Hi George,

Well, the trial's over and I'm extremely happy to report that it went well. The "Omni 4", Spot Etal, Abi Miller, Nicholas Graber-Grace, and myself, Andrew Holden, got off with a 30-day suspended sentence, a "don't do this for two years warning", and 10 days of community service. All in all, a light punishment that we can live with.

[L-R] Abi Miller, Nicholas Graber-Grace, Spot Etal and Andrew Holden

We were fortunate enough to be joined in the courtroom by activist supporters from all through Virginia, including local living wage activists, members of the Virginia Organizing Project, and workers from the Little Flower Catholic Worker Farm in Goochland, Virginia. Even better we had (through the extreme good fortune and benevolence of local labor activist Virginia Germino) the wonderfully affirming and special experience of hosting the "Taco Bell Truth Tour" folks from the Floridian Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

These workers and farm labor activists from Florida have been working for years in a campaign to ensure economic justice and human rights for the tomato pickers in Florida that supply Taco Bell with one of its chief ingredients. Their struggle to end worker beatings, unite the local communities, and recieve fair pay has recieved national attention, and their call to boycott Taco Bell until these laborers have achieved some measure of justice is being more and more well-known. We four co-defendents and activists feel honored and very grateful to them for going well out of their way and visiting Charlottesville to support our local "living wage" efforts.

Despite some occassional bickering with the judge, and an at-times confusing trial process the overall day went well, as we left Charlottesville district court and walked across the downtown mall to the Guadalajara restaurant, where various activists and "saints" of Charlottesville treated the coalition to a late lunch.

A happy day, a good experience. We'll let you know when our first "Taco Bell Visit" will take place.

Andrew Holden (electronic mail, September 28, 2001).

C.A.G.E. Citizens Against Global Exploitation