It had to happen on May Day.

The disorderly conduct charges facing Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant, Pastor John Helmiere, and Socrates Bravo were dismissed by Judge Ann E. Danieli in SeaTac this morning. Applause and jubilation filled the courtroom as 15NOW.org supporters and families of the accused celebrated the dismissal.

“Sometimes cities give people jaywalking tickets when they walk into the middle of the street, those are infractions. Some of you may have had one. You don’t get a jury trial for jaywalking. In this case the city decided to treat this like the crime of the century and they spent a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of city money for obviously and evidently no purpose at all,” said defense attorney Dmitri Iglitzin of the decision.

Initially Prosecutor Cindy Corsilles told Judge Danieli that the city would be seeking an appeal. Moments later outside the courtroom Corsilles seemed more ambiguous about the potential appeal.

“We have to talk about it with our office, but that would be a possibility,” said Corsilles.

When asked how she felt about the dismissal of the case Corsilles responded “I wish everyone would have heard the whole case.”

“This ruling has not only vindicated myself and my co-defendants, Mr. Bravo and Reverend Helmiere, but it has really vindicated the voters of the city of SeaTac who voted in the $15 an hour minimum wage law and all the low wage workers around the nation who are currently in a battle to win $15 an hour themselves,” said Sawant to the media.

“I also think this ruling disproves the stories that have been running through the carpet media and the political establishment that my defendants, my co-defendants and I, are guilty of wasting the court’s resources and tax payer money on this case. As this ruling shows there was no case and the blame for wasting resources really lies at the city attorneys for bringing this case forward even thought there was no evidence to show we engaged in any unlawful conduct.”

When asked if he felt the city had attempted to push the case too far Pastor Helmiere said “I mean to go to all the trouble of a jury trial for a simple protest action was taking it too far. But ultimately it gave us more of a platform to focus on the issues. Our intent was not to get arrested; our intent was to raise the profile of this worker’s struggle. It was to show that we shouldn’t be on trial, Alaska Airlines should be on trial.”

For Socrates Bravo, who is due to work a shift for Menzies tonight at 4 p.m., the conclusion of the case still leaves his struggles with the workplace to contend with.

“Everything seems the same. We get no benefits, low wages. Alaska just sees us as a number and not as individual, as a person.”

When asked if he hoped the verdict would make a difference down the line Bravo said “I really hope the people, my co-workers, see that when we get together we win.”