Hey guys!! I have been so busy with life and love that I completely forgot to give any updates regarding my legal situation!
Just to let everyone know all charges against the "lemonade liberators" were dropped!!!! We fought the state and we won WE DID IT!! For further detail the associated free press did a pretty damn good article about the whole situation and it was by far my favorite interview of them all so please check it out!!!! http://americanfreepress.net/?p=1281
Ms. Dill added, “We felt that if the police were going to come onto people’s property and shut down their lemonade stands, then we were going to take it to them and set up a lemonade stand right in front of the Capitol.”
After their arrest and interrogation for nearly five hours while handcuffed to a wall, the three activists were given the option of urinating in cups and undergoing drug tests in order to avoid trial. Recognizing these constitutional violations, they refused, which added an additional charge of contempt of court. Additionally, the court granted a “stay away” order that barred them from the U.S. Capitol.
Duffield explained his views. “Even though we haven’t yet been proven guilty of any crime, we’re banned from Capitol Hill, which in my estimation is a violation of my First Amendment right to petition government for [redress of] grievances as I can no longer access the offices of my congressional representatives.”
The original charges—unlawful conduct, failure to obey a police officer and vending without a permit—were all dropped and replaced by the federal charge of illegally selling goods and services. Each facing up to a year in jail, the lemonistas were surprised that the government dropped its case.
They have no plans for future protests, but Duffield commented, “I’m of the opinion that if you don’t stand up for your future and the future of your country and your children, then you might not have one.”
Commenting on how friends had stated that having a record could ruin her future, Ms. Dill explained, “I don’t see how my life would be more ruined than if I didn’t stick up for what I believe in.”
