FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 9, 2011

Dissent is NOT Terrorism

Occupy Eureka Exposes District Attorney's Secret & Outrageous Premise for
Police Actions Against The Nonviolent Protest
Contact: occupyeurekamedia@gmail.com, (707) 442-7465
Eureka, CA: Recently, through a California Public Records Request, Occupy Eureka uncovered
documents showing the unlawful government conspiracy to vilify and suppress the Occupy Wall Street
demonstration in Eureka, most notable of the documents being the Humboldt District Attorney's initial
November 2nd direction to clear the Occupy protest tents in front of the courthouse due to a fear of
hidden explosives. Although District Attorney [DA], Paul Gallegos, repeatedly states that he does not
believe that the protesters are harming anyone or any property, he nevertheless directs county and city
police action warning that We only need one McVeigh guy... and the whole seat of the government is
gone. Occupy Eureka protesters want people to know the truth behind the police actions, beginning
over two months ago, which continue to prohibit almost every form of first amendment expression in
front of the Humboldt County Courthouse.
We are dedicated to nonviolence and are disgusted at the Humboldt DA's conflation of dissent
with explosives and his attempt to paint our protest as a threat of terrorism explains one Occupy
Eureka participant. Since the original order from the DA, which contained no allegations of protesters
breaking laws, the Eureka police, county officials, Sheriffs' deputies, and DA's office have carried out
an unlawful campaign of civil rights violations including militarized police raids, wrongful arrests,
unrelenting theft and harassment, and false criminal prosecutions.
While the DA's secret and baseless premise for police action against the demonstration is
surprising, it follows a trend of indifference to the constitutional rights of the Occupy protesters and a
national trend of violently criminalizing and incarcerating . Leading up to the first raid on November
7th of Occupy Eureka's nonviolent protest, local mainstream media and the Eureka police attempted to
publicly smear Occupy demonstrators through spurious allegations of pooping and peeing on a bank
and theft of an old drug store sign (that had been been recovered from a dumpster). In reality, however,
the emails obtained via the CA Public Records Request clearly indicate that Eureka interim police
chief, Murl Harpham, had been ready with a plan to suppress the protest and DA Paul Gallegos gave
the 'go get em' directive and continues to sanction a paranoid and unlawful stifling of dissent.
Occupy Eureka is in the 93rd day of its Occupy Wall Street nonviolent protest in front of the
Humboldt County Courthouse, where expression of almost every first amendment freedom has been
restricted. Hundreds of signs and banners representing our freedom of speech have been confiscated.
The police raids and harassment show that Occupy protesters are not allowed to peaceably assemble or
petition our government to redress grievances. Occupy Eureka demonstrator Bill Douglas states The
characterization of Occupy protesters as terrorists is outrageous and sets an Orwellian precedent for the
suppression of civil liberties in Humboldt County. We call for an end to harassment of the Occupy
Eureka protest by local police and local officials.
Press packets are available through email, by request: occupyeurekamedia@gmail.com
Statement from Occupy Eureka January 2011
It has come to our attention that the Humboldt County District Attorney is indulging in
paranoid speculation. In an Email with the subject line, tents outside of the courthouse
the DA raises the possibility of a sinister threat to county government posed by tents on
the lawn.
Following in the despicable tradition of Joseph McCarthy and Richard Nixon, he
speculates on the possibility of explosives or otherwise dangerous materials in tents.
He states, ...nor are we aware of who occupies those tents. He clearly states several
times that he has absolutely no basis for these suspicions: I do not believe that any
individual out there intends to do any harm to the county government, county property
or any individual. We are still waiting for the county to produce any other Emails as
well as the details of any meetings that this speculative fear must have generated.
Initiating the arrest of 13 people and the confiscation of their property based on
something that he clearly knows to be false has opened the taxpayers of this jurisdiction
to costly civil actions as well as possible criminal penalties.
The District Attorney is fully aware that this is a nonviolent movement. The facilities
manager and the police freely moved about the occupation without interference by the
protesters. He was invited to visit the occupation and attend our open-to-the-public
general assemblies to see that those occupying the tents were peaceful protesters
including members of the houseless community who have been struggling for basic
human rights with this county for years. We conduct ourselves in a transparent system
for any person to see and participate in.
He asks that the tents be removed, as soon as possible while citing no ordinance being
violated and no basis for his reckless speculation. He put into motion a police raid that
occurred on the 7
th
of November with no facts and he states clearly that he has no
reasonable basis for his suspicion.
There have been no violent acts at any of the occupations except those committed by the
police, and any attempt to conflate nonviolent political protest with terrorism is an
affront to democracy. We are therefore demanding that the District Attorney publicly
repudiate this wild speculation and tell the public the real reason for the continued
harassment of the occupy movement.
Gallegos, Paul
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Mike/Phil:
Gallegos, Paul
Wednesday, November 02, 2011 12:53 PM
Downey, Mike; Smith-Hanes, Phillip
Ruth, Carolyn; Chaitin, Wendy; Neel, Kelly
Tents Outside of the Courthouse
Please be advised, I believe the continued presence of tents outside of the courthouse presents a profound public safety
risk. Specifically, the courthouse is, in effect, the seat of all Humboldt County government. Directly outside the seat of
all Humboldt County government are several tents that are occupied, or not, that contain items and/or materials that
we do not know of. Nor are we aware of who occupies those tents. While I do not suspect that any of those tents
contain any explosive or otherwise dangerous materials, I cannot confirm that they do not and I do not believe that we
can allow the risk of such an occurrence to continue. Further, while I do not believe that any individual out there
intends to do any harm to the county government, county property or any individual, I cannot confirm that they do not
and I do not believe we can allow the risk of such an occurrence to continue.
While I do not wish to appear to be an alarmist, any one of those tents could conta.in materials that are harmfufto
individuals and/or property. Further, any one of the individuals out there could desire to harm individuals, county
government or governmental property. If one of them did and injuries and/or death to individuals or destruction of
governmental property occurred we would be in the unenviable position of having allowed that situation to occur. I do
not believe we can allow that.
Therefore, I am asking that those tents be removed from outside of the county courthouse as promptly as possible.
Paul V. Gallegos
District Attorney
Office of the District Attorney
Humboldt County
(707) 445-7411
The information contained in this email message is intended for the CONFIDENTIAL use of the addressees only. The
information is protected under the attorney-client privilege and the work-product privilege. Recipients should not file copies
of this email with publicly accessible documents. If you are not an or an authorized agent responsible for
delivering this email to a designated addressee, and you have received this email in error, THEN ANY FURTHER
REViEW, DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, COPYING OR FORWARDING of this email is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If
you receive this email in error, please notify the office of the Humboldt County District Attorney immediately at {707)445-
7 411. Thank you in advance for your courtesy and cooperation in this matter.
Gallegos, Paul
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Gallegos, Paul
Wednesday, November 02, 2011 12:58 PM
Smith, Davina; Smith-Hanes, Phillip; Nee!, Kelly; Downey, Mike
Ruth, Carolyn; Chaitin, Wendy; Billingsley, Jefferson
RE: Camping
I believe the presence of tents presents an unwarranted, unallowable risk to public safety and believe we should do all
that we legalfy prevent them. I have no problem with the protest ers and appreciate much of what they are
to commumcate and get public sentiment aroused about. However, the risk posed by the tents to
Humboldt County government and governmental property is too great and the consequence of our inaction
IS too great to allow them to continue and/or return.
Paul
From: David Tyson [mailto:DTYSON@d.eureka.ca.govl
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 2:05 PM
To: Smith-Hanes, Phillip
Cc: Murl Harpham
Subject: OCCUPY EUREKA
Phillip:
Sorry not having contacted you since Monday. Chief Harpham and Lt. Zanotti have developed a plan to address the
County's request regarding the camping at the Courthouse. Chief Harpham is available to you by phone to review the
Department's plan. The Chief would like to know if County was able to arrange for storage of the confiscated property.
He would also appreciate an email from you outlining the County's request.
David
From: Smith-Hanes, Phillip
Sent: Wednesday, November 02
1
2011 3:31PM
To: David Tyson
Cc: Murl Harpham
Subject: RE: OCCUPY EUREKA
"#------- .
Thank you David (and Chief),
The County is requesting that the Eurel<a Police Department enforce Eureka Municipal Code (and applicable Penal Code
sections) related to camping in non-permitted public spaces on the front lawn. The District Attorney has sent me a note
today requesting this action, because he believes the camping creates a hazard for County and Court employees.
The County is committed to store any property obtained by EPD in an action to enforce the Municipal Code. If the Sheriff
does not have available space, he will contact my office for assistance.
Phil Smith-Hanes
County Administrative Officer
Gallegos, Paul
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Gallegos, Paul
Wednesday, November 02, 2011 3:58 PM
Tysoh'
\'
RE: OCCUPY EUREKA
Thank you. I Police Department' s prompt response to t his. Asl explained to Phil, I
beHeve _thetents create a tisk ofpublicharm that'is unacceptable. We do not know who, how many or what is inside
those t ents and that creates an extreme public safety issue for the public, county personnel and county property and I
am asking that the risk be addressed. I have no problem with the protester's opinions or desire to galvanize public
support for what they feel is a significant public issue. However, I do not believe we can allow a public safety issue to be
created and/or allowed to remain. .
Thank you again.
Paul
Gallegos, Pauf
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
My input:
Gallegos, Paul
Thursday, November 17,2011 4:02PM
Smith-Hanes, Phiflip; 'DTYSON@ci.eureka.ca.gov'; Lovelace, Mark; Chaitin, Wendy; Nilsen,
Amy
Hayes, Kathy; Ferguson, Shelle; Billingsley, Jefferson
Re: Requests from Occupiers
First, I defer to the county except as security concerns. I do not think we can consent to tents or any enclosed structure. If
they want to put a tarp with a heater and you consent that addresses my security concerns. I am confident that they are
peacefuL However since alf of humboldt county government and records are housed in this one building 1 think that we
cannot risk being wrong and allow a situation that provides an opportunity for that one crazy person tgat is against
government like McVeigh.
That's my input.
Paul Gallegos
District Attorney,
Humboldt County
Gallegos, Paul
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Gallegos, Paul
Friday, November 18, 2011 8:18 AM
Lovelace, Mark
Re: Requests from Occupiers
There is halvorsen park. I thought an alternative location would be ideal awhile ago but I am not sure there was one that
they would accept
Candidly I support the movement Unfortunately here it has been somewhat co-opted locally by our professional
protesters. I have resisted the urge to go down and join them because it would taint any decision not to prosecute as
favoritism. Creating a lace for them to go could allow it to meaningfully grow and allow this county to show its support for
the movement But it can't be at the courthouse Mark.
Having tents outside our building pose an immense public safety risk. That would last like 3 minutes in front of a federal
building. The risk of potential harm is too great All you need is 1 McVeigh guy. He doesn't even have to from here- onl y
see an opportunity and the whole seat of government is gone.
Paul Gallegos
District Attorney,
Humboldt County
January 7, 2011
Open Letter to Humboldt County District Attorney, Paul Gallegos:

We have reviewed your November 2, 2011 email to the Humboldt County Sheriff, County Counsel, and the County
Administrative Officer in which you direct that the tents of Occupy Eureka be removed from the front of the
Humboldt County Courthouse. The go get 'em email, obtained through a California Public Records Request,
instigated, with no legal basis, the November 7 militarized raid, arrests, and civil rights violations by the Eureka
Police Department [EPD] and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department (and presumably the subsequent raids,
arrests, and civil rights violations) and creates a conflict as you attempt to prosecute people arrested in those raids
and related police actions. Most egregious, however, is that your email to the County is a malicious work of
shock and awe deceit that should be retracted immediately. You wrote of Occupy Eureka protesters as if they
might be terrorists with explosives in their tents. Redwood Curtain CopWatch is outraged and disgusted at your
dangerous, wholly unfounded, and secret implications regarding non-violent Occupy Eureka protesters.
Undoubtedly, thousands of people who will learn of your disingenuous and inflammatory Nov 2 email and the
subsequent similar emails will also be appalled and offended by your actions.

You are the District Attorney in a county that painfully remembers the bombing of non-violent Earth First! activists
and organizers, Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney, and the government's baseless attempt to depict these victims of
horrendous violence, and their fellow activists, as terrorists, in order to destroy their movement. Congress and
Obama have just passed a bill allowing for indefinite military detention of anyone the government chooses to deem
a possible terrorist. Having endured McCarthyism in the 1950's, still experiencing the affects and injustices of
COINTELPRO, suffering Iraq to preemptive attacks and years of war based on suspected weapons of mass
destruction, we are in the age of the post-911 USA PATRIOT ACT, Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, Islamaphobia,
the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and other atrocious affronts to due process, democracy and humanity. You
conjured up a basis for the ongoing conspiracy to violate Occupy Eureka protesters' civil rights relying on a similar
to that which produced the above-mentioned bigoted and repressive campaigns. Your Nov 2 email and subsequent
nefarious emails wherein you speak of security concerns regarding Occupy Eureka has now earned you a place
with other government officials and propagandists who strip people of their fundamental right to fairness and use
spurious allegations and labels such as terrorist to suppress dissent.

The War on Terror is based on manufactured fear of a nebulous idea. When Americans are fearful, they allow
their military to invade countries illegally and immorally and are willing to surrender their civil liberties. Your
rationale for invading tents (and possibly cars and homes) regarding potential explosives is the same 'war on
terror' based on creating fear. The paranoid directive you gave police regarding Occupy Eureka has led them to
treat backpacks, blankets, anything that is under a tarp or a table as illegal or suspect, and they steal and even
destroy that property.

You claim in your Nov 2 email that you are not aware of who occupies those tents and imply that such a fact is
ground for legal suspicion, which it is not. It is also unbelievable that you are not aware being that Occupy
Eureka demonstrators have been living in the public view. Your Nov 2 email degenerates to a record low when
you put forward the most ludicrous, offensive and incendiary statement : While I do not suspect that any of those
tents contain any explosive or otherwise dangerous materials, I cannot confirm that they do not and I do not
believe that we can allow the risk of such an occurrence to continue. What occurrence? Are you asserting that
your duty includes creating fear and suspicion upon which to predicate preemptive raids and arrests? Are/were
you seeking Homeland Security monies by crying wolf, when you know your implications are not true? Your
orders and unlawful accusations have already been used locally as the premise for a long list of wrongs perpetrated
by the EPD and Humboldt Sheriff's against Occupy Eureka, and they have the potential to ruin peoples' lives
forever.

Why did you lie to the public, claiming that Occupy Eureka gets raided because of broken camping laws and
municipal codes? There is nothing in your emails that alludes to the illegality of the tents, nothing requesting
enforcement of the crime of displaying signs and banners, nothing that gives officers a legal basis for mass
arrests or clearing all protesters from the sidewalks and lawn near the Courthouse, nothing that instructs officers to
arrest people filming their activity, and nothing that alleges Occupy Eureka demonstrators were harming any
property, government business, or other people. (In fact, you specifically state that you do not believe Occupy
Eureka demonstrators are harming property, government business, or other people). Nevertheless, the officers
have consistently pretended that all of those things are the reasons for their unlawful actions, and you have told the
media the same.

You remind the recipients of your Nov 2 email that the courthouse is, in effect, the seat of all Humboldt County
government. That is the primary reason why Occupy Eureka is located in front of the courthouse. You defame
the character of people engaged in constitutional activity with your preposterous suggestion of explosives.

In mid-November, you acknowledged in a message to County Supervisor, Mark Lovelace, that the [Occupy]
movement has been somewhat co-opted locally by our professional protesters. Putting aside the absurdity of
such a statement, we do understand the implication that you recognize some of the non-violent protesters and that
you believe they are experienced, know what they are doing. However, you repeatedly suggest that All you need
is 1 McVeigh guy... and the whole seat of government is gone. How dare you correlate such an inflammatory idea
with Occupy Eureka. How dare you create such a false and secretive premise and then tell the public that the police
(through their illegal activities) are protecting the community and the safety of the 300 employees and 300 jail
inmates.

You have protected no one.

We understand now that you use menacing and inflammatory what ifs to prompt officers to raid Occupy Eureka
in riot gear with semi-automatic weapons, to interfere day and night with every form of first amendment
expression, to oppose release from jail for protesters held on non-violent misdemeanor charges, and to order
warrants and arrests that have no legal grounds. Perhaps you have forgotten that people still have basic legal
protections including the presumption of innocence, the right to be free from unlawful search and seizure, the
requirement of probable cause before arrest, and the right to due process. These rights and others have been
completely disregarded beginning on November 7
th
when Eureka Police began its raids, wrongful arrests, and
unrelenting theft from Occupy Eureka. If the reason for the raids and daily harassment began with suspicion of
explosives, the police should have had a search warrant, some kind of legal investigation. But you know, and so do
the Eureka Police and Humboldt County Sheriff's, that there was never a threat of explosives at Occupy Eureka. It
is incredulous that you are worried about 1 McVeigh guy who doesn't even have to [be] from here. If you are
acting on a concern that anyone from anywhere could come and harm everyone in the courthouse/jail building,
perhaps you are too paranoid and delusional to hold an office. Invoking a tragic incident with many victims that
occurred in another state over fifteen years ago does not give you legal grounds to create more victims by violating
the rights of people peacefully assembling and redressing grievances.

In addition to laying the groundwork for a string of civil rights violations against Occupy Eureka participants (and
anyone who happens to be in front of the courthouse when the police decide to handcuff, steal, intimidate, etc.),
your dangerous and unlawful framing of Occupy Eureka protesters as potential terrorists resulted in Eureka Police
Officer, Louis Altic, telling protesters recently that he wanted to search a bag because it may have a bomb in it.
People refused to consent; Altic did not get a warrant; he did not search the bag; the bag continued to hold clothes
and toiletries for its owner. If there was a legitimate suspicion that the bag contained a bomb, it would have been
criminally negligent for Altic to not search the bag. The fact that he did not only proves that he never had a
legitimate suspicion and used a baseless accusation as a flimsy pretext for harassment. This dishonest behavior in
dealing with the Occupy protest seems to be standard operating procedure for not only the EPD, but the office of
the District Attorney as well.

Stop deceiving the public and stop targeting the Occupy Eureka protest.

You have not only defied the law at the expense of many peoples' civil liberties, property, and well being, but you
are wiping out any remaining trust from the 'progressive' community that put you in office. Your terrorist rhetoric
has no place here.
Redwood Curtain CopWatch
Mr. Gallegos,
In 1995, when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed, I lived in Oklahoma. We lived near
Oklahoma City in the college town of Norman. The bombing had a devastating affect on everyone. In
the days, weeks, and months that followed the tragedy, friends, teachers and colleagues would
spontaneously erupt into tears at anything that triggered a memory of the explosion. The federal
building had contained a daycare center and many children lost their lives. Everyone knew someone
who died.
Ten years later I visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial Site for the first time. The silence in
that place was deafening. Nothing stirred. Nothing moved. There was just silence. It was the absence
of all of those voices that would never be heard again.
I can only assume you've never been to Oklahoma City, Mr. Gallegos; that you've never looked a
survivor of that bombing in the eye, that you've never walked amongst the 168 empty chairs in that
memorial, that you've never even read a list of the names of the victims. No one, with any kind of
conscience, could have experienced these things and still invoke the name of Timothy McVeigh as a
pretext for his personal political machinations. As an Occupier and someone affected by this bombing,
I am disgusted that you would imply that me or any of my fellow nonviolent protesters might be a
potential Timothy McVeigh.
Shame on you Paul Gallegos. Shame.
An Occupy Eureka Protester
(Rough) Occupy Eureka Gov't. Action TIMELINE
-Oct. 7, 2011- Occupy Eureka joins hundreds of occupations in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, protesting
the financial/banking industrys fraudulent crashing of the worlds economy while amassing obscene profits, 1%
vs. 99% income inequality, Corporate Greed and Corporate Dominance of our governments. In multiple polls,
the majority of Americans supported these non-violent protests.
The District Attorney, Board of Supervisors, Eureka City Council and the Eureka Police Department [EPD]
began putting together a coordinated plan to harass, intimidate, disrupt and eliminate Occupy Eureka. Using
false arrests/false charges, keeping people in jail illegally, assigning punitive bail, assaults, stealing critical
personal property, taking down signs and information kiosks/canopies, deliberately confusing court
dates/issuing warrants and regular harassment of protesters.
-Oct 20- Occupy Eureka asks the County Administrative Officer if they can put a port-a-potty nearby; refused
-Nov 2- District Attorney via email directs county to remove tents from courthouse lawn due to fear of
explosives and unknown people in tents; from then on, in all public statements, DA vaguely alludes to public
safety issues
-Nov. 7- Massive raid (about 4am) involving EPD, Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept, and Arcata Police:
Thirteen people arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice including people filming police activity from
across the street; police confiscated everything, collective and personal and hauled it away
-Nov 8- Police began coming multiple times a day to take signs and banners hung on anything, including
someone's personal bicycle. Police also made many "visits" during dark hours, walking through the area and
threatening to arrest people for having a blanket on their lap while awake ("you can't have that blanket on you"),
waking people up if they were resting, and telling people who were not asleep but prone on the ground that they
could not be.
After a couple of days, police told protesters it was illegal for signs to touch the sidewalk. Police consistently
came and harassed and stole from the protest.
Officers who took signs, in all but one or two instances, refused to ticket the people who claimed the signs and
refused to return the signs, instead putting them in police cars claiming that they were evidence.
-Nov. 10- Kimberly Starr arrested for filming EPD Sgt. entering Occupy area about 4am; DA's office opposed
her release after 8 days in jail, claiming that she was a danger to the community; case was later dismissed after a
jury found 10-2 in Ms. Starr's favor (she represented herself)
-Nov 12- Police came to take signs off corner; Hans Ashbaucher arrested while videotaping; police broke his
ribs
-Nov. 14- Mass arrest (in early morning) with no warnings; thirty-two people arrested on suspicion of
camping and suspicion of obstructing, some people arrested away from the site; EPD Off. Terry Liles hit
protester on ground with baton in head area; witnesses arrested
-Nov. 14- County erects chain link fence, a NO free speech zone
Nov. 15- EPD prohibits signs touching sidewalk, steals any signs touching sidewalk; steals signs off of chain
link fence
Police harassed Occupy daily, for instance, for having a display on the ground, not blocking any passage,
threatening to take that too.
-Nov 23- EPD and Humboldt Sheriff's close off sidewalk in 4:30pm raid, take down tarp structure housing
literature and protecting from rain; EPD arrests Hans Ashbaucher for displaying a banner while walking in
crosswalk
-Nov. 30- Twelve people handcuffed, photographed, id'd; Two people arrested, one walking across the street;
Police removed 10x20 pvc structure/information kiosk; forced James Decker to turn off his camera
-Dec 6- DA opposed release of Kimberly Starr after 6 days in jail, from arrest at the mass handcuffing of anyone
in front of the courthouse on November 30.
In early December, people who were walking up to the Occupy Eureka site were arrested for suspicion of some
type of alleged "lodging" violation and for alleged "resisting or obstructing"
-Dec. 14-Jury Trial results in 10 to 2 decision in favor of Kimberly Starrs innocence.
-Dec 17- Police removed signs and Free Speech Kiosk
-Dec 19- CopWatch and Occupiers begin questioning DA; collecting information to avoid anyone missing court
or any warrants going out with no notice of charges or court dates
-Dec 20- Charges DISMISSED against Kimberly Starr from mass handcuff incident on Nov 30
-Dec 23- Another fence erected, this time to prohibit people being in warm heating grate area near courthouse
-Dec.25- Anne Rian arrested 7:30am on bogus warrant (deliberate failure to notice new court dates); held in jail
through holiday time
-Dec. 26-Martin Katz arrested for another bogus warrant; held in jail through holiday time
-Dec. 27- Keelan McWayne arrested for bogus warrant, released that day; Pat Kanzler arrested for defending
American flag sign on fence, released that day
DA refuses/d to reveal who had warrants (after causing warrants to be issued for people with no notice of
charges) and arresting 3 people on that basis.
-Jan. 8- Five people arrested and jailed who were either laying down or sleeping. one man arrested for sending
religious flag up flagpole in enclosed area, and who posed no threat to police or other people, was tackled and
tasered multiple times by EPD before being brought to jail.
EPD has taken property, including clothes and blankets, on many random occasions with no legal basis.
EPD has refused to return property, including probably 200+ signs/banners, insisting that they are "evidence".
At times, the EPD has said that the protesters would have to pay money to EPD to get each sign back.