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My friends are in jail! What can I do?
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Is my friend in jail?
You can track whether your friends have been arrested by using Miami’s
online system – all you need is their name and gender category the state
has assigned them. However, people who are not giving their names show
up in the system as Jane or John Does. In this case, you need their
police case number, court case number, or other information they would
have to give you personally over the phone.
Where is my friend being held?
People arrested during the FTAA demos are being processed at a special
processing facility set up at the Earlington Heights Metro Station. They
are then taken to a facility based on their charges. If they have any
felony charges, they are most likely taken to Miami-Dade County Jail:
1321 NW 13th Street (1 block from the court house). Otherwise,
misdemeanor cases are being taken to Turner Guilford Knight Detention
Center (TGK) – 7000 NW 41st Street.
Bail Hearings –
It is required in Florida that people have a bail hearing within 24
hours of their first arrest. Bail is money that you give to a court to
guarantee that an individual will show up at their next court date, and
is returned at that time. At the bail hearing, a judge reviews the
details of your case and your personal background to determine how
likely you are to return to court. The judge will then increase or
decrease bail from the standard amount for the charges. In Miami, bail
hearings are done via video conferencing from the jail.
You can attend the bail hearing of your friend, to vouch on their
behalf, or just to show support for all the folks who were illegally
arrested. They begin at 9:00 in the Miami-Dade Justice Center: 1351 NW
13th St. It’s near the Civic Center Metro stop. Misdemeanor hearings are
in courtroom 4-2, and felonies are heard in 5-3.
There will be Public Defenders at these hearings, to make arguments for
those arrested, and to facilitate friends speaking on their behalf.
Paying Bail/Bond –
There are two ways to pay your friend’s bail. You can go in person to the jail and pay their full bail in full, in cash (or find someone in Miami who is willing to do this.) They are open 24 hours to take bail.
Otherwise, you can work through a private bail bondsman. They will work
with you to allow you to pay some portion of the bail, or to pay with a
credit card.
However, they will charge a fee for these services. You can locate
Miami bail bondsmen on the internet or yellow pages, or try these
numbers: 954-463-6363, 786-512-6661.
What can I do to help my friends?
- Show up to their bail hearing to show support and to vouch on their
behalf. (Note: people who are not giving their names will not want to be
identified in court!)
- Go to the Jail facilities and welcome the people being
released. They will appreciate food, water, and, most of all, smiling
faces. Also, you can help these people document their experience by
having them fill out outtake forms, so that we can follow up on getting
their criminal charges dropped, and also on any potential civil action
based on their arrests and treatment.
- Put pressure on the City Attorney and the City of Miami to drop
these absurd charges. The actions of the Miami Police Department this
week have violated the fundamental due process and first Amendment
rights of thousands of peaceful protesters gathering to voice their
opposition to the FTAA summit. Take some time now and CALL the Mayors,
the city attorney, police chief Timoney and others responsible for these
gross violations. Demand a full-scale, independent investigation into
the police officers’ alarming behavior.
The Miami Activist Defense (M.A.D.) committee and National Lawyers Guild
Legal Observers have observed numerous illegal practices that Miami
City leadership has referred to as a “blueprint for Homeland Security,”
including:
- Indiscriminate, excessive force against hundreds of nonviolent
protesters with weapons including pepper spray, tear gas, concussion
grenades and various types of rubber bullets.
Police stopping and snatching protesters at random and taking them away in unmarked vehicles.
- Protesters being shot with rubber bullets and trapped by police
lines, resulting in major injuries. Medics were not allowed into these
areas.
- Violation of agreements made with organizers and M.A.D. prior to protests.
- Harassment and abuse after demonstrators have been taken into
custody, including denial of medical treatment and water, physical
abuse, isolation, lack of access to lawyers, and being lied to and
verbally harassed.
- Specific targeting and harassment of queers, transgendereds,
people of color, internationals, medics, and legal observers by the
police and the jails.
ALEX PENELAS
Mayor, Miami-Dade County
305.829.9336 home
305.375.5071 office
MANUEL A. DIAZ
Mayor, City of Miami
305.250.5300
305.375.5071
JOHN TIMONY
Chief of police
305-673-7925
305-579-6565
KATHERINE FERNANDEZ RUNDLE
State Attorney
305.547.0100
ALEJANDRO VILARELLO
City Attorney
305-416-1800
JOHNNY WINTON
Miami City Commissioner
305.858.7344 home
305.250.5333 office
KATY SORENSON
Miami Dade County Commissioner
305.375.5218
305.378.6677
CHARLIE CRIST
State Attorney General
850.414.3300
Local media has been grossly biased in their coverage. While this is
somewhat to be expected the following are numbers that people could call
and voice frustrations.
CBS4: 305-639-4551, 305-639-4601, 305-639-4426
WPLG channel 10: 305-576-6397
WSUN Fox: 954-524-0388
- Donate money! Miami Activist Defense has incurred many costs
while providing legal support, and more are likely to arise as we begin
to take these cases to trial. We would greatly appreciate your help! You
can donate by sending checks to NLG Gainesville, PO Box 2063,
Gainesville, FL 32602. You can also donate online via paypal – send
money to puzzleelement [at] aol.com.
There is also a general bail fund that has been set up – help us ensure
that no one remains in jail because they can’t front money to the state.
Send checks payable to Student-Farmworker Alliance – PO Box 961 – Lake
Worth, FL 33460. You can direct questions about donations to:
561-541-****.
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