Briana Waters Legal Updates and Information

Regular court updates and more information about Briana Waters' case are available on the website for Civil Liberties Defense Center here:

www.cldc.org/waters

Briana Waters Trial: First Day Update

From Seattle Indy Media:

Jury selection began at 9:00 am and what was expected to last only a few hours ended up taking most of the day. Unsurprisingly, most of Briana's supporters were not allowed in the courtroom during the jury selection until the overflow of jurors were eventually let go around 3:00pm and there was more room. After a short break Briana's supporters filled the audience area, along with various media outlets and trial sketch artists.

In the final hour several issues were resolved regarding the procedures of the trial, and it was determined that the Defense Attorneys would be provided the names of upcoming witnesses one day in advance. They will also be provided with a summary of what their testimony will be.

Find out who will be testifying the next day at the http://www.CLDC.org web site! Also keep checking Indymedia for important trial updates.

The schedule for tomorrow looks like:
9am-noon Opening Statements
12-1 lunch break
1pm-4Pm Taking the stand : FBI Agent J. Comrey, Glenn, Cooper, Phillips, and Rice

For many of us wishing to support Briana in her trial, what we think of as "appropriate dress" for court is going to be a bit different than what her jury will think of as normal. Therefore: IT IS ESSENTIAL, that if you want to support Briana, to show up in the most mainstream type of clothes you can find. Do NOT wear (all) black. No Patches. Piercings other than earrings should be taken out. Guys: If you're scruffy, now is a great time to shave!

When the jury is picked, they will consist of everyday, ordinary folks, the type of people you might run into wandering the halls of Wal-Mart or Costco. According to one lawyer I talked with, people on a jury feel reassured by seeing people who look like them. Anyone who looks different, or out of the norm, can be scary for people who don't see piercings or tattoos, etc. as a normal part of their church/school/bocce community. This isn't about us, it is about using our most adept skills of camouflage to show up as a diverse cross-section of upstanding citizens that the jury will recognize as their sons and daughters, or their kids' schoolteachers, or the guy at the D.M.V. In many ways the audience in the courtroom is a representation to the jury of Briana is and what she is about. Use your best judgment as to what this could look like for you.

Also, if you want to help out in this case but don't know if you can pass yourself off as something you're not, WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP! There are plenty of ways to get involved behind the scenes that are just as important! Please email olycivlib(at)riseup.net to find a way to help! Thanks!

Support Briana Waters FLYER! Copy and Distribute

Support Briana! Quarter-sheet double-sided flyers can be printed in color or black and white. If you cannot make double-sided flyers, just print page 2. Please cut into quartersheets and distribute widely!

SUPPORT BRIANA FLYER

Tacoma Court Logistics: Where To Eat

If you are going to be in Tacoma to support Briana Waters during her trial, here are some suggestions of where you can eat.

Below is a places that are closest to the federal courthouse in Tacoma, aren't too expensive, and have veg options. You can find most of the addresses on the veg guide below:

-India Mahal (close to courthouse, lunch buffet, veg-friendly)
-Galanga Thai (not cheap but close to courthouse)
-Tamarind Thai (a light-rail ride away from the courthouse)
-Taco del Mar & Subway (across from courthouse)

Indochine is also across from the courthouse, but is more expensive and not very veg-friendly.

The link below has a Word document of vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Tacoma and Olympia.

http://tacomafnb.kalistongue.com/vegguide.doc

Briana Waters Trial General Announcement

PLEASE REPOST AND FORWARD THIS ANNOUNCEMENT

Briana Waters' trial begins on Monday, February 11, 2008. Please be at the court at 9am. Dress and act respectful of the court. 1717 Pacific Ave, Tacoma. Judge Burgess starts on time.

The trial is expected to go for a month, Monday thru Friday 9am -4pm.

Briana Waters asks that there be NO rally or signs outside or inside of the courtroom. Our presence will be the support she needs. Please come dressed and leave the wacky at home. Anyone concerned with civil liberties should pay attention to this case.

Briana Waters has been indicted in the arson at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture, specifically for the alleged role as a lookout. Ms. Waters maintains her innocence and pleads not guilty. Briana Waters is facing a mandatory minimum of 35 years.

The case is built on the word of two informants, Jen Kolar and Lacey Phillabaum. Although, Ms. Waters attorneys, Robert Bloom and Neil Fox, filed a motion that the government concealed important information and created a fraudulent FBI report. The Judge Burgess has denied the motion in January. The Judge Burgess closed the pretrial, which is our fundamental right to an open and clear process in public court.

Now is the time that we must show up in the court room to support the transparency of our judicial system. It is more than our civil liberties at stake in this precedent setting case. We have seen more and more of our civil rights taken away and it is important for us to stand and bear witness to this trial.

Carpools are encouraged from Seattle.

Olympia Carpools leave daily from the Grocery Outlet Westside parking lot at 7:30 AM.

More information:

Support Briana Website (www.supportbriana.org)

Olympia Civil Liberties Resource (www.olycivlib.org)

Portland Indymedia Greenscare (portland.indymedia.org/en/topic/greenscare) (daily notes from court

Briana Waters Trial Online Calendar

Briana Waters' trial begins in US District Court in Tacoma (1717 Pacific Ave.) this Monday, February 11. Trial will run weekdays from 9 am to 4 pm with a break for recess at noon to 1 pm. Visitors will be admitted until 9 am in the morning, then court will be closed to entry until the break. Feb. 18 is a federal holiday, there is no court on this day. Carpools to the court from Olympia will depart from the Grocery Outlet parking lot in the Westside at 7:30 am. Any adjustments to this schedule will be announced here on this website and on our ONLINE CALENDAR. The Online Calendar for the Briana Waters trial maintained by OlyCivLib is available here: (select "week" or "agenda" view)

OLYCIVLIB ONLINE CALENDAR (Briana Waters Trial)

Public Meeting Feb. 7 at 8 PM

OlyCivLib is hosting a public meeting Thursday, February 7 at Media Island (816 Adams St. in Olympia). The meeting starts at 8 pm and will last one hour.

We will be touching on the details of the Briana Waters case before her trial starts in Tacoma on Monday, February 11 at 8:30 AM.

There are several areas of support for Briana that volunteers can plug into but the most important goal is packing the courtroom. Come find out how you can plug into the organizing of support and witnessing this precedent setting case. Anyone interested in civil liberties should be interested in this trial.

Update from Briana's Pretrial

The judge closed the hearing to the public. The dozen or so supporters
waited outside and gave support to Briana at breaks and lunch. There was
some media there as well. Both witness lists are out and public.

The trial is confirmed for February 11, 2008 in Tacoma, WA at the federal
courthouse, 1717 Pacific Ave. It is expected to run for a month or more.
It will start Monday at 8:30- 3:30. Carpools to the trial will leave at 7:45 Monday morning from the Grocery Outlet parking lot. It is expected to go Monday through
Thursday with some Fridays. Appropriate dress for the court is requested.
Carpools will be leaving daily from Olympia. The public observation is
important for this case. We need to bear witness to this precedent setting
case.

Support Briana!

Read more about Briana Waters and how you can support her at SupportBriana.Org!

Briana Water Pretrial Rescheduled

Briana Waters Pretrial conference hearing has changed to Tuesday January 29, 2008. It is important to come dressed and act appropriate for the court. The pretrial is set for 9am. Judge Burgess maintains a prompt start to his court. Carpools will leave Grocery Outlet in Olympia at 7:35am on the westside.