Peter Blailock, Chloe Frankel and Andrew Murray, the three protesters who were arrested last year during a meeting hosted by Whole Foods Market, will have their cases dismissed in the coming weeks, according two different versions.
Frankel said their cases were given an “abeyance” for one year starting mid-June of last year. As long as they don’t get arrested for similar crimes, their cases will be dismissed, according to Frankel.
Murray and Frankel were arrested at the meeting, which was held at the Curley School, after unfurling a banner from the balcony of the auditorium that read, “Displacement, what is Whole Foods going to do about it?”
Peter Blailock was arrested after police stopped another group of activists from unfurling another banner in an aisle of the auditorium.
“I would say that I think it was an overreaction to arrest us,” said Frankel.
She added that she finds it interesting to reflect a year later with Whole Foods now in JP and property costs rising.
Murray wrote in an email that he has similar feelings from a year ago about the arrest.
“I hung the banner feeling that I was in the right in demonstrating in the way that I did, but I was also prepared to be arrested if it did happen,” he wrote. “The event was set up by [Whole Foods] and the police were there to ensure that the meeting went in the way that Whole Foods wanted, and did not have any interest in allowing any dissenting views to appear in the meeting. Therefore, I was not too surprised to be arrested.”
Frankel, who along with the other two protesters were represented pro bono by the National Lawyers Guild, said the legal process was “pretty low-key.”