MTA foiled: The shoe didn’t fit

Subway-fare activist Stephen Millies created a stir—and got arrested and charged with disorderly conduct—when he reached for his shoe at a December hearing to protest what he and many others considered outrageous New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority fare hikes. On Feb. 23 Millies had a victory in court when the judge threw out the case against him.

Steve Millies promises to continue his fight against a fare increase.

Julie Fry, his lawyer, said the charges were “ridiculous” and violated Millies’ right to freedom of speech. “When you’re speaking at a public hearing and they grab you from behind, that’s going to intimidate others,” she told the court. She added that Millies intended “a symbolic gesture” that’s considered an insult in the Middle East especially.

The specific ticket against Millies was that he disrupted “a religious ceremony.” Judge Marc Whiten made it clear that he considered the MTA to be no religious institution.

“We’re in a recession. This is the worst time to raise fares,” Millies said at a news conference after his acquittal. He called the increase “a tax on working people.” Millies had said in December that the Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, who threw both of his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during Bush’s last visit to Iraq, inspired his action.

Millies promises to continue to protest the MTA’s plans to raise fares. His group, the Bail Out the People Movement, is currently planning protests of the bailout of the banks. It has called for national demonstrations on April 3 and 4 targeting Wall Street in New York City.