GOP and the right to assemble

[tpahl]

As someone who has to work in NYC I hope that the protestors do get arrested if they do not confine themselves to the designated areas. I've been accosted by then just walking down the street minding my own business. Freedom of speech and assembly does NOT give you the right to congregate, block traffic (pedestrian or vehicular) nor does it give you the right to say whatever and be wherever you please.

If they have attacked you then yes the individuals responsible should be arrested. No one here has disputed that. As for blocking traffic, I was actually arrested for that on new years eve once in NYC. I had been forcibly removed from one part of the street I was at waiting for my freinds and moved a block away and then left. I tried to return to my friends since I was the only one with the key to the apartment. An officer knocked me to the ground and arrested me for blocking traffic. The road was full of new years eve partiers and already blocked by the police for traffic. Thankfuylly a judge realized the stupidity of the police and let me off.

Anyways my point is the police were able to block off streets and manage thousands of drunk partiers in the middle of midtown. And this for a stupid party. They do similar things for hundreds of other events throughout the year (marathons, parades, concerts, movies filming etc...) Surely they could do the same for protesters in Central park. It would intrupt less people that live and work in the city by having it in the park. Instead they have explicitly said no to the park.

Travis

 

[Annie]

Large wedding parties never attract hoardes of occasionaly violent people. Political gatherings frequently do.

Im interested in hearing your opinion on Democrats keeping protesters in fenced-off areas during the DNC.

I'm interested in your take of the same.

 

[tpahl]

I'm interested in your take of the same.

Mine? It was an outrage. Just as the NYC 'solution' to protestors is. Both are examples of liberal's attack on free speech and freedom of assembly. What I do not understand is why conservatives are supporting them.

Travis

 

[Annie]

Mine? It was an outrage. Just as the NYC 'solution' to protestors is. Both are examples of liberal's attack on free speech and freedom of assembly. What I do not understand is why conservatives are supporting them.

Travis

See, I guess my take is that if I want to be 'in the festivities' of New Years, in NYC, I better get my butt down to Madison Square by 3pm at the latest.

If I wish to protest the RNC in 2004, better get myself down to the appointed places in time to do so.... To me, not a problem. I do have a problem with an are like Central Park. If I wish to go there, I can throw an incedinary device and run. Not OK.

 

[tpahl]

See, I guess my take is that if I want to be 'in the festivities' of New Years, in NYC, I better get my butt down to Madison Square by 3pm at the latest.

If I wish to protest the RNC in 2004, better get myself down to the appointed places in time to do so.... To me, not a problem. I do have a problem with an are like Central Park. If I wish to go there, I can throw an incedinary device and run. Not OK.

Well first of all if I were going to NYC to celebrate New Years I would head 12-18 blocks north of madison square garden. If I was going to protest the RNC I would not go to some caged off area I was told to go to by a liberal mayor and city council.

And if I were a republican I would be opposed to such lame tactics by pretend republican mayor. In fact if I were a republican I would be protesting the choice of NYC as the host city and protesting the fake republican that is the mayor there.

 

[tpahl]

http://www.badnarik.org/PressRoom/archive.php?p=984

NEW YORK -- While some political groups continue to 'negotiate' with the City of New York for permits to protest next week's Republican National Convention, Libertarians -- including a presidential candidate -- are preparing to open up a whole new can of worms in the Big Apple.

If you ask for permission to protest, you deserve to be told no," says Manhattan Libertarian Party chair Jim Lesczynski. "The First Amendment guarantees our right to peaceably assemble -- and we're going to do so" on Central Park's Great Lawn at noon on August 29th. The city has denied permits to groups which have applied for permission to gather in the park, attempting to move them to more distant, and less visible, locations.

"There's an old saying -- it's easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission," said Michael Badnarik, the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate, during a campaign strategy teleconference. "I've got permission. By definition, where I am standing is a free speech zone. We don't need permission to protest, but George W. Bush needs forgiveness for his mistakes. We're gathering to offer him that forgiveness ... if he's willing to ask us for it."