Riot cops put down a peaceable assembly in Richmond, Va. UPDATED
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Saturday, March 3. More information here.
UPDATE:
From the American Civil Liberties Union:
“We do not know yet if anyone’s free speech rights were violated,” said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. “We do know, however, that from all appearances the police overreacted to a situation in which peaceful demonstrators gathered at a public place to exercise their First Amendment right to protest the government.”
“At the very least the spirit of the First Amendment took a blow on Saturday when the state used completely unnecessary military-style force to arrest peaceful protestors,” added Willis.
Anyone who witnessed the arrests or was arrested is encouraged to contact ACLU of Virginia Dunn Fellow Tom Fitzpatrick at 804-644-8080 or tfitzpatrick@acluva.org.
(h/t to Cold n P)
March 4, 2012 - 11:00 PM
Let’s hope this gets the national coverage it deserves. Bob McDonnell VP material? God help us all.
And to think this radical agenda was forced upon us by a few hundred votes.
This borders on criminal misuse of police power. I saw nothing about this on the local TV media or on the mainstream national media. It needs to be widely disseminated. And I don’t know what Va. law provides but maybe we should look into impeachment processes. This is the kind of thing that Richard Nixon and his cronies tried to inflict on us in the 70′s and smacks of the Governors in the door and Bull Connor tactics usedd in the pre civil rights south.
I hope the country is paying attention.
After all the expensive destruction by OWS dirtbags without permits, it looks like Virginia is taking prudent steps. This isn’t a real protest, BTW. hese leftwingers were bused in. There is no grass-roots interest for the abortion and birth contro “causes”. These are professional “protesters” financed by Soros and others.
For more evidence of how this is so thoroughly a war on women, with the GOP admin intent on punishing women for “stepping out of place” in any way, see this report from a friend on the disparate treatment of men and women arrested at the state capitol. The blatant misogyny of the police is quite evident.
“The cops reserved their vindictiveness for the women, who were kept on their bus for from five to nine hours, handcuffed. Some of the women suffered wrist injuries because of the tightness of the cuffs. For all this time they were given no water and no toilet breaks. One woman had to relieve herself at the back of the bus. After many complaints, the cops finally put a bucket on the bus and told the women to use that as a toilet. This information comes from several interviews I did today with some of the women who were on the bus. ”
Abortions are barbaric. However this video is frightening.
I did not know that the State Police in VA were capable of doing anything besides issuing traffic tickets! Good to know.
Dan,
Looks like that photo I sent you via email yesterday wasn’t Suzie Q afterall.
So far I’ve seen no National coverage of the brown shirt tactics used by the State Police on unarmed citizens of Virginia. I’m going to attempt to get this video to MSNBC and others. This must not stand and be swept under the rug.
What I can’t fathom is why the cops didn’t just stand around and do nothing. After awhile, everybody would have gone home. And what’s up with the machine guns and the storm troopers? Were they called out in advance?
@11.
No kidding. It was a small crowd. All they had to do was stand long enough to make some overtime and the whole thing would have gone away in a matter of hours.
“…activate the troopers.” Do these guys fancy themselves to be Sith Lords or something?
A commenter wrote: “[T]hese left[-]wingers were bused in…These are professional ‘protesters’ financed by Soros and others.”
Please cite concrete evidence that this is true. [Cricket chirping sounds] Just as I thought, you have no evidence.
The story has made it to Think Progress: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/03/04/437239/virginia-police-arrest-31-at-womens-rights-demonstration/
There were more cops than protesters.
All that was missing was a kid standing in front of a tank. Sad days for this state, truly.
Now the video has made it to The Atlantic’s website: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/03/video-of-the-day-riot-police-sent-in-to-manage-anti-sonogram-protestors-in-virginia/253984/
While it is likely the charges will eventually be dismissed or reduced, the fact is that the protestors’ permits did not authorize assembly beyond the Bell Tower area. After several warnings about encroaching on the Capitol, arrests ensued. The protestors were in the wrong.
Rachel Maddox covered the heavy handed police tactics McDonell used on the pro choice protesters in Richmond this weekend. I knew if someone would pick it up, girl would. Rachel is a great american patriot!
McDonell blames the media for making such a big deal out of it. Duh, Bobby, your agenda, you live with it. Kiss that VP slot GOODBYE.
#5 Hmm, suzie, the one protester I know who was arrested wasn’t bused in and two others I know who weren’t arrested both live in Richmond. One walked in and the other drove herself a couple of miles. None of the three are “professional protesters”.
So much for your latest steaming load of crap.
Who is Rachel Maddox?
Do your own research, I thought your facebook fans voted you most informed.
What a joke a parody of a person you are.
You do now how to use Google, don’t you?
Brian, so If you decide to stroll along Jefferson’s Capital building without a permit, you get met with SWAT teams and machine guns? Permit or not, McDonell just committed political suicide.
@16 Brian.
Don’t remember the First Amendment mentioning anything about “permits.”
Perhaps you could enlighten us?
More on the brown shirt McDonell tactics this weekend in Richmond in his war on Women:
http://www.readthehook.com/g/31-arrests-ultrasound-protest-brings-riot-police-capitol#http://www.readthehook.com/files/imagecache/mainview/news-protest-arrest.jpg
If you can honestly view these photos and not get pissed off, you are seriously delusional about the GOP agenda not only in Virginia, but the America of the future. Stop these brown shirts NOW.
Cold, we have a story running in Tuesday’s paper about the protest and those arrests.
It’s truly ridiculous, given that the protest was entirely peaceful, and does little but breed resentment among the populace for Gov. Bob McDonnell and the police.
It’s truly a big deal. I think it’s a microcosm of the GOP agenda nationwide. I don’t want Virginia to be ground Zero. McDonnell’s war on women is a bridge too far.
Cold n P, I enjoy Rachel Maddow’s show as well. My husband and I used to watch her whenever we got the chance. He looked at me one day and said, ‘The only way I would ever leave you for another woman is if I could be a lesbian and younger. I’d leave you for Rachel.” I looked at him and said, “Me too, dear.”
I have a friend who is gay and in her 60s. I showed her this video. Her response was, “I’ve been telling you for years those old, white, conservative, Republican good ol’ boys won’t admit it out loud, but they’re AFRAID of the va-jay-jay. If those a$$holes with machine guns don’t prove it, I don’t know what does.”
“I don’t want Virginia to be ground Zero.”
Too late, the average Virginia voter is dumber than a stump. They’re just getting started, wait until Mr. McDonnell gets passed over for VP.
Capitol Square grounds are considered to be a non-public forum. The Commonwealth of Virginia has reserved this non-public property for its intended purpose. While such state property is required to be open for its devoted purposes, it is not required to be open to the public for other expressive activities. [1] The state has designated the Bell Tower location within the Capitol Square complex for assemblies of protest and other reasonable speech, provided a valid permit is on file. [2] You will find this legal framework is applied to most local, state, and federal properties.
If you believe this encroaches upon your free speech, then talk to your legislators.
References:
[1]Perry Education Assn. v. Perry Local Educators’ Assn., 460 U.S. 37, 45-46, 103 S.Ct. 948 (1983).
[2]http://dgs.virginia.gov/DivisionofEngineeringandBuildings/DirectorsOffice/CapitolSquarePermits/UseofCapitolSquareGrounds/tabid/365/Default.aspx
13Suns, they suffer from EXTREME vajayjay fear. It has to go back to their potty training or something.
McDonnell sics the SS on his own peaceful constituents and has the stones to whine when the Democrats call him out on it? What the heck is going on in VA…we’re turning into 1938 Germany, and the persecuted group is now women.
Brian, I assume you think it’s totally ok for people to be required to have a permit to walk around in public with their guns. Or alternatively, you can direct us to where the First Amendment mentions “permits”.
Brian,
And which newspapers has the state designated for freedom of the press? And which churches have the designated where people can worship freely?
@30 – According to McDonnell, he said he was not a part of the “operation”
‘McDonnell said law enforcement officials are doing what they are supposed to do but said he had no involvement in the police response. Asked whether he was directly involved in the protesters’ arrests, McDonnell said: “Absolutely not.”‘
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/mar/06/tdmain01-debate-rages-over-police-response-to-abor-ar-1742908/
“I understand today, on the floor of the Senate, we witnessed something that I haven’t heard in the 21 years I’ve been up here, and that is legislators taking to the floor of the Senate of Virginia and essentially attacking our law enforcement officers for doing their job,” said Gov. Bob McDonnell”
Mr Governor, Just who were they protecting? Who were they serving? What was the mission?
Brian, you can quote from whatever source you want, and you may be legally right, however, what was perpetrated on the citizens of Virginia expressing their right to free speech was morally wrong. Many folks throughout history have said they were only “following orders.” That did not absolve them from being on the wrong side of history.
13 Suns, we all have basic human rights, white, black, yellow, gay, Straight, old, physically challenged. It’s how we were created. American is the great melting pot. Discrimination must not be tolerated or we will rue the day in the not to far future if we allow these radicals to control our government. Most Americans are not wing nuts of either side, we just want to raise our families, pay our bills and retire with dignity before we pass on.
Help me send a message to the GOP establishment and vote for Ron Paul today. He won’t win, but if he scores higher than 25%, the back room schemers will get very nervous.
I heard some Repub legislator this morning on WVTF alleging that there have been things and threats going on behind the scenes that not even Dem legislators have not been made privy to (wonder why that would be? weird.) And, oh yeah, there’s also been some super-secret vandalism that hasn’t been revealed to the public so you’ll just have to take his word on that, too.
Sure.
Maybe the Repubs are afraid the women will whip out painters tape and start REALLY damaging the capitol.
“@30 – According to McDonnell, he said he was not a part of the “operation”
‘McDonnell said law enforcement officials are doing what they are supposed to do but said he had no involvement in the police response. Asked whether he was directly involved in the protesters’ arrests, McDonnell said: “Absolutely not.”‘
To whom does the superintendent of state police report? That’s the person at whom feedback should be directed.
Oh … wait … that’s the governor, right?
Did the protestors do $7 million worth of damage to marble at the Capitol?
#32, then why is he so eager defend it? If he’s so emphatic about distancing himself from the action (any maybe he didn’t make the call to do it) why attack those who took issue with the way the protest was handled?
He can’t defend it and push it away simultanously. Whether or not he called for it, he either thinks it was appropriate or he doesn’t. And if he does…let him say so. And if he doesn’t, he doesn’t need to critique those with whom he agrees.
I’m not coming down on the Capitol Police for this. They were polite and professional. In January, hundreds of pro-gun rights activists flooded the plaza and rallied at the bell tower where the crowd was told to gather. We weren’t hindered or silenced in any way. I cannot imagine the grief gun rights activists would be receiving had we done what the protesters did Saturday. In the end, they got what they wanted, to be arrested for the media.
I agree with their basic position, but not the way they conducted themselves.
After watching the video, it made me think what is a SWAT team doing there?
Also, are those guns loaded?
What are they so afraid of? It makes me think that like the Haymarket strike the police are trying to invite some kind of violent action. Then they could say that is the very reason why they bring a SWAT team in.
My two cents is they went way over board.
Gdad…funny. If you watch that video and see who the protesters were, it’s really hard to get a “threat” vibe from them. Although if they were armed with painter’s tape, all bets are off.
#37 Well, Dan, I’m sure that if they were hanging signs using painters tape, the damage was extensive.
@36 – that’s fine. I was just addressing that McDonnell didn’t personally “sic” the police on the protesters. I am completely blown away that this is where the Tea Partiers and Occupiers protests are getting us.
By all means blow up the Governor’s desk with notes of anger towards this. Completely unacceptable and BS by all angles. I’ll say this though, things do not look good in this world. And all the hatred from both sides is only making it worse and dividing the population. Here comes the NWO.
“They were polite and professional.” Ask that to the folks who were hard cuffed for hours and left on a bus without facilities. They might have a different opinion on how polite and professional the police were.
“After the arrests, many claim they were left sitting on a bus for more than six hours without food or water while waiting to be processed and released.”
http://dcist.com/2012/03/dcist_contest_guess_the_context.php
I have all the respect in the world for our police officers in the event of an emergency. Arresting unarmed peaceful protesters? Not so much. This was not worthy of tear gas and machine guns and riot gear.
This was a clear attempt to intimidate the citizens of Virginia.
–“And which newspapers has the state designated for freedom of the press? And which churches have the designated where people can worship freely?” – Dan Casey
–”I assume you think it’s totally ok for people to be required to have a permit to walk around in public with their guns. Or alternatively, you can direct us to where the First Amendment mentions ‘permits’.” -Kristen
–”…what was perpetrated on the citizens of Virginia expressing their right to free speech was morally wrong. Many folks throughout history have said they were only ‘following orders.’ That did not absolve them from being on the wrong side of history. – Cold n P
It is clear that I cannot convince you that there are legal limitations and restrictions on the First Amendment. Despite providing an unbiased legal analysis, you have assumed that I wish to restrict the First Amendment, vigorously defend gun rights, and tolerate insensitive comparisons between a lawful arrests and Nazism. Here’s wishing for a thoughtful debate filter on the blog upgrade.
Brian, I was just busting your you-know-what. I am well aware of restrictions on First Amendment as they apply to publishing, churches and public assembly. (Try suggesting there should be any on the Second Amendment though, and you will get pilloried here).
I don’t believe that what happened in Richmond was necessary in any way, however. The cops could have stood around until the protestors got tired and left, and nobody or thing would have been harmed.
44.“They were polite and professional.” Ask that to the folks who were hard cuffed for hours and left on a bus without facilities. They might have a different opinion on how polite and professional the police were.
This was a clear attempt to intimidate the citizens of Virginia.”
I just can’t get that from the video. All I heard the police say was to gather at the bell tower. Even after they didn’t comply with the police, they weren’t tear gassed, tazed, or beat with sticks. They were given many opportunities to move and then, were arrested for the cameras waving as they left.
It was a clear attempt to intimidate the Capitol Police by rallying the protesters to disrespect them.
At a recent VCDL protest at Virginia Tech in November, the campus police were barring the protesters who were open carrying from the buildings (and thus, the facilities for that matter). The police had NO authority under the law to do that, but you heard no cries from the crowd to “GO AROUND” or “WALKING IS NOT A CRIME”. Any abuses by the police should be challenged, but resisting is generally not the route to go in the big picture.
@22 -Art Hill
“@16 Brian.
Don’t remember the First Amendment mentioning anything about “permits.”
Perhaps you could enlighten us?”
You know, strangely Art, I also don’t remember the 2nd amendment saying anything about background checks or magazine capacity either. Are you now saying that additional restrictions on Constitutional rights, like assembly permits or limits on the types of weapons people can own are not valid?
And Dan, @36 in response to McDonnell’s assertion that he had no direct involvement in the police operations that day, you said:
“To whom does the superintendent of state police report? That’s the person at whom feedback should be directed.
Oh … wait … that’s the governor, right?”
I realize that this was a year ago, but I have to ask, what has changed? Why doesn’t the same argument and logic apply to Obama/Holder?