????? Very DISCONCERTING: "WI State Capitol Police actions have been garnering a lot of national attention ... approx. 250 tickets written in less than 30 days to people in the ...State Capitol rotunda around noontime. ... Regardless of your political affiliation, what is going on at the Capitol should be causing you consternation. ...There are plenty of causes on both sides of the isle that prompt citizens to protest, and access to the ability to stand up for what one believes in is an essential right. ... There are, of course, legal exceptions to these freedoms, but in the case of freedom of speech, such as threats of violence and the classic example of “yelling fire in a crowded theater.” The actions of the singers do not fall under these exceptions, and some of those arrested are simply standing watching the singers, not participating in any way. If one is not a part of the group doing a certain action, is one a part of the assembly of people? I am not implying that arresting participants is acceptable, but if arresting protesters is somehow deemed necessary, ticketing casual observers seems like overkill. * At some point during this coverage you have likely asked yourself, “So why don’t they just get a permit and be done with it?” It’s a fair question. The group that assembles on a day-to-day basis is made up of people who are not organized and do not have a leader. There is not one person who is at the Capitol all of the time and many participants come on their lunch hours, leaving shortly thereafter. The permit process specifies that any group taking the permit be liable for any building damages and costs related to the event. No damages have been claimed up to this point from the sing along, according to all records that I could find, but there is not a group to take responsibility in this case. Also, and more importantly, the idea of needing to take out a permit to protest the government that features a constitution allowing the freedom of assembly and speech simply leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the people participating in the action. ... On occasion there have been permits, but none purchased by the singers themselves. ... it appears as though a Vikings fan (presumably) cares more about our freedom to protest the government than our own government does, which is disconcerting at best. ... Especially problematic is the arrest of the press member, who was also charged with obstruction & detained in a Madison jail cell with other prisoners who are innocent until proven guilty, of course. ...We depend on the press to inform us of the news of the day, and the happenings around the world, and to do so without interruption or retribution. In light of the social, economic, and technological progress America has made since 1791, it bewilders me that we are still talking about the freedom of the press and press shield laws as a matter of public discourse, in not only this instance, but many other recent news stories. ... One recent news story indicates the person in charge of the arrests, Capitol Police Chief Dave Erwin, received a sizable raise in February. ...This raise is an almost 12% increase over the salary he was making the previous day. In addition, the raise is retroactive to earlier in the fiscal year, so there will be a payout on the salary difference to the Chief. ... Investing in the Police Chief cracking down on grandmothers singing at lunchtime while the City of Milwaukee is refused help by the State for additional Police needs that urgently affect public safety seems unadvisable, and is the wrong way for Wisconsinites, from both sides of the isle. We can do better than the current "ticket everyone in the vicinity of dissent" policy."
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:02:07 +0000
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