I assume you would feel the same for somebody arrested at a conservative protest where some people broke the law.
Say you were identified as somebody who crossed the abortion clinic barrier but it was actually somebody else.
I assume you would say..."oh well, mistakes happen. Tough luck watson. I guess you shouldn't have exercised your constitutional right to peaceably assemble since some others broke the law and they screwed up and lumped you in with them. But oh well watson, it is really your own fault, so oops....I guess I will go to jail over it."
No, of course you would defend yourself.
This guy was peaceably protesting, which is his right as an American even if we disagree with him.
The city of New York owes him his life back.
This guy rivals Rachel Corrie for stupidity. Comes to New York simply to cause trouble, gets busted and now he wants pity. Should have stayed home and took care of his family rather then going to New York engage in violent protest.
You're in the minority here.
The majority isn't interested in a Constitutional Republic. They want a totalitarian oligarchy, so long as it's run by "their guys".
Are you high or have you been on another planet?
He went there to sow chaos and got some.
Good for him - he defended himself. You won't find me crying for him.
The classic straw man "What if Napolean had a B-52" - the point I think you might want to notice is that commonly conservative protesters don't light fires and trash buildings and business and personal property, which has been the modus operandi of the leftist protesters for quite some time now.
Frankly he got off lightly - what if they had searched his computer for evidence of a conspiracy to disrupt the convention - how clean do you think he would be?
Do you really think he just went there to hold up a sign that said "I disagree with George Bush"? and somehow got mixed up with the wrong crowd?
Bad things happen when you go the wrong place with the wrong people with the wrong intentions. He got a cheap life lesson. I've seen worse happen to better.
Diva's Husband
They owe him nothing. he willingly participated in a protest that was being advertised as one which could be violent. The professional protesters were all there, and had crippled horses and injured officers in the past. He knew the risks.
Yes, you have a right to protest peacefully. Unfortunately it was not a peaceful protest, was it.
The legal system worked, (or maybe he came up with a good lie to get off) and so the charges will be dropped. (unless something doesn't pass the sniff test) He isn't owed anything. Those expenses his mother racked up were unnecessary.
The moral of the story here is "don't go looking for trouble, you just might find it".