Letter from Sherry Conable to Santa Cruz DA: Dismiss Charges – Bradley Stuart Allen

From: Sherry Conable
Date: March 27, 2012
To: [email protected]
Cc: Sherry Conable
Subject: Dismiss Charges - Bradley Stuart Allen

Bob Lee
District Attorney
County of Santa Cruz, CA

Dear Sir:

It is very disturbing to me that you are choosing to prosecute Bradley Stuart Allen in relation to the occupation of the vacant bank building at 75 River Street in November of 2011.

I am a well known and very active political organizer in Santa Cruz and I have known Bradley for 9 years now. During that time, as a member of the Press Corps, he has covered over 20 events and actions that I have organized in both public and private spaces, and in both indoor and outdoor settings. He has covered them for IndyBay News alongside reporters from the SC Sentinel, the SJ Mercury News, the SF Chronicle, CNN, KION, KPFA, KZSC, KSCO, KWAV, and other TV, radio, and print news outlets.

Because of the outstanding quality of this work, I always send a personal request to him as a member of the press to please cover any event that I am responsible for, as well as having him in my standing data base both for my Press Release FYI list and my Public Service Announcement FYI list.

Bradley is an exceptionally fine photo journalist. He takes absolutely stellar photographs, and his prose copy is very insightful, responsible, and thoughtful, and does a great job of connecting the dots for the reader. I particularly look for his stories on events that I am interested in because I know how excellent the quality will be!

Freedom of the press is protected by the Constitution of the United States. It is one of the most fundamental cornerstones of a healthy, functioning democracy.

In entering the already occupied bank building, Bradley was exercising that constitutional right in a way that benefits the whole community. There is no evidence whatsoever that he had any other role in what went on at that site than as a photojournalist and press corps member for a well recognized online, independent news source.

Please stop your costly and illegal prosecution of him! Dismiss the charges!!

This is a shameful waste of taxpayers money, a black eye to the Constitution of the United States, and a terrible thing to put him through. He is a sincere, caring, and very talented young man who is serving the best interests of his/our community in a fine and lasting way by doing his work as an independent news journalist.

Sincerely
Sherry Conable
Santa Cruz, CA
March 27, 2012


Photo of Sherry Conable by Bradley on February 13, 2006 at Santa Cruz City Hall at a press conference and rally to call attention to Santa Cruz Police Department spying and their investigation clearing themselves of any wrongdoing.