The Winooski 44 were a group of Vermont citizens in the United States who were given permission by the Senator's staff to occupy a hallway outside Senator Robert Stafford's office in March 1984.
The group of citizens had attempted, for months, to organize a public forum, in Burlington, and invited Senator Stafford to be present.
They all had personal experiences in Central America, which they wanted to share with the Senator, a leading Republican, and his Vermont constituency.
[1]: A-14 Twenty-six were tried on trespassing charges in November 1984, and were permitted to present a "necessity" defense, and all were acquitted.
[2]: 613 [3][4][5][6][7] Witnesses for the defense included historian and activist Howard Zinn and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark.