6 Trump inauguration protesters found not guilty

WASHINGTON — The first six people to stand trial on rioting charges stemming from violent protests in downtown Washington, D.C., on President Trump's inauguration day were found not guilty on all counts Thursday morning.

The jury presented its verdict in D.C. Superior Court, where for the past month federal prosecutors tried to argue the defendants were guilty of assisting in the violence, even though evidence didn't show any of the six had done any physical damage that day. The protesters, who were tried together, maintained they were expressing their First Amendment rights by protesting Trump.

Jennifer Armento, 38; Michelle Macchio, 26; Oliver Harris, 28; Brittne Lawson, 27; Christina Simmons, 20; and Alexei Wood, 27, all faced decades in prison. The jury found them not guilty on five counts of felony destruction of property and two misdemeanor counts of engaging in and conspiracy to engage in a riot.

The acquittal marks the end of a long odyssey for the six defendants, some of whom have had to upend their lives in order to face the charges in D.C.

"I feel overwhelmed and elated," said Harris, who stood outside the courthouse following the decision. "It's been incredibly trying in a lot of ways. This process has invaded every aspect of my life."

Lawson, a registered nurse from Pittsburgh, said she broke into tears upon hearing the verdict. She's had to quit her job since being charged and moved to D.C. two months ago.

"This sets an incredible precedent for activists facing state repression," she said.

The six were among more than 200 people to face felony and misdemeanor charges for what prosecutors called a riot. Anti-Trump protesters marched through the streets on inauguration day, where some smashed windows, lit fires and tossed bricks at police, injuring six officers.

Prosecutors mapped the movements of each protester that day, arguing the six defendants did not remove themselves from the demonstration, despite witnessing violence.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which prosecuted the case, issued a statement saying "the evidence shows that a riot occurred."

"This destruction impacted many who live and work in the District of Columbia, and created a danger for all who were nearby," the statement said. "The criminal justice process ensures that every defendant is judged based on his or her personal conduct and intent."

Attorneys for the defendants maintained the assertion the six were simply using their First Amendment rights. Some of the lawyers said assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Rizwan Qureshi failed to prove the defendants were guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The outcome could serve as evidence of things to come for the 188 people yet to stand trial on similar charges. The next set of defendants go to trial on March 5. Lawson is optimistic for them.

"We're going to keep fighting the good fight," she said. "I stand in solidarity with everyone facing state repression."

Some had argued the government was trying to prove a point by charging the demonstrators so broadly. Harris, a graduate student from Philadelphia, said the charges altered his views on free expression.

"This personally has changed the way I view the way I can express my opinions and how my associations can be criminalized," he said. "Things that I used to think I had a right to or the freedom to do before, I now second guess. And to me, that's not freedom."

However, Simmons doesn't feel deterred, although she said, "the process is definitely part of the punishment."

"I feel excited that I can get back out there and speak my truth and exercise my freedom of speech," she said. "I felt like that was put on hold for a year."