For Immediate Release: November 10, 2013
For Further Information Contact: The Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) at 249-878-7227
The S-CAP 11 trial continues on Tuesday, November 12th with the S-CAP 7; Put Food in the Budget says “It is the duty of politicians to listen to their constituents – not to use the law against them.”
At 9:30am on Tuesday, November 12th, the trial of 7 members and supporters of the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) continues. On the last court date on October 21st Justice of the Peace Diane Lafleur dropped the charges against four of the S-CAP 11, due to lack of evidence and the inability of the Crown to establish jurisdiction and date. S-CAP is very pleased that the Crown was unable to prove its case against 4 of the members of the S-CAP 11 and is now even more confident that all of the S-CAP 11 will be found to be non-guilty for their engagement in anti-poverty activism.
The trial continues in Committee Room 11 (C-11) at Tom Davies Square and this time the defence will be presenting its evidence of why the remaining S-CAP 7 are not guilty of ‘trespassing.’ The S-CAP 11 were charged with 'trespassing' on Nov. 9th 2012 for converting the waiting room of Liberal MPP Bartolucci (he was then also a cabinet minister) into a mock emergency homeless shelter to dramatize what the cut to the important Community Start Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB) would lead to for people living in poverty. The S-CAP 11 are represented by lawyer Donald Kuyek and are pleading not guilty to the charges.
Put Food in the Budget, a province-wide anti-poverty campaign, has issued a statement in support of the S-CAP 11. In part it reads: “It is the duty of politicians to listen to their constituents – not to use the law against them... Mr. Bartolucci's continued disregard for the issues that the protest was specifically addressing is disappointing but entirely within character for a provincial government that is more concerned with appearing to care about poverty than acting to achieve any real and lasting progress.” The full Put Food in the Budget statement will be released at the media event following court proceedings on Tuesday.
S-CAP is again asking for all supporters to sit in the court room to show their support and to join the S-CAP 11 for a support rally and media event at the end of the proceedings for the day on Tuesday.
Contact: The Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) at 249-878-7227
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