TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Intrusion charges against two top Florida Democrats were dropped Friday.
Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried and state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book were among the 11 arrested outside Tallahassee City Hall in April.
They protested against the new ban on six-week abortions in Florida.
In Friday’s court filing on the dismissed charges, State Attorney Jack Campbell said the following about the protesters:
“To tell the truth, they wanted to be arrested and they attracted the attention of the media with their arrest. The state has no interest in encouraging more wrongful behavior by increasing its profile as it moves through the court system.”
Campbell noted that the protesters were good and had no criminal history.
He doubted the courts would impose “any significant sanctions.”
In an interview Friday afternoon, Freed said the issue of abortion access is important enough for her to go through it all again.
Read Campbell’s full legal filing below:
“You have to stand up and fight back when you see injustice in society, in the world,” Fried said. “So while I wouldn’t encourage people to go out and get arrested, sometimes good trouble is necessary trouble — and especially in something like this.”
Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature approved a six-week ban earlier this year with a few exceptions. Members and the governor said they are committed to protecting unborn life.
The policy has yet to go into effect as the state Supreme Court first reviews the legality of Florida’s current 15-week ban, which has been in place since last year.
