| Molotov
Cocktail Arraignment of Urooj Rahman Has
100s of Supporters EDNY Unmuted
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Soundcloud
BBC
- Guardian
UK - Honduras
- FreePress?
FEDERAL
COURTHOUSE, June 29 –
Amid protests about the murder
of George Floyd, late on May
30 the U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of New York
got a complaint signed
by Magistrate Judge
Sanket J. Bulsara about a
Molotov cocktail attack on an
NYPD vehicle.
Inner City Press,
which covered the protests in
Foley Square and at One Police
Plaza on May 29 (video here
and edited here),
and aftermath
on Fifth Avenue on May
30, publishes the
complaint (later-written song
on Soundcloud).
On
June 5 the
Second Circuit
Court of Appeals first
heard the
government's
appeal of the
release of
Mattis and
Rahman. Inner
City Press
live tweeted
it, here,
and see below.
On
June 23, after
the defendants
were remanded
on June 5, a
three judge
panel heard
more extensive
arguments,
which Inner
City Press
also live
tweeted, here
and below.
On June
29,
Urooj
Rahman was arraigned
on the
indictment.
Inner City
Press live
tweeted
it:
Arraignment
was set to
start at 9 am.
First
her lawyer
Paul Shectman
will talk with
her. Meanwhile
a caller is
bragging about
staying at
home getting
unemployment.
Other say,
stop.
Clerk:
"The time is
9:19 am,
counsel please
state your
appearances
for the
record." Ian
Richardson for
the US. Paul
Shechtman for
Mr. Rahman.
Judge:
Ms. Rahman are
you on the
phone?
Urooj
Rahman: Yes,
your Honor.
Arraignment
begins.
Judge:
Ms. Rahman,
the Grand Jury
has
returned...
Please mute
your phones.
Ms. Rahman,
can you hear
me?
Urooj
Rahman: I can
hear you.
Judge:
You are
charged with
seven
counts...
arson...
explosive
device.
Court
reporter: I
can't hear,
too much
background
noise.
Judge:
Mute your
phones or I
will not able
to continue
with this
proceeding.
Court
reporter, how
much did you
get? Let me
start over.
Count 1 is
damaging an
NYPD
vehicle...
Judge:
Count 2,
Arson....
Arson
conspiracy...
Destructive
incindiary
device...
Obstruction of
law
enforcement
during a civil
disorder.
Judge:
Ms Rahman, do
you understand
the charges?
Participant:
Guys! This is
not difficult!
Please mute
your phones!
Judge:
Do you waive
the public
reading of the
indictment at
this time?
Shechtman:
Yes. She
pleads not
guilty. Judge:
Ms. Rahman, is
that your
plea? Rahman:
Yes, it is,
Your Honor.
Next date:
July 15. Story
soon.
After
Judge
adjourns,
people stay on
the
line. Many:
Love you Rooj!
Rooji!
Not a
criminal!
Voice
(unemployment
man?) "Just
the beginning
of the
procedures...
Voices:
Praying for
you... Love
you Rooji...
Rooj we have
your back.
A
voice: Thank
you for all
your
support.
Urooj Rahman
still on the
line? Seems
so.
Voice:
The whole
world loves
you out here,
Rooji... Urooj
Rahman: Paul?
No answer. "A
lot of people
on the
phone... I
love you all,
thank you all
for your work.
Paul?"
Many beeps.
On
June 20 Inner
City Press
published
the EDNY
transcript, on
Scrib'd
and Patreon, and
Collinford
Mattis' reply
brief to the
Second Circuit, also
on Scrib'd
and
Patreon.
And
June 22 statement
via CCR, here.
On
June 19 the prosecutors'
reply brief
said
that "Rahman
gave a
video-taped
interview
earlier in the
evening of the
firebombing." The
video is here,
from 4 hour
30 minutes.
On June
5 Inner City
Press noted even
that
that the
forthcoming decision
might turn on
EDNY District
Judge Brodie's
failure to
mention the
applicable
presumption.
After
5 pm on June
5, this
remand:
Full order on
Patreon here.
Watch
this site.
Live tweeted thread of appeal argument here.
On
June 2,
the appeal was filed, full
text on
Patreon here.
***
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