UPDATED: Free Cammy Dee!

UPDATE: At Cameron’s Probable Cause hearing, the prosecution was apparently not prepared, and was unaware of the previous ruling in Superior court where Cam’s bail was denied. They said they weren’t ready to move forward with the Probable Cause hearing. Cameron’s attorney argued that the prosecution had plenty of time to prepare, since he has been in jail for over a month and still has not been indicted. While the judge chastised the prosecution, the judge pushed the court date back to June 27th. Cameron will sit in jail for nearly a month before the government even has to prove that they have reason to charge him.

Thankfully, twenty people came to show support for Cameron. He needs help paying for his defense. Also you can sign up for the Facebook page, or to show up at the June 27th Probable Cause hearing.

ORIGINAL

Cameron D’Ambrosio (aka Cammy Dee) is an 18 year-old Methuen high school student who made a rap song that the police and prosecutors didn’t like and so was charged with Communicating a Terrorist Threat. They picked him up not that long after the Boston Bombing, but have found no weapons or bomb making materials and he doesn’t make a specific threat. He is being held without bail and faces 20 years in jail.

Lets be clear: his only crime is rapping objectionable lyrics without a record deal:

The Massachusetts Pirate Party calls for all charges against Cameron D’Ambrosio to be dropped and endorse his 1st Amendment right to Free Speech.

The struggle to free Cameron probably won’t be over soon. Some supporters setup this the Facebook event to keep track of Cameron’s court case. The #FreeCammyDee hashtag is used on Twitter. If you can spare some money to help with his defense, then the Center for Rights has setup a fund to pay for his defense.

The most immediate event is his Probable Cause hearing in Lawrence, MA today. It will be at the Lawrence District Court, Fenton Judicial Center, 2 Appleton Street, Lawrence, MA 01840-1525. The objective is to show support for Cameron and OBSERVE THE COURT RESPECTFULLY. As Garret, who has been organizing this outing has said:

“the following will be in capitalized letters because it is THAT damned important:

-DRESS FOR COURT; IF NOT DRESSED FOR COURT, PLEASE STAY OUTSIDE THE COURT (“CammyDee” has been held for over a month now, let’s do nothing to make it worse for him or his family)
-NO INTERFERENCE OR OUTBURSTS (Again, “CammyDee” will pay if we can’t act correctly, as will the statement we are making to the Court and the Commonwealth)
-NO SIGNS OF ANY SORT IN THE COURT (Every precaution being taken; everything we do in that Court reflects upon Cameron)

I already know that anyone willing to drag themselves to Lawrence District Court with 1 week (or less) notice already knows how important this is, and the implications this could have upon broader FIRST AMENDMENT protections.”

First Officer Lucia, who will be at the court tomorrow, noted:

I am trying to settle down and sleep before the big day, but I can’t yet. Clothes are laid out, alarms set, tiny purse prepared for searching… The things you never think about as you go about your day is how *complicated* it is to support someone who is accused. First you must not have a regular job or have one that is flexible. This is a luxury of the affluent, mostly. Then you must have proper attire, again, money is required. Transportation is needed, so if there are people who want to come a fair distance, they must be able to afford a car, gas, insurance. Then you finally get there and they violate you: They search and scrutinize you. And then, unlike every other free citizen in this country you are denied access to your cell phone. Their rationalization be damned, this is dead wrong: Your kids can’t reach you, work can’t reach you, your elderly parents…

And if you are an activist in the 21st century, as we are, you are handicapped by being kept off the grid. No Twitter or Facebook to rally the troops or to coordinate with, no reporting to *your* supporters. Sure they allow the “news” their phones, but in this corporate claptrap media era we live in, we need to be our *own* media, and they are preventing us from doing so. As we are taking action to show our support of the first amendment, we are ourselves being deprived of *our* first amendment rights. We cannot stand for this: Another violation of our rights to be resisted.

A huge thanks to Fight For the Future and Center for Rights for keeping on this issue.

May the wind be at the back of all who struggle for Cameron, for they struggle for our very rights and liberties.