Protesters Arrested at ‘FTP’ March Last Saturday Each Charged with Six Misdemeanors

By Austin Nolen

Jordan Davis, 25, and Hannah Weaver, 20, both arrested last Saturday during the ‘FTP’ (Fuck the Police) march on Baltimore Avenue covered by the Declaration, have been charged with six misdemeanors each by the Philadelphia District Attorney.

According to the charging documents filed on Monday, August 25th, Davis and Weaver committed the following offenses: criminal conspiracy and possession of the instruments of a crime, first degree misdemeanors; criminal mischief, institutional vandalism and resisting arrest, second degree misdemeanors, and disorderly conduct, a third degree misdemeanor.

The representative for the District Attorney, Suzanne Grant, alleged that Davis and Weaver acted together and with others to throw paint balloons at police cruisers and that when police attempted to apprehend them, they resisted arrest. The accusation is formulaic, and offers no evidence that the accused committed the crimes; presumably, a police report, for which a request is being filed, contains more information useful to discovering the innocence or guilt of Davis and Weaver. Once we obtain a copy, it will be posted to the website.

Records related to Weaver’s bail bond show that, prior to being formally charged, the police recommended two additional charges: riot, a third degree felony, and propulsion of a missile (in this case, balloons filled with paint) into an occupied vehicle or onto a roadway, a first degree misdemeanor. It is unclear at this time whether police also recommended these extra charges against Davis, though given the similarity of the accusations, it seems likely. Tasha Jamerson, the spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, says the office declined to pursue these charges.

According to subpoenas issued to the defendants, and in Weaver’s case, her bond documents, both have been released from custody. Davis was able to raise the required portion of his $5,000 bail, and Weaver was allowed to “Sign on Bail” instead of paying any of the $10,000 assessed in her case. Davis, who has an address in New York State, was ordered to stay in Philadelphia awaiting trial. According to her bond documents and subpoena, Weaver, who has a Philadelphia address, has been issued a “stay away order,” which is a temporary restraining order lasting the duration of the trial, though court documents do not say who she must stay away from. Both have pre-trial hearings in Philadelphia Municipal Court in late September: Weaver on September 24th at 10 am, and Davis on the 25th at the same time.

The Declaration will have more coverage of this case as it develops. If we receive information as to the party that Weaver was ordered to stay away from, we will print it if it contributes to the public understanding of this case and does not threaten to cause harm to the other party in the order, since this is not a domestic violence case and because such orders have occasionally been used to quash dissent. If you were in any way a witness to the protest and have anything to share, we encourage you to contact our staff or the author directly at austin [at] spiritnews [dot] org. You can also contact the author securely with his public key here.

Editor’s note: The original version of this story contained two mistakes about the bail granted to the defendants. These have since been corrected.