Next Trial Date for Summer Breeze June 28, 2004

Summer Breeze is scheduled to appear in Marquette, Michigan at 9am for trial continuing two years after receiving a citation from the Forest Service.

This citation is USFS 36 CFR 261.10(k). It is a regulation that charges the receiver for gathering on National Forest Service Lands without a permit. The collateral fine for the ticket is $100.00. It is a misdemeanor Class B non-traffic violation punishable by six months in Federal Prison and up to $5,000.00 in fines.

Summer Breeze received this citation on July 10, 2002 while she was documenting information for a woman named "Julia" who was being written up for the same violation. Both women were in Michigan in the National Forest where about 10,000 to 13,000 people came from around the nation and the world to assemble and pray for world peace. Three hundred people received citations. Summer Breeze is one of the last, and maybe the last trial, commencing from the Michigan Rainbow gathering. Other people received citations at other gatherings.

Summer Breeze asked permission to approach the officers who were writing Julia Barge-Siever's ticket to "document" information in case a legal case was to ensue. Julia was in distress by appearances and standing alone in the presence of three Forest Service Incident Command Officers. Summer Breeze asked Julia if she needed someone to take down information in the event she would be arrested. Julia affirmed. Summer Breeze then asked for the names and badge numbers of the Officers writing the ticket to Julia, since the badges were hidden from view, turned backwards, obscured in some way including in the pocket. Forest Service officers and all public police officers are duty bound to display their badges with name and number and to reveal such information during all police interrogation. Summer Breeze was subsequently cited for making the request that the officers reveal their badges so she could "document as a witness of police action" the names and numbers. This got Summer Breeze cited for gathering without a permit!

Imagine that! Performing a peaceful civic duty as a witness and getting cited with a regulation violation, fined, harrassed, threatened with arrest, drug into court thousands of miles from your home, then arrested for your inability to appear in court, lose your job, your business, your vehicle impounded by authorities while you are in court far from home, your personal belongings robbed from your vehicle, lose your job, become completely destitute of money due to the circumstances--then still the courts demand your six and seventh appearance in court--thousands of miles from home---or else automatically go to federal prison for six months for failure to appear in court to be prosecuted for asking an officer of the law to show their badge to you so you could write it down.

Imagine all that! Welcome to America folks! Land of the free!

Summer Breeze's son is being stationed in Iraq in two weeks to fight a war neither of them condones because his country orders him to go so he can participate in killing innocent women and children. His mother faces prison for praying to stop the very war he is ordered by his country to fight in the Name of "God" and "Peace". Summer Breeze went to pray to "God" for peace on earth. What an irony!