Support in Court

There are many angles to being an anti-ICE activist. On Tuesday, I decided to show up to support an activist who had been given a citation at the John Moss Federal Building protest in downtown Sacramento, so it was off to the Tani Cantil-Sakauye Sacramento County Courthouse. Now, I have good memories related to Tani Cantil-Sakauye, when she was Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.  I filed a claim with the California State Bar when I got ripped off by sleazebag attorney Hal Wright in 2013, when he churned out an ineffective will for me.  Not only did I get my money back - with interest! - but I also got a letter of apology from Tani Cantil-Sakauye herself.  Nice! I still have it around here somewhere.

The activist had faced Citizen's Arrest for having had the temerity to use a megaphone at noontime outside the John Moss Federal Building, where ICE is headquartered in Sacramento, and where we try to have a continuous, 24-hour protest.  Since we do make noise at times, we sometimes aren't popular with the people who live in the high-rise apartment building across the street, or the people who live in several other nearby apartment buildings.

Impressive court building.  I never knew this building was here.  If I go to court at all I usually go to the Superior Court on 7th Street, where the really big trials happen.  I guess this new building is devoted to smaller stuff. I noticed a woman waiting in the hallway carrying a wrinkled Notice of Trespass.  So, if you trespass on someone's property, and get caught, you end up here. The smaller, workaday stuff.

Nice views here.  Good view of the Sacramento Railyards.

Ooh, there's a big fire over there.  My understanding is that this was a grass fire at 20th Street and the rail line (probably the line formerly known as the Union Pacific).

Hanging out, waiting for the courtroom to open. Saw a few fellow activists. And as it proved, the District Attorney (DA) never bothered to file a charge against the activist.  Probably too stupid a citation to waste time with, especially with 1st-Amendment implications. No charge means the activist and supporters can all leave.  I guess if you get a citation the DA reserves the right to file a charge even at the very last moment, so everyone has to show up regardless.  A fine way to run a train.