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Jonathon Norris Legal Defense Fund

ixtow

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Messages
5,038
Location
Suwannee County, FL
Stolen from Mystic Lemur on the other thread said:
Judge Todd: "Who needs an AK-47 to play chess or to be at a fireworks event?"

My response:
"Who needs to carry at Luby's cafe in Texas?"
"Why would a teacher at Columbine, Gardena, Red Lake, Millard South, et al. High School need to carry?"
"Who needs to carry at Virginia Tech or UAH?"
"Who needs to carry on an army base?"

I guess their crystal balls were broke the day all those shootings happened.

If we could predict the need, we would go somewhere else, wouldn't we?

If we could predict the need, we wouldn't need 911 or the Police, either.

Whom among us can see into the future?

This Officer.
Hahahaha!
 
Last edited:

Jonathon Sometimes

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Messages
214
Location
Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Both emails are mine...

Just wanted to start transferring stuff over to an "official" email of mine, instead of an older one.

Right now, don't have a target amount yet, my lawyer is still considering the fee for an appeal.

But the funds are around $460! Thank you to everyone, I won't let you down in court.

I'll never sign away anything, I'll never let this go, and we're going after these guys big time.

Just dig in, it might take a while.
 

dixieborn

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2009
Messages
130
Location
Mobile, AL, , USA
Done. I hope it can help, and I wish you the best Jonathon! We've never met, and I'm far down the state from you, but I'm as appalled by the outcome and proud of the effort y'all are going through as anyone on here.

I'll continue to try and keep up with what's going on. If your lawyer gets a more concrete number and you find you are still lacking in funds, let us all know. When the time comes, we'll hopefully be able to help out some more!

You are most certainly in my thoughts and prayers.
 

Brimstone Baritone

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
786
Location
Leeds, Alabama, USA
Yes, it would be nice of one of the Bama folks could let us know how the fund is progressing, versus the need.

Can do. Sorry it took so long to respond :(

Jon was easily able to pay the cost of his attorney for the muni trial (thanks to everyone who donated!). Bad news is the muni judge found him guilty. He can't appeal until he is sentenced (don't know if this is true everywhere or just an Alabama thing) and he won't be sentenced until the latter part of this coming July. More than a year after his initial arrest.

As far as the need goes, Jon is going to have to come up with an appeal bond that will be some function of the amount he will be fined. He may also need to post bond or spend his time waiting on appeal in jail. When we get a dollar amount someone will post it, but in the meantime we're all kind of in limbo. The waiting really is the hardest part.

My thanks to everyone who has donated so far, and in advance to everyone who has yet to donate. I'll be chipping in a little more tomorrow when I pay some bills.
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
As Grapeshot pointed out in discussing skidmark's legal defense fund, it is probably not wise from a tactical POV to disclose how much money is needed and how much has been raised.

Suffice it to say that the municipal trial has been covered and that contributions for his defense at the district (?) level are still being sought. While at the municipal level, the moronic agenda of a single community-activist judge can trump the law, the protection a jury provides at the next level should slap the rogue officers (including "this officer" :rolleyes:), the rogue prosecutor, and the usurpist judge down when they come back with a "You're kidding, right?" verdict.

Consider any contributions an investment. While Jonathon would be free to use the proceeds from the future civil trial in any way he chooses, I believe him to be a man who will remember how the community backed him in his hour of need and will return the favor several fold.

Someday, you may need a defense fund. Give a few bucks in the full knowledge that hundreds would each give you a few bucks should you end up in need.

Thanks to all who have already given. You are fighting on the front lines of the war to preserve the right that preserves all others.
 

CarryHard

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
57
Location
Charlotte NC
http://alabamaopencarry.com/forum/index.php?action=donate

On July 4th past, Jonathon Norris was arrested for OC while he was sitting and playing chess in a Birmingham park. He was charged with disorderly conduct since he violated no gun laws. A lot of his property, including his handgun and his long gun were confiscated, along with his CPL, and not returned. On ALOC, we put out a request for donations to pay for his legal costs. The members stepped up and covered the costs of his trial completely.

Unfortunately, he was convicted in that municipal bench trial. The judge completely ignored the fact that the officers answered "NO" to every question about the six enumerated actions that could constitute disorderly conduct. She stated that it was her "opinion" that Jonathon's actions were threatening.

Jon is, of course, appealing for a jury trial. This will be more expensive and more than we in Alabama could possibly raise without outside help, even though we have already started a second round of donations to his legal defense fund.

So we are asking for your help. I know you have been generous before, and we don't want to stretch your ability to help too thin, but anything you can give would be greatly appreciated. You can donate via PayPal at the link up top.

To read more detail about what happened and how the trial went (and, soon, the transcript of the trial), please read the following threads on ALOC:

http://alabamaopencarry.com/forum/index.php?topic=1218.0

http://alabamaopencarry.com/forum/index.php?topic=205.0

Again, thanks for every dollar you can give. The prosecutors, the police, and the judge are trying to make sure that Jonathon pays a heavy price for doing that which is legal but they don't like--even though they know that he will be ultimately acquitted. He is fighting this battle for us, for all of us whose rights may be similarly trampled upon. He is fighting to set a precedent in Alabama that OC, in and of itself, cannot be disorderly conduct, that some other behavior, besides playing chess, has to accompany OC for it to be considered "threatening."

Help Jon and, in the process, help us all avoid future specious arrests and kangaroo court trials.

Thank you.


I dont understand the full situation here

In one of the quotes i read the judge is talking about an ak-47
was he wearing a rifle around?
 

dbhsig

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
20
Location
Socialist Republic of Maryland
As Grapeshot pointed out in discussing skidmark's legal defense fund, it is probably not wise from a tactical POV to disclose how much money is needed and how much has been raised.

Suffice it to say that the municipal trial has been covered and that contributions for his defense at the district (?) level are still being sought. While at the municipal level, the moronic agenda of a single community-activist judge can trump the law, the protection a jury provides at the next level should slap the rogue officers (including "this officer" :rolleyes:), the rogue prosecutor, and the usurpist judge down when they come back with a "You're kidding, right?" verdict.

Consider any contributions an investment. While Jonathon would be free to use the proceeds from the future civil trial in any way he chooses, I believe him to be a man who will remember how the community backed him in his hour of need and will return the favor several fold.

Someday, you may need a defense fund. Give a few bucks in the full knowledge that hundreds would each give you a few bucks should you end up in need.

Thanks to all who have already given. You are fighting on the front lines of the war to preserve the right that preserves all others.

I just read both threads over at ALOC and man, this judge pisses me off. Though open carry is only a distant dream in this hell-hole of a state I live in, I do what I can to help those that have it, keep it. I'm sending a few bucks Jonathon's way!
 

eye95

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
13,524
Location
Fairborn, Ohio, USA
I dont understand the full situation here

In one of the quotes i read the judge is talking about an ak-47
was he wearing a rifle around?

He was OCing both a handgun and a long gun. The long gun was strapped across his back as he sat playing chess with a homeless man when the LEOs arrested him.
 

Brimstone Baritone

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
786
Location
Leeds, Alabama, USA
And if you keep reading, you'll see that what he was doing was lawful, and that even the first witness wouldn't go so far as to say Jon was scaring people. He even says:
Prosecutor: You said they were dismayed?

Sgt: Yeah, maybe just surprised. A couple other people were offended. But then, like I said as he was walking past them, they were walking away fast. Walking away from the citizen.

and:
Sgt: Um. Well, I came up behind him. There was people just standing. All around. I won't say that they were afraid or whatever. A lot of people was just kind of like staring.

If all it takes to be arrested for Disorderly Conduct is to surprise, dismay, and offend people, we are all in a lot of trouble. Of course, if we were talking about a 'real' right like freedom of speech, it wouldn't matter how many people you offended or dismayed.
 
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