Case against sidewalk counselor in Oakland

From an email from a friend:

Dear Friends of Life,

Please read the article below. This case will set precedence in Oakland and throughout California.

Note below that Rev Walter Hoye apparently did nothing wrong.

I have personally met Reverend Hoye. He is a warm, loving and Godly man. He is being persecuted for defending life. He is being used as a cruel example to enforce the new "bubble, Mother May I" Law in Oakland.

What can we do?:

Prior to the trial on Dec 19, today if you can, write and fax the District Attorney Tom Orloff, let him know that we are aware of the truth behind this case, and we will be observing the trial and will hold him accountable for a fair trial for the Reverend Hoye.

The Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff is located at:
1225 Fallon Street, Room 900
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 272-6222
FAX: (510) 271-5157

Thank you for staying engaged. Let us continue to bond together and hold our public officials accountable. Together we are a strong voice.


D.A. CONSPIRES WITH CITY, ABORTIONISTS TO SILENCE PRO-LIFER

City Attorney Calls Obstruction by Pro-Aborts “Creative”

OAKLAND, CA: More details emerged Friday of the scheme by government officials and abortion providers to silence pro-life advocate Walter Hoye of Berkeley. At a pre-trial readiness hearing in Oakland Superior Court, the Alameda County district attorney demanded that Rev. Hoye plead guilty to one misdemeanor count and agree to stay-away from local abortion clinics for an unspecified period of time in exchange for dismissing three other bogus criminal charges against him. Rev. Hoye refused and will go to trial next week.

Rev. Hoye, who is African-American, feels a special calling to work for the end of the genocide-by-abortion taking place in the African-American community. As part of his efforts, he stands in front of an abortion clinic in Oakland with leaflets about abortion alternatives and a sign reading, “Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help.”

Rev. Hoye’s peaceful witness enrages the all-white cadre of clinic “escorts,” who surround him to impede his movement, block his sign with large sheets of blank cardboard, and make raucous noise to drown out his quiet offers of assistance.

As this interference did not deter Rev. Hoye, the clinic then worked with Oakland city council members to pass a “Mother May I” ordinance, prohibiting approaching within eight feet of women entering abortion clinics without their consent. The penalty for illegally approaching a person to talk or hand out a leaflet is one year in jail and/or a $2000 fine.

On May 13, 2008, Rev. Hoye was arrested for allegedly violating the ordinance. One of the witnesses against him was an Oakland city attorney who was secretly watching from a car. In an e-mail to the clinic director, the city attorney said the escorts’ use of signs to block Rev. Hoye “was creative and seemed to be effective.”

The district attorney then expanded the complaint to include four counts, two for “unlawful” approaches and two for allegedly using “force, threat of force, or physical obstruction” against two of the clinic escorts. At a pre-trial hearing in July, Rev. Hoye’s attorneys cross-examined these “victims.” The escorts admitted that Rev. Hoye never used force against them, threatened them, or blocked them. They proudly testified that they routinely block Rev. Hoye to prevent patients from seeing his sign. Nevertheless, the DA has not dismissed the charges against Rev. Hoye.

“The district attorney’s office appears to be using these trumped-up charges as leverage to pressure Rev. Hoye into giving up his free speech rights,” said Hoye’s attorney Mike Millen. “The threat of four years in jail is a potent one, but my client is more interested in getting the truth out, both on the sidewalk and in the courtroom.”

Rev. Hoye will be back in court on Friday, December 19, 2008, where a trial date will be set.