City Reduces Charge Against 66-Year-Old Occupy Protester

A 66-year-old woman pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to staying in Palm Desert's Civic Center Park past its curfew as part of the Occupy Coachella Valley protests.

Gale Wheat of Indio was originally charged with a misdemeanor count of staying or loitering in a public park without a permit, but Palm Desert's Deputy City Attorney Doug Phillips agreed to reduce to the charge to an infraction.

"It seemed appropriate under the circumstances,'' Assistant City Attorney Robert Hargreaves said. "We chose to go forward with the infraction.''

Wheat pleaded guilty to the infraction at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling III ordered her to pay a $50 fine and an additional $75 for court costs, for a total of $125.

Wheat on Nov. 1 on suspicion of violating the park's curfew as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

She told Patch outside of court that she is relieved the ordeal is over.

"I feel a lot better. I'm glad its over. It's been three months," Wheat said, adding that she was shocked when the city's attorney reduced her charge in court.

Wheat said she hired a Riverside attorney, David M. Phillips, who had been talking with the city for several days.

She professes that her "protesting days are over," and that she believes the arrests have suppressed the local Occupy movement.

"There's not much of a movement. The arrests really did kind of suppress it. We can't afford another arrest. We have to be very careful," Wheat said.

But that hasn't stopped her from working for the movement online.

"I'm still fighting," Wheat said. 

Five other protesters are still awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges. Mary Elizabeth Walker, 22, Stephen Finger, 58, Jayel Aheram, a 27-year-old who is known as Jack Lee Noftsger III, all of Palm Desert, Dustin David Powell, 29, and Ryan Cartwright, 21, both of Palm Springs face a count of misdemeanor unlawful assembly.

Members of the group had been in the park since Oct. 24 as part of the nationwide Occupy movement, meant to draw attention to what demonstrators say is the growing gap between rich and poor.

The city had granted the group a permit for several days to stay overnight in the park, but refused to grant any more permits out of fear that it would set a precedent for other groups to set up residence in the park.

The city attorney said previously the city supports the group's first amendment right to protest and use the park during its hours.