One Year Later, Iconic Photo Subjects and Other Ferguson Demonstrators Slapped With Vague "Interference" Charges

A few weeks after lawyers confirmed that "everybody" arrested in August last year would definitely be charged, the extent of those charges becomes clear.

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Just two days after Ferguson Municipal Court Judge Donald McCullinannounced plans to withdraw all arrest warrants more than five years old, in an effort described as a "fresh start" for Ferguson residents, new charges are being brought against Ferguson demonstrators one year after initial arrests were made during protests inspired by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. More than two dozen impacted individuals had court dates on Monday, according to the Huffington Post, with others set for Wednesday and spread across September.

Most of the charges fall under the vaguely defined umbrella of "interfering with a police officer in performance of his duties," a charge noted by legal experts as easily abused and in desperate need of redefining. Among those hit with baffling new charges are Edward Crawford, the subject of an iconic photo depicting Crawford throwing a police tear gas canister away from a crowd that included children:

Rashaad Davis, depicted in the equally iconic photo below doing nothing more than holding his hands up, is also being charged with "interfering" with a police officer:

Luke Nephew, known as a "peace poet," is also being slammed with a ridiculous interference charge stemming from his own participation in the historic protests last August. Nephew is also known as the lyricist behind the Eric Garner tribute "I Can't Breathe," now a staple in protests across the country:

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Brendan Roediger, a law professor at St. Louis University, predicts that many of these charges will sadly result in warrants or even jail time for many young residents. "No matter what we do as lawyers," Roediger tells the Huffington Post, "there are going to be young people who end up with warrants or end up locked up because of this."

 

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