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Jurors Say OWS Activist Cecily McMillan Should Serve No Prison Time

HeadlineMay 09, 2014

A majority of the jurors who convicted Occupy Wall Street activist Cecily McMillan of second-degree assault are asking a judge not to sentence her to any time in prison. McMillan was found guilty on Monday of assaulting a police officer. She says she struck out instinctively when her breast was grabbed from behind, and later suffered a seizure during her arrest. During the trial, the jurors were reportedly barred from researching the case, including potential sentences. Some were shocked to learn McMillan could face up to seven years in prison at her sentencing on May 19. One juror told The Guardian, “Most wanted her to do probation, maybe some community service.” The juror called the potential seven-year term “ludicrous,” saying, “Even a year in jail is ludicrous.” Nine of the 12 jurors who convicted McMillan have written to the judge asking for leniency, saying “it serves no purpose to Cecily or to society to incarcerate her for any amount of time.”

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