Man Faces 13 Years in Jail for Criticizing Big Banks with Sidewalk Chalk Messages
Photo Credit: Scripps Media
Jeff Olson is charged with 13 counts of vandalism and is facing 13 years in jail, as well as $13,000 in restitution fees.
Olson calls the charges heavy-handed and describes what he did as free speech.
“I was encouraging folks to close their accounts at big Wall Street banks to transfer their money local nonprofit, community credit unions,” said Olson.
Surveillance pictures showed him writing on the sidewalks of banks using children’s chalk to promote anti-big bank websites. Olson told 10News he did this more than a dozen times at three different locations in Hillcrest and North Park. Read more from this story HERE.
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Judge Won’t Allow Bank-Protester to Claim First Amendment Protections for Chalk Messages
By Dorian Hargrove. The First Amendment has no place in Superior Court Judge Howard M. Shore’s courtroom, not when it comes to vandalism with water soluble chalk.
Today the trial began in the case of a San Diego man who is being charged with 13 counts of vandalism for writing anti-big-bank slogans with washable children’s chalk on a sidewalk outside of three Bank of America branches in Mid-City.
On one side sat Jeff Olson, the 40-year-old political activist who protested against the bailout of the big banks early last year. On the other side was Deputy City Attorney Paige Hazard and law student and city attorney employee William Tanoury. Also accompanying Hazard were two other representatives from the City Attorney’s side.
For Olson, and any free-speech advocates and political activists, the day couldn’t have gone much worse.
Judge Shore granted Hazard’s motion to prohibit Olson’s attorney Tom Tosdal from mentioning the First Amendment, free speech, free expression, public forum, expressive conduct, or political speech during the trial. Read more from this story HERE.
