities.'Rabbitt's attorney, Nancy DePodesta, said, 'We are extremely disappointed to learn of the charges.'Mr. Rabbitt intends to plead not guilty and will have more to say about this matter at a later time,' DePodesta added.Court dates have not yet been set for the defendants.
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