Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw is seeking donations to help fund his legal defense after he was indicted on federal conspiracy charges alongside several other local political figures in connection with a protest at the Broadview ICE facility in September.
Straw was one of six indicted on conspiracy to impede the work of a federal law enforcement officer, according to U.S. Northern District of Illinois court documents filed last month. He took to social media Wednesday to ask supporters to donate to his legal defense.
“Please consider standing with me,.” Straw said in his post. “Together, we can show our neighbors, friends, and children that we have the courage to do what is right,” Straw said. “Like millions of Americans, I spoke up because remaining silent in the face of injustice is not an option. It appears the federal government targeted public officials like me to discourage me—and all of us—from speaking out against the actions of this administration that are separating families and creating fear in our communities. I am fighting these unjust charges, but I cannot do it alone. I need your help: Please consider donating to support my legal defense.”
The fundraiser is being administered through ActBlue, a fundraising platform for left-leaning political candidates and causes.
The indictment alleges that Straw and his co-defendants were among a crowd of protestors who blocked, pushed against and banged on a vehicle being driven by a federal officer into ICE’s Broadview detention facility the morning of Sept. 26.
“It was further part of the conspiracy that Straw joined the crowd at the front of the Government Vehicle, and with his hands on the hood braced his body and hands against the vehicle while remaining directly in the path of the vehicle, hindering and impeding Agent A and the vehicle from proceeding into the (Broadview Facility),” federal prosecutors wrote in the indictment.
Straw’s co-defendants include Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh — whose name is misspelled several times in the document — a 26-year-old journalist-turned congressional hopeful who’s among the leading candidates to be Illinois’ next 9th District U.S. Representative. Others charged in the indictment are Cook County Board candidate Catherine “Cat” Sharp, 45th ward Democratic committeeman Michael Rabbit and two other protestors named Joselyn Walsh and Andre Martin.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge April Perry. The first hearing in the case is expected for Nov. 12.
Hours before Straw posted his appeal to supporters, all of his colleagues at the village board meeting Tuesday, Nov. 4 took time to speak out in support of him at the , after the board voted to establish a new “ICE free zone” ordinance.
“These are bogus charges., I have confidence you’ll beat them,” said Trustee Derek Eder. “It was a political attack, a political attack against people using their first amendment rights and standing up against fascism.”
Straw and his co-defendants also received a letter of support signed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and more than 100 other Illinois politicians, which Oak Park Village President Vicki Scaman read out in its entirety after thanking Straw in her own words.
“We are proud of the work you’ve been doing. We are proud of your leadership in the community,” Scaman said. “You know that your colleagues care about you, and I want to make sure that that’s known and understood.”
