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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

do that?” Obviously it's a stupidity. So they had a demonstration. I read about it. The demonstration closed off the East Side Drive. He and a number of others just went and lay down in the highway to call attention to the problem. They were arrested, and he told me he was charged with resisting arrest because he lay down and wouldn't cooperate in getting up and walking into the patrol wagon. They had to carry him in. That's called resisting arrest, and that's a very serious charge -- and also for disturbing the peace, I guess.

And he said to me: “You know, I wouldn't mind being prosecuted if everybody was prosecuted. But the cops did exactly what I did. When they were laid off, they blocked the Brooklyn Bridge. They weren't arrested.” I said, “You're absolutely right That's really wrong. And the first thing I want to tell you, Arturo, is that when your trial comes up, if you need a character witness, I'll be happy to come. Just let me know. And secondly, I'm going to see if I can do something to help.”

So I wrote a letter to Bob Morgenthau, and I said, “I believe that we have to have justice and justice means equal application of the law. Arturo Santiago was arrested on two charges, and cops who did the same thing but because they're cops, they weren't arrested. I just think it's wrong.”

Well, not very long ago, Arturo's case came up -- I didn't even know it -- but a few days later I meet his lawyer, one of the poverty lawyers, and he said, “You'll be pleased to know that





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