Broadview Six Face Rare Federal Misdemeanor Trial Over Sept. 26 ICE Protest

4 articles · Updated · Chicago Tribune · May 21

Four remaining Broadview Six defendants, including Oak Park trustee Brian Straw, are set for a jury trial Tuesday on misdemeanor counts of impeding an ICE agent after a judge threw out the felony conspiracy charge.
Prosecutors say protesters surrounded an ICE SUV during a Sept. 26 demonstration in Broadview, struck the vehicle and blocked its movement; court filings allege Straw pushed toward the front and threw iced coffee on the windshield.
Judge April Perry used a Monday pretrial hearing to review disputed evidence and grand-jury materials, with jury selection expected to be difficult because of heavy publicity around the case.
The case is unusual because federal misdemeanor trials rarely reach trial in Chicago, and legal critics have cast the prosecution as politically charged intimidation tied to protests during the government's 64-day immigration crackdown last fall.
Two of the original six defendants had charges dropped in March, but Straw says the prosecution has already taken a toll on his family, with his children suffering nightmares and the case eroding their trust in the justice system.

Could a misdemeanor trial for throwing iced coffee set a new federal precedent for prosecuting protesters near government agents?

What is the line between protected First Amendment rights and criminal obstruction when a protest confronts federal officers?