Hill facing felony
By MARIA BONDES
One of the CU students arrested following a Jan. 29 anti-war protest that ended in what police call a riot appeared Thursday at the Boulder County Court for his arraignment. At the hearing, a trial court date was set for May 15.
Senior sociology major Jourdan Hill, (a.k.a. Jourdan Colline and Jourdan HŸgel), who is charged with four misdemeanors and one felony charge of inciting a riot, fears he will have to plea bargain because of the costs of legal defense.
Due to the felony charge, an attorney - even legal support by CU's legal aid program - would demand a minimum of $3,000. Depending on the length of the judicial process, these costs might be as high as $17,000, said Hill, who has talked to at least seven attorneys about his case in hopes of obtaining representation.
The costs have so far prevented Hill from hiring counsel and he said he has given up hope of finding a defender for his case.
"Due to the felony nature of my case, the costs of hiring a counsel are unaffordable to a self-supportive student," said Hill. "If the police charge an individual with a felony, they are not only pushing legal charges against you, but they are also challenging your checkbook."
At Thursday's hearing, Boulder County Judge Tom Reed read Hill's charges, chief among them inciting a riot, which is punishable with one to three years in prison and fines of $300,000 to $700,000, as well as four misdemeanors that include engaging in a riot, obstructing a peace officer, harassment and unlawful conduct on public property.
Each of the misdemeanor charges can be punished with six to 18 months in jail and a maximum of $5,000.
A misdemeanor charge of interference with faculty/staff was removed, which was in fact the only charge Hill would have pled guilty to, he said later.
If Hill pleads guilty at his upcoming court date in May, the felony charge and two of the misdemeanors will be dropped, leaving him with a likely punishment of up to 100 hours of community service and a maximum of two years of probation, as well as an estimated fee of $250, according to Hill.
If he pleads not guilty, Hill will be tried on all charges. Should he lose the case, Hill could face up to 10 years in prison, he said.
This fact makes him dependent upon the services of a good attorney - a situation he finds unfair, he added.
But, Hill said, the option to plea bargain seems like a "sell-out." He says he sees himself "economically forced" into that decision.
"What it comes down to is I try to remain with my principle: I really believe that the case against the students is faulty and with proper legal counsel I could prove to the students and the Boulder community that what occurred on Jan. 29 was not a riot and that the other charges levied against us are a way of keeping students away from protesting and deter other students from constructively purporting a different view," said Hill.
"I feel like I'm selling out, because I still believe in what we did that day. If I plea bargain, I feel like I'm selling out on the global movement. I feel like I'm giving up and I don't want to," he added.
Hill said he is hoping for support from his fellow students, both in the form of general support but also financially or legally if possible.
He said students could start a fundraising campaign for him or put him in touch with a befriended or related attorney.
"This is not going to be a massive amount of time, and I believe my case is quite winnable," Hill said. "My legal advisers would be happy to talk to any lawyer who would consider defending me."
Hill said he especially hopes for the general support of the student community as a symbolic statement about the importance of First Amendment rights.
"I do understand that I made some mistakes that day, but none of them are worthy of felony charges," said Hill. "I hope that students regardless of their political view support the charged students, because this is no longer a political issue."