Dozens of people gathered in Hempstead on Monday as members of the Hempstead 15  plead not guilty to the charges of “disorderly conduct” and “failure to obey a lawful order” in a court hearing at the Nassau County District Courthouse.

The Hempstead 15, a group of 10 military veterans and 5 civilian supporters, were arrested Oct. 15 while protesting outside Hofstra University, site of the final presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. The protest was organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), a group of antiwar veterans advocating for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq.
The next court date was set for Nov. 12 for IVAW member Adam Kokesh, with other members of the Hempstead 15 facing subsequent court dates continuing through late January.

IVAW members had asked supporters to gather outside the courthouse to show support for the protesters who were facing charges brought by the Nassau County District Attorney.

“We cannot be brutalized and silenced and told that we don’t have the right to oppose those who are taking away our rights and literally trampling everything that is to be American,” said IVAW member Sgt. Matthis Chiroux  to activists outside the courthouse, according to TV and radio news program Democracy Now!
Two hours before Barack Obama and John McCain were set to debate, about 400 antiwar demonstrators tried to get close to the Hofstra University campus entrance.

After the first group of Nassau County police officers allowed the protesters through, the demonstrators were met with lines of riot police and officers mounted on horseback blocking the entrance to Hofstra.  The first round of arrests occurred, and the police pushed back the protesters to a nearby sidewalk.

A tense five-minute standoff followed, and then Nassau County police mounted on horseback charged onto the sidewalk, causing about four or five people to be knocked over.

IVAW member Nick Morgan, who served in Iraq from 2004-2005, had his face trampled on by a horse’s hooves.  Morgan eventually had to undergo surgery due to the incident, in which his cheekbone was broken and his nose fractured.
http://ivaw.org/member/nick-morgan

“You know, I hope that a lot of you, especially from this area, are as appalled as I am at actions of the Nassau County Police Department and the gross violations to the Constitution that all of us veterans swore to protect and uphold against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” said Morgan after the Nov. 10 arraignment.

In a Facebook post on the group’s page, Chiroux called on supporters to keep up the pressure on the Nassau County District Attorney.  He is urging IVAW’s supporters to call and email District Attorney Kathleen Rice to demand that all charges be dropped.

“We’re a long way from finished fighting. And this is a fight we will ultimately win. Simply having people in this country willing to put their bodies on the line in defense of our veterans and the constitution is proof that victory is within our grasps,” wrote Chiroux.

For past coverage of IVAW at indypendent.org, see below:

http://www.indypendent.org/2008/10/30/ivaw-protest-update-shocking-new-video-released-as-nick-morgan-undergoes-surgery-and-first-court-date-set/

http://www.indypendent.org/2008/10/24/antiwar-vets-injured-arrested/

http://www.indypendent.org/2008/08/28/ivaw-obama/

http://www.indypendent.org/2008/03/14/free-fire-fallout-vets-grapple-with-atrocities-interview-with-an-iraqi-war-vet/

http://www.indypendent.org/2008/02/07/return-of-the-winter-soldier-iraq-vets-prepare-atrocity-testimony/