Bill Riney must pay $830 in restitution for protest on county building
A man convicted of trespassing for climbing atop the Washtenaw County administration building on Labor Day to stage a 14-hour protest against joblessness in Michigan must pay $830 in restitution, a judge has ruled.
It's much less than the roughly $19,000 county prosecutors were seeking from Bill Riney, primarily to cover overtime wages and other costs associated with between 30 and 38 police officers responding to the protest on North Main Street in Ann Arbor.
Bill Riney
While the Crime Victim's Rights Act provides that a victim could include a governmental entity, Easthope wrote, "the term victim implies that the entity suffered harm as a direct result of the complained of crime.”
“Having to respond to an incident and incurring overtime costs do not equate to direct financial harm,” he wrote. “Moreover, to extend victim status to all responders in this incident is beyond what I believe is the intent of the Crime Victim’s Act.”
Washtenaw County Chief Deputy Assistant Prosecutor Steve Hiller declined to comment Thursday on the ruling.
Riney’s attorney, Nader Nassif, said the thought the ruling was fair and the judge applied the act properly. “I don’t think the police were victims in this case,” Nassif said.
Riney, 59, of Ypsilanti Township, said he will have difficulty paying the restitution but is pleased with the ruling.
“I think the judge is a very courageous person to find the ruling that he has found,” Riney said. “The citizens of Ann Arbor should be very proud to have him as their judge.”
Prosecutors said during Riney's trial in December that he had a right to protest, but took it too far. Riney used a ladder to climb to the roof and the protest attracted a crowd of about two dozen people. It ended when SWAT team members moved in after Riney laid down on a mattress near the edge of the roof and put a blanket over his head.
A jury convicted Riney of trespassing and attempted resisting and obstructing, both of which are misdemeanors. He is serving a year of probation. Riney said he thought the protest was necessary and helped get his message out.
“People are still hurting and they still need jobs,” he said.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
RJA
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 3:45 a.m.
Of course Riney is pleased with the ruling. If I were the judge, he would pay the full $19,000 !! Who has to pay the 30-38 officer's wages now? (for his acting out). It's not like our officers don't have anything else to do.
timjbd
Sun, Apr 10, 2011 : 2:43 p.m.
That's the way our privatized police force will operate. You call- they come. You pay. Or maybe it will be- You call, you PAY, they come. That way, only the people who use their services pay.
sbc1944
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 7:44 p.m.
Maybe he should consider not buying as many hot dogs this year... This is a mere slap on the wrist. If Riney is willing to waste our tax dollars like this, imagine what he would do as an elected official.
timjbd
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
It's like Lord of the Flies in here.
aawolve
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 6:39 p.m.
What's the matter Piggy?
Bertha Venation
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 4:18 p.m.
So... Exactlly how many jobs did the brilliant guy create by standing on the roof of a buildng? Sounds like great thinking to me. Who is paying the balance of the restitution? Oh wait..... let me guess..... Sounds like it's time for me to sell more pies...
xmo
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:53 p.m.
So who did this guy vote for Governor and President? He is not a TEA PARTY member! not a Michigan Militia member!, not a member of the Klan! Oh that's right, he was a candidate for office from a fringe extremist party! (Democrat)
Roadman
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:09 p.m.
A fair sentence by Judge Christopher Easthope - not caving into law enforcement or the prosecution for political reasons. Bill Riney got no jail time and will simply reimburse the county for actual damage. There was no reason he should pay law enforcement investigative costs.
Huron74
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.
Well like they say in Wisconsin: "This what democracy looks like".
Ignatz
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:03 p.m.
I have an opinion of Mr. Riney that perhaps mirror that of others, but I find the whole situation a bit extreme. It took almost 40 officers to get one guy off of a roof? They had to break a lock? Did nobody have the combination? I don't mind charging him for the response his actions caused, but the reasons are quite odd.
Michigan Reader
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 5:56 p.m.
Correction--That Charles JOSEPH Whitman, not Charles Stuart Whitman.
Michigan Reader
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 11:56 p.m.
I also want to add that although Whitman did his thing in August 1966, society hasn't exactly gotten better since then, have you noticed?
Michigan Reader
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 11:12 p.m.
Maybe Ignatz and Roadman have forgotten or never knew about Charles Stuart Whitman, a student at the University of Texas, who climbed to the top of the clock tower with plenty of ammo. I've forgotten how many people he killed, but that incident gave birth to the SWAT teams of today. The cops were being pro-active, not knowing his intentions, or knowing him personally.
Roadman
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:30 p.m.
Police like overkill and making a mountain of a molehill to justify their importance in society and to promote greater funding and public awareness of their mission.
Turd Ferguson
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 2:58 p.m.
That's a lot of hot dog money. He may need to start charging for them 'dogs.
eyeonthenews
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 1:51 p.m.
Well Tom Wieder, thanks for the info. Many of us have been wondering why this man has so much time on his hands. So he has a job in lawn care and snow removal. Well, we had a record snowfall this year. It kept a lot of us busy trying to stay dug out and snow removal companies made lots of money. So it really doesn't make sense that he will have trouble paying this restitution. In his own words the article states... "Riney, 59, of Ypsilanti Township, said he will have difficulty paying the restitution but is pleased with the ruling." He got off easy and once again has his friends and supporters defending him and some offering to send him money to help. Unbelievable.
Tom Wieder
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 1:32 p.m.
"the protest attracted a crowd of about two dozen people" - That's not a crowd; that's a large dinner party. "He deserves jail time for his wanton disrespect for authority." Exactly what crime is committed when one "disrepects" authority, wantonly, or otherwise? Isn't having whatever opinion you want about authority, and voicing it, a fundamental American freedom? The court "convicted Riney of trespassing and attempted resisting and obstructing," not being disrespectful. Those offenses rarely result in jail time. "Sounds like getting a job might be a better way for him to fight unemployment." - Why do you assume that he doesn't have a job? Riney has operated a lawn care and snow removal business for a number of years. As one of his customers, I can tell you that he is very reliable, and does good work at reasonable prices.
Tom Wieder
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 9:49 p.m.
Roadman- You ask if I would be so passionate about defending the 1st Amendment rights of someone who doesn't share my political views. Yes, absolutely. I have been a proud member of he ACLU for over 40 years. When the organization defended the rights of Nazis to march in heavily-Jewish (I also happen to be Jewish) Skokie, Illinois in the 1970's, many people dropped their memberships. I sent an extra contribution to try to help out. I'm not familiar with the Levin pie case you mentioned.
Roadman
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:27 p.m.
Tom, he is a fellow Democratic Party activist. Would you be so passionate in your defense for him and his First Amendment rights if he had been a Tea Party activist? Of course not. I personally admire Riney's vocal advocacy and agree with the lenient sentence handed down by Chris Easthope. But I also agree with the jury that a crime was committed and Riney deserves a measure of accountability. Remember the O'Brien vs. United States case where the Supreme Court upheld a conviction for burning a draft card? Do you feel the U.S. Attorney committed overkill by indicting two college students of a felony for conspiring to toss a pie in Senator Carl Levin's face? Now that is a prosecution that is controversial.
aawolve
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
So you're saying he does have the restitution money?
Tom Wieder
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 1:42 p.m.
aawolve - That's not remotely what you said. You clearly implied, based on no knowledge, obviously, that Riney doesn't have a job. Instead of claiming that you said something else, how about apologizing to him?
aawolve
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 1:39 p.m.
My point is more that he accomplished absolutely nothing.
eyeonthenews
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 1:31 p.m.
I don't feel sorry for Riney. He got about $15,000 for the trees the utility company cut down. Now he says he can't afford the $830 fine. Excuse me! but don't do the crime if you can't afford to do the time OR pay the fine. If he's unemployed then he needs to spend his time looking for a job instead of wasting his time on these other fruitless endeavors. Those free hotdogs and gas to haul his BQ grill around must have cost a small fortune. Time and money not well spent.
timjbd
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 1:37 p.m.
Congratulations.
timjbd
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 12:56 p.m.
I'd like to contribute to this guy's fine. Let me know where I can send a check if possible- you all have my e-mail address... Thanks.
aawolve
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 12:53 p.m.
Sounds like getting a job might be a better way for him to fight unemployment.
timjbd
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 4:58 p.m.
That's breath-taking commentary.
InsideTheHall
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 12:43 p.m.
He deserves jail time for his wanton disrespect for authority.
Dcam
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:03 p.m.
Since when is it a crime to disrespect authority? Perhaps if more people had less respect for authority things would get done, rather than waiting to be told what to think and do. As Thomas Jefferson said that a protest does not have to be done within the law, for laws are mostly the tyrant's laws. But, my 30 years in Michigan have shown me that only authority figures are among the few that have a right to hold opinions or ideas here - especially in Ann Arbor. A dysfunctional, top down environment.