HELP FREE ANTHONY NELSON

 

On June 6, 1984, a young man, Anthony Nelson, was up late enjoying Washington's gentle beauty. He was strolling around, carrying a backpack with clean clothes and $180, his sole material possessions, when he came upon a small group of philosopher/demonstrators seated near some antinuclear signs across the street from the White House. It was 3:00 a.m., and this seemed to be the only action around, so he sat down and conversed for awhile, thinking he'd hang out until the sun came up and he could go get a bite to eat.

 

However, at 6:00 a.m. he was witness to a violent arrest scene in which a police officer beat up three of the philosopher/demonstrators and arrested everyone "for camping" who was seated behind the signs -- including Anthony Nelson.

 

Now, Anthony Nelson had been careful to report regularly to his parole officer on an earlier, totally unrelated infraction of the law, but because he was arrested for being in the neighborhood when the demonstrator/ philosophers were cleaned off the sidewalk (so visiting dignitaries wouldn't have to be disturbed by the sight of individuals protesting Administration policies while they ate their feast in the State Banquet Room), Anthony Nelson was found to be in violation of parole and was put in jail. A "kindly" judge set a "minor" cash bond of $300, but since the police had kept Anthony's backpack and money as "evidence," he had no money to pay the bond, and since his only friends in Washington, D.C. also had no money (being street philosophers and demonstrators with no subsidy but God), Anthony was and has been and is being kept in jail until the "camping" case against him is tried, which currently is sceduled to be on September 17, 1984, but which easily may not be resolved until sometime in 1985 or 1986.

 

Anthony Nelson needs help. He has broken no law; indeed, despite all the injustices he has experienced since June 6 he remains a loving and forgiving person who is simply bewildered by what's happening to him.

 

Please, enemies of injustice and lovers of truth, do unto this brother what you would want to have done for you in the same situation and contribute whatever you can to free Anthony Nelson. Jail is a horrible place, particularly when there is no moral justification for your being there. God will bless you for whatever you can do.

 

Anthony Nelson can be reached at:

D.C. Jail No. 179-840

1901 D Street SE, Washington, DC

727-1500