Charges against the @CASAforall Seven dismissed! Arrested calling for #Access2Care in Annapolis, the seven activists raised up how Marylanders are dying and suffering because they do not have access to healthcare. MD legislators have the power to change this.
ANNAPOLIS, MD — At the request of the Office of the State’s Attorney, The Honorable Danielle Mosley, presiding over the August 22 Annapolis criminal district court docket dismissed all charges in the case where seven activists from immigrant advocacy organization CASA were arrested for calling for access to healthcare outside of the Annapolis Statehouse in April. Accompanied by their pro bono attorneys Raquel Smith, Kimberly Seabright, Vernon Brownlee, Michael Stark, Omid Azari, and Hassan Ahmed, as well as CASA’s Legal Director Ama Frimpong-Houser, the seven were prepared for trial to fight the charges filed against them. Instead, the State requested a dismissal of the charges.
Held on one of the last days of the Maryland legislative session, over one hundred activists gathered for a rally for the Access to Care Act. At the end of the event, police arrested seven CASA activists as they stood at the steps of the statehouse holding a banner with the message, “Healthcare is a human right.”
“The action in April exemplified the first amendment right to peacefully assemble and protest, and that was affirmed today when the charges were dismissed,” said CASA’s Legal Director Ama Frimpong-Houser, Esq. “Members of our community are dying and suffering because they do not have access to healthcare, and legislators have the power to change this. We have every right to raise awareness of and amplify this issue in an impactful way that is seen and heard by all who have the power to pass the bill. This is what we were doing in front of the State House. CASA will do all it can to ensure healthcare is a human right that is honored in this state.”
The activists, or the “CASA Seven” as they have been called by many, highlighted the stories of Marylanders who have passed away or suffered severe health conditions – and would benefit from this bill. Emely Deleon, 22, CASA organizer for Baltimore City, participated in the action to honor the memory of her late father, who passed away due to COVID last year. Her dad Edgar was only 49-years-old and, like many Marylanders, did not have health insurance.
With over 149,000 lifetime members across 46 US states, CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in working-class: Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities. CASA creates change with its powerbuilding model blending human services, community organizing, and advocacy in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of members. Visit us at www.wearecasa.org and follow us on Twitter at @CASAforall.
