Jamila Levasseur is a retired registered nurse.

I’m one of the protesters against whom the DA dropped charges on April 9, almost a year after we blocked Commercial Street to call attention to the Gaza genocide.

The Press Herald report the next day is illustrative of two important points, one being that getting arrested has been about the only way to get media attention during the U.S.-funded and U.S.-armed genocide of Palestinians. Had we not been hauled away in handcuffs, TV and newspapers would not have bothered to cover the event.

The second point is that sadly, mainstream media, including this newspaper, continue to downplay the atrocity of genocide and even more important, avoid placing responsibility on the parties perpetuating the genocide, namely Israel and the U.S.

One article was headlined: “Prosecutors drop charges against protesters accused of blocking Portland traffic.” That’s the headline that readers of the paper’s daily newsfeed see. Without reading the article, no one would know what the protest was all about.

The article itself states, “A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in effect for more than six months, although humanitarian aid to the area remains limited and deaths continue.” A group of journalists called Writers Against the War on Gaza takes the New York Times to task for using this same type of passive language.

Why does “humanitarian aid … remain limited” and why do “deaths continue”? Aid remains insufficient because Israel allows in only a fraction of the aid trucks agreed upon during ceasefire negotiations — less than 20%. This is the continued, deliberate engineered starvation of Palestinians. The U.S. is complicit in this weaponization of hunger.

Refugees International reports severe shortages of basic items like water purification supplies, shelter materials and hygiene products. For over a year now, Israel has banned most humanitarian organizations from bringing in aid. Israel tightly controls the entry of commercial traders, charging huge “coordination fees,” which are passed down to the consumer. Prices for even basic food items are exorbitant and unaffordable to most people.

Why do “deaths continue”? In the first six months of this so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 749 people in Gaza and wounded at least 2,082, targeting displaced people in tents and school shelters, Palestinian police trying to keep order, journalists, medical personnel and children searching for firewood.

Jacqueline Sartoris, DA of Cumberland County, cites “limited court and prosecutor resources” as the reason for dropping charges against us. These same conditions existed in May 2025 when we were charged with misdemeanor obstruction of a public way. Yet, the decision to dismiss our cases was not announced until the same day we were scheduled for a court hearing on our motion to join our cases.

For months, we had refused to accept plea deals and it was clear we intended to exercise our right to a jury trial. Trial would have been an opportunity to explain what motivated us to protest, and to put the ongoing genocide of Palestinians back in the news where it belongs. Because of our deep commitment, we were willing to take the risk of going to trial rather than taking a plea.

This case was not about us, it was about ending a genocide. While confronted by Portland police, we chanted “Food, not bombs.” Consequences of this ongoing genocide include the illegal wars against Iran and Lebanon; escalated attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank; continuing inflation of the U.S. military budget while infrastructure crumbles here at home and housing, health care and education are unaffordable; and escalating repression against those willing to speak out.

I’d like to think that DA Sartoris realized the irony of prosecuting people who were protesting genocide, while two complicit U.S. administrations sent bombs to burn kids alive in tents. I would certainly have made that point had I been given the opportunity to take the witness stand.