Activists subpoenaed to Thursday grand jury meeting in Seattle
Two Portland residents say they will appear before a federal grand jury in Seattle Thursday in an investigation of anarchist activity, according to a statement they released on Wednesday.
Activists subpoenaed to Thursday grand jury meeting in Seattle
Two Portland residents say they will appear before a federal grand jury in Seattle Thursday in an investigation of anarchist activity, according to a statement they released on Wednesday.
Grand jury subpoenas have also been served to activists in Olympia and Seattle who may be connected to an ongoing investigation of May Day vandalism, according to the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which identifies itself as an association of progressive lawyers. In a statement, the guild urged the U.S. Attorney’s Office to drop the subpoenas out of suspicion they were being used “as a pretext for harassing political activists.”
Of primary concern to the guild has been the seizure of political literature from those subpoenaed, said guild spokesman Neil Fox.
“It concerns us any time there are law-enforcement raids that target political literature, first amendment-protected materials,” Fox said. “There’s a chilling effect these things have on people.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington has sealed all legal documents concerning the subpoenas and search warrants issued to seize evidence and provided no comment on the investigation.
