It's been a busy day today, and the day isn't over yet. The big whirlwind was the last minute announcement of an arraignment this afternoon for Andrew Oswalt, the racist from Monroe Avenue. I'd already seen that he was back in jail this morning (thanks to the online Benton County jail roster), but it wasn't until after 9:00 AM when I was at work that I got the word that he was being charged at a public arraignment today.
Long story short, SURJ sent out an e-mail, Indivisible posted a notice on their Facebook page, and all sorts of us individuals sent the word out however we could: Be at the courthouse at 1:00 PM. And it all paid off - the courtroom was packed, and I do mean packed with people. It was standing room only, and a couple of people who showed up late couldn't even get in. The courtroom was very small, but I'd say that we managed to get close to 50 people in it. Young and old, students and locals, black, brown and white, people showed up.
We also learned some new details about Andrew Oswalt today, including the fact that he owns guns.* Several guns, in fact, including at least one semi-automatic rifle, and a couple of handguns. Given his racist beliefs, and the many ways he has been documented acting out hatefully in the past, I know I'm not alone in saying I feel a real sense of relief that this guy is off the streets (for now, anyway) and in the system (probably for the rest of his life). Should he make bail, he will have to give up his guns, stay away from those people and groups he victimized, as well as stay away from Oregon State University. Yes, he will be barred from any and all OSU property. If he makes bail.
After much vacillating on his part, Oswalt finally asked for a court appointed attorney. There will be a hearing on that matter tomorrow. (So, if anyone is available for that, it would be important to show up tomorrow, February 1st, at 1:15 PM for that hearing as well.) After that, it sounds like his next court appearance will likely be in a couple of weeks.**
As the arraignment came to an end, Oswalt got up and walked away from the chair where he'd been sitting facing the video camera. Then the screen went dark, and all the beautiful people in attendance left the courtroom, filed down the hall, and out the front door of their courthouse. Justice might not have been served (yet), but it is clearly underway.
My heartfelt thanks to absolutely everyone who came out today. You made a difference, and did our community proud.
(Oh, and on a related note...As I was headed to the courthouse, the bus I was on went right past The Pillar house on Monroe where Oswalt lives. They had some sort of table out front with a sign that said something about welcoming foreign students. Which, given who lives there...)
* Oswalt was also arrested last year in Lane County, on July 30th, for carrying a concealed weapon.
** Corvallis should also be aware that there is a budding defense effort for Oswalt percolating on 4chan and other online (and right-wing-leaning) forums.
Long story short, SURJ sent out an e-mail, Indivisible posted a notice on their Facebook page, and all sorts of us individuals sent the word out however we could: Be at the courthouse at 1:00 PM. And it all paid off - the courtroom was packed, and I do mean packed with people. It was standing room only, and a couple of people who showed up late couldn't even get in. The courtroom was very small, but I'd say that we managed to get close to 50 people in it. Young and old, students and locals, black, brown and white, people showed up.
The key component of this arraignment was that Oswalt is now charged with intimidation, which is a felony. He faces years in prison, and/or a sizable fine. His bail was set at $250,000. Though he only appeared via a video monitor, it was impossible to miss that the smarmy smirk he wore in his mug shot was gone, gone, gone. As he took in the size of the crowd, and heard the seriousness of the charges against him, he looked depressed, overwhelmed, and scared. I think that it's safe to say that, at this point, the enormity of how he has managed to screw up his own life and future has dawned on him. We also learned some new details about Andrew Oswalt today, including the fact that he owns guns.* Several guns, in fact, including at least one semi-automatic rifle, and a couple of handguns. Given his racist beliefs, and the many ways he has been documented acting out hatefully in the past, I know I'm not alone in saying I feel a real sense of relief that this guy is off the streets (for now, anyway) and in the system (probably for the rest of his life). Should he make bail, he will have to give up his guns, stay away from those people and groups he victimized, as well as stay away from Oregon State University. Yes, he will be barred from any and all OSU property. If he makes bail.
After much vacillating on his part, Oswalt finally asked for a court appointed attorney. There will be a hearing on that matter tomorrow. (So, if anyone is available for that, it would be important to show up tomorrow, February 1st, at 1:15 PM for that hearing as well.) After that, it sounds like his next court appearance will likely be in a couple of weeks.**
As the arraignment came to an end, Oswalt got up and walked away from the chair where he'd been sitting facing the video camera. Then the screen went dark, and all the beautiful people in attendance left the courtroom, filed down the hall, and out the front door of their courthouse. Justice might not have been served (yet), but it is clearly underway.
My heartfelt thanks to absolutely everyone who came out today. You made a difference, and did our community proud.
(Oh, and on a related note...As I was headed to the courthouse, the bus I was on went right past The Pillar house on Monroe where Oswalt lives. They had some sort of table out front with a sign that said something about welcoming foreign students. Which, given who lives there...)
* Oswalt was also arrested last year in Lane County, on July 30th, for carrying a concealed weapon.
** Corvallis should also be aware that there is a budding defense effort for Oswalt percolating on 4chan and other online (and right-wing-leaning) forums.
Oh, and to answer my own question from the earlier posting on this topic...Apparently Oswalt's mom didn't know anything about what her son was up to, or the hate he has been espousing. And that might explain part of his obvious depression today, and some of the wishy-washiness he displayed over the issue of getting an attorney. Oswalt made it clear he'd PREFER to have a private attorney...But, if mommy and/or daddy aren't willing to foot the bill for such representation, well, I guess he'll have to make do with a court-appointed attorney.
ReplyDeleteWhich leads us right back to tomorrow's hearing: Be there if you can. Benton County Courthouse, 1:15 PM.