BY RON RICHARDS
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - In a victory for political rights, criminal charges by the police against me were dropped November 10. While selling Pathfinder books and socialist periodicals October 21, I had been arrested for obstruction of justice and selling without a vendor's permit.
The charges were dismissed because the municipal ordinance that governs street vendors contains no provisions for arresting violators. Infractions of the law are supposed to be dealt with by giving the vendor a citation similar to a traffic ticket. The only person who violated the law the day that I was arrested was the policeman.
The law clearly states that newspapers can be sold without a permit as long as the vendor does not sell other products, such as food, clothing, etc. Books and magazines are not mentioned in the ordinance.
Support from several political activists helped me win the battle. Ten people came court to show their solidarity. Historian Pedro Aponte, who has written a number of books about independence fighter Pedro Albizu Campos, attended, as did members of the International Socialist Organization and the Taller de Formación Politica (Political Development Workshop). Attorney Arturo Hernández represented me.