The following is excerpted from Kimberly Hartke’s blog post titled “Max Kane on Schmidt Verdict, Our Constitutional Rights to Our Own Bodies”:
Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt shares a moment with fellow raw milk proponent Max Kane shortly after the "not guilty" verdict was announced. Max came to the court date all the way from Wisconsin where he was involved in court action arising from his raw milk buyers group "Belle's Lunchbox".
“Inside the Michael Schmidt Courtroom
by Max Kane
The court room was at capacity and some were not permitted entry. Being a little late, somehow I ended up in the front row. After the first hour of the Judge’s speech, the audience fell into a slumber of boredom. Then the judge started talking private sex clubs and owned the attention of everyone in the room until his last word.
Michael Schmidt and Max Kane outside the York Region public health branch office. York region public health had earlier prosecuted Michael Schmidt on contempt of court charges related to supplying raw milk to cowshare members in York Region near Toronto.
Then I watched David Gumpert dart from the court room after the verdict came down. I figured he was late for a flight after the 2+ hours in court. No one expected to be in a hearing that long. I chased him out to say goodbye. As I approached the out most hall I was faced a wall of people. I quickly yelled “…not guilty on all charges!” The people responded with a robust wave of enthusiasm. I continued to navigate the gauntlet in search of David. Within a minute I found him hammering away at his lab top. Although there is no way for me to know, I believe David was the first to tweet/publish the verdict online.
Celebration was in the air of the hall. Everyone eagerly awaited Michael’s entrance. Finally after what seemed like forever, Michael made his way to the out most hall. He was instantly surrounded by cameras and microphones and bombarded with questions (see video, below). People were cheering! Raw Milk was rapidly being poured and distributed for the crowd to drink. An aura of victory permeated the hall. The people had won!
I was impressed by the judge’s research. It was obvious that he took pride in his ruling. He delivered, a now published, doctoral thesis on private raw milk clubs, and how to run them within an unjust legal system. I enjoyed the event as a whole, and was honored that I was asked to speak. For me, the education from the experience was most important. I am looking forward to bringing it back to the states with action!…”
Filmmakers interviewing Max after the rally which immediately followed the verdict and media circus.
Max Kane was in court in December 2009 over his Wisconsin raw milk buyer’s group “Belle’s Lunchbox”. Michael Schmidt had attended his trial in Wisconsin.
Go to Kimberly’s blog to see the many videos included in this post.
The Bovine 