The following is a letter i wrote to the editors of the Asheville Global Report shortly after the State’s case against me was dropped. What was not included in the letter, but should have been, is that at the same time, the APOC 7 were released from the State of New York’s charges against them. Persistance and support has ensured victory.

If you religiously read the AGR, you may know that I and a friend were unlawfully arrested on November 19, 2004 while protesting the US invasion of Fallujah. My friend was arrested for destruction of public property (he swung around a pole imitating the famous scene from “Singing in the Rain”). His charge was almost immediately dropped. I, on the other hand, was arrested for inciting an officer to violence by gesturing. On five different occasions, the District Attorney’s office offered me a plea bargain of time served if I agreed to plead guilty. I should note that the time served was for the four hours in jail and the thirty minutes or so in solitary confinement for asking to speak to a lawyer.

For five months, I sat through hours in the courtroom; appearing in court on three occasions. I refused to plead guilty to something I didn’t do. The APD and the District Attorney’s office have been notorious for illegal harassment and prosecution of political activists. Despite the ease of taking time served, I did not want to give in to this political profiling.

Since I have very little money I was unable to hire a lawyer. But considering my lack of trust for lawyers, I didn’t try that hard to find one. With a little bit of research and some help from Breaking Glass Press (www.infoshop.org), I was able to secure my victory in the courtroom. A few days ago, the District Attorney realized that they were going to lose and chose to drop the case rather than suffer defeat at the hands of someone with no college degree. Persistence and the support of friends is what won my case.

As we move more and more into a repressive regime, police departments are beginning to arrest more and more people who stand up for themselves and others. I encourage all of you to be persistent. By supporting each other and standing up for ourselves, we can occasionally find justice in an unjust system.

In solidarity,
Kris Lynch

P.S. I recognize the great amount of privilege that lead to the outcome of my case. I know that many suffer because of the injustice of this system. I dedicate my new found time out of jail to all political prisoners and those that live in struggle.