Colinford Mattis Colinford Mattis

Colinford Mattis, a lawyer accused of helping throw a Molotov cocktail at an unoccupied New York City Police Department vehicle in Brooklyn during protests against police brutality, pleaded not guilty to a seven-count indictment during a short arraignment Wednesday.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the hearing for Mattis was held by conference call, which was briefly interrupted by enthusiastic supporters.

"Love you, Colin," one voice called out as the hearing began.

"We're here for you, bro … the whole squad's here," other voices said.

Mattis' attorney Sabrina Shroff reminded the group that prosecutors were on the line just before the court reporter announced that anyone who spoke had to identify themselves.

Mattis, who has been suspended from his job as an associate at Pryor Cashman pending the outcome of the case, has spent nearly three weeks at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit granted prosecutors' request for an emergency stay of the district court's decision to release Mattis and co-defendant Urooj Rahman to home confinement on $250,000 bond.

A panel of Second Circuit judges heard arguments for and against the pair's release Tuesday and has yet to issue a ruling.

On Wednesday, Mattis waived the reading of his indictment and U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak adjourned the hearing after less than 10 minutes.

Over the sound of dozens of beeps as call participants hung up, Mattis' supporters took the opportunity to speak without reprimand from the court reporter.

"There's more than 500 people on this call for you, Colin," one said.

"You're doing great, Sabrina, keep it up girl," another said.

One voice described the case as an example of "true systemic racism."

"You got the whole country behind you, man," another said.

The conference call was ended by an automated voice 10 minutes later, just as one participant said, "I think he heard us." It wasn't immediately clear when MDC officials ended Mattis' time on the call.

Mattis and Rahman's case is the subject of an open letter from more than 850 current and former students, faculty, staff and student organizations at New York University School of Law, from which Mattis graduated in 2016.

"We the undersigned stand with Colin and Urooj and call on the federal government to drop these politically motivated charges and their aggressive pursuit of detention without bail," the group wrote.

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