The Hempstead 15 go to court

CLOSE TO 100 supporters rallied for the Hempstead 15 as they entered court November 10 to plead "not guilty" to charges of disorderly conduct.

The Hempstead 15 are 10 antiwar veterans and five of their supporters who were arrested October 15 at an Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)-led demonstration outside the final presidential debate at Hofstra University on Long Island in New York.

When protesters attempted to cross a police line to enter the university with the aim of asking the candidates a question about war, the police charged the crowd with horses. One IVAW member, Nick Morgan, was trampled by a horse and brought to the local hospital with a broken cheekbone.

At the November 10 protest, supporters carried poster-sized photos bearing witness to Morgan's bloodied face. Inside the court building, all of the 15 pleaded not guilty as the police defended their actions to the press. IVAW member Adam Kokesh had a separate appearance in court, where the prosecutor tried to raise his bail.

Nassau County authorities not only refused to drop charges against the Hempstead 15, but they set different court dates for the defendants, scattered through December and January, in what IVAW member Matthis Chiroux, one of the 15, suspects is an attempt to complicate further demonstrations.

"This is unacceptable," Chiroux said. "We cannot be brutalized and silenced and told that we don't have the right to oppose those who are taking away our rights and literally trampling everything that it is to be American."

IVAW members are asking supporters to assemble at 8 a.m. on six court dates: December 10 and 11, and January 5-8.

ON THE night of the debate, the IVAW sent a request to the debate moderator that they be allowed to ask their own questions of the candidates at the Hofstra event. But the request was ignored, so the third and final presidential debate passed without an antiwar voice being represented.

The IVAW organized a nonviolent demonstration to request entry. Marching in uniform and in formation, IVAW members led several hundred activists to an intersection in front of the Hofstra campus gates--where they were confronted by an army of mounted police and riot cops.

Ten IVAW members and five of their supporters were arrested, apparently for no more than insisting on their right to be heard. Mounted police then pushed the crowd back onto the sidewalk, recklessly pulling their horses around, at times backing them into the crowd. The police continued to drive protesters back, pinning the crowd up against a fence.

Riot cops reached past the IVAW members at the front of the crowd, grabbing protesters behind them and dragging them into the street. A mounted cop leapt with his horse onto the sidewalk and trampled protesters, including Morgan.

Chiroux said that while they were detained, he and his fellow IVAW members were verbally abused by police. "They called us traitors, cowards, idiots," he said. Three women IVAW members who had been arrested were kept handcuffed to a bench and were harassed by male officers.

After receiving medical treatment, Morgan was brought back to the jail, incoherent and in great pain. He was left chained to a bench for five hours without further medical attention, Chiroux said. IVAW members repeatedly asked officers for their names (they weren't wearing badges) or to contact lawyers--they were refused on all counts.

The IVAW members say they wanted to ask Barack Obama if he would support soldiers who refuse to serve in Iraq, since in the past, he had called the Iraq war illegal. They also wanted to question John McCain about his votes to cut veterans benefits.

Morgan's cheekbone was broken in three places. He later underwent surgery to prevent his eye from sinking into his sinus cavity. Surgeons told him he may suffer permanent facial nerve damage. Morgan received a first medical bill--$5,000 that he doesn't have. The IVAW has been raising money for Nick's medical expenses, which aren't covered by the Veteran' Administration, as they are not combat-related.

There hasn't been any discussion of disciplinary action for the officers who committed this unprovoked violence. According to Newsday, police have not yet determined that Nick's injuries resulted from the hooves of the mounted officers--despite the substantial video footage of the event, as well as eyewitness reports. Neither Obama nor McCain, who both claim to be champions of veterans' rights, have commented on the events that took place as they prepared for their final presidential debate.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is investigating the police actions. IVAW members are calling on allies to keep up the pressure through petitions and protest--and on the Nassau County police to drop the charges and take action against officers involved in perpetrating unprovoked violence.