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Source: Republic

Source: Australian

Longview man cleared two years after joining longshore rally near railroad tracks
ILWU International President thanks community for solidarity
LONGVIEW, WA – More than two years after Jeff Washburn was arrested in Longview, Wash., during the ILWU’s 2011 struggle for good jobs, Cowlitz County prosecutors finally dismissed charges against him. Mr. Washburn, then president of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Counties Labor Council and business agent for the United Association of Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 26, was arrested on September 7, 2011, while attending an ILWU demonstration at the Fibre Way Overpass. At the time he was arrested, Mr. Washburn was peacefully standing next to the railroad tracks when Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputies moved in and disrupted the demonstration, arresting dozens of people.
Mr. Washburn was initially convicted in March 2012 of a misdemeanor called obstructing or delaying a train. His trial was seriously flawed, and, ultimately, after he appealed, even the prosecutors agreed to reverse the conviction. Yet, despite the fact that the ILWU-EGT dispute had settled in early 2012, Cowlitz County prosecutors continued to waste precious time...

Source: Huffington Post