Tallahassee: Protester Ben Grant found not guilty
Tallahassee, FL – On November 2, Ben Grant, a member of the Tallahassee 19 and the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, was put on trial for his involvement in a protest against the officers responsible for the murder of Tony Mcdade, Wilbon Woodard and Mychael Johnson. After a trial that went from early morning to late afternoon, it took the jury no more than 20 consecutive minutes to find Ben Grant not guilty of battery on an officer and guilty of resisting arrest.
The state recommended some leniency for Grant after he was found guilty for his resisting arrest charge, as he had no prior offenses. Grant’s lawyer, Mutaqee Akhbar, also recommended as limited a sentence as possible due to a lack if accesses to diversion like the rest of the Tally19. Akhbar advised any sentencing the judge gave to be similar to the diversion offered to the other members of the 19.
Judge Lee Marsh sentenced Ben to one day in prison, 11 months of probation, 100 hours of community service, and an anger management course. Due to prior credit for jail from his initial arrest Grant will not have to spend that day in prison. Grant is the only Tally19 member to face a potential felony.