Hi everyone. I am still reeling from what happened to me at a DEMOCRATIC event last Tuesday night, in which I was almost ARRESTED for holding up a few signs, and exercising my free speech rights. This story is meant to be shared with everyone as 1) a warning as to how far this country has sunk, and 2) as a demonstration of how hard it is for the grassroots to be heard in the current top-down Democratic Party. This is what happened:
Through MoveOn, I was invited to a Town Hall meeting on Social Security, hosted by my Congresswoman, Rosa DeLauro. The invite read, "Congresswoman DeLauro is holding a town hall meeting on Social Security to hear from the people. If enough of us show up in opposition to Bush's plan, the whole thing could die here."
(Much More after the Break)
As an active MoveOn member, and as someone who worked on Rosa's campaign, there was no way to I was going to miss this event, (even though I had a Branford DTC meeting scheduled for the same time). MoveOn sounded the call, and I needed to respond, both to support MoveOn, and to support Rosa. Plus, the rumor I had heard was that the Republicans were about to back down altogether on Social Security reform, in which case, this would be the first Democratic victory against Bush's radical agenda!
So that's one thread of this story. MoveOn called, and I came running. The other thread involves a pet project DeanFan84, (my partner-in-crime), and I have been working on. What is that you might ask? Well, trying to rid the Party of Joe Lieberman. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DumpJoe/ You know Joe, the left-hating, Neo-con, Bush-kisser-- who is now threatening to fuck us over on Social Security.
Well after the invite, conversations ensued between DeanFan and me. What should we do? Should we promote our effort at this townhall event, or should we let it go? We thought about bringing forth our banner, "From Freedom Rider to Torture Apologist, the Sad Decline of Joe Lieberman". And we thought about coming in with pictures of "The Kiss, Way Too Close for Comfort!" But would this be too over the top for an event that was supposed to be about Social Security? Luckily, Josh Marshall came out with his article, http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/004847.php about how Joe's mere flirting with Bush on Social Security was hurting the Party, and could cost us big-time. Our dilemma was solved. A decision was made. We would attend without major signage, and hand out copies of Josh's memo.
The day of the event, DeanFan84 strays from our initial decision. He makes a few signs, and, as a fellow troublemaker, I go right along with him. We would bring signs. Lieberman is off the reservation, he needs to be made and example of, and the grassroots deserves to be heard with our "Joe Must GO!" message.
To make a long story somewhat shorter, let me give a quick synopsis of what happened. DeanFan84 and I split up. He went to Hartford to attend Congressman Larson's event at Trinity College, and I went with my brother Pete to Ansonia High School and Rosa's event. Pete and I get there about 40 minutes before the event started and we set up with our handheld signs, and our flyers. Five minutes later, a local cop shows up, and tells us we have to leave, or we will be ARRESTED!@*%$^!
Of course I protested. "What happened to free speech?" The cop insists that Ansonia High School is private property, (what a joke), and that if we don't do what he says, we are going to jail. Dumbfounded, I tryto get across to him that this is a MoveOn sponsored event, and that as a MoveOn member, I have a right to be there and be heard. It didn't work. The cop is obviously serious about arresting me.
Instead of taking the pinch I made a compromise with the officer to put the signs in my car ONLY if my brother and I were allowed to pass out our flyers to people on the way in. The cop agrees but when I enter the auditorium and lean on a wall (with about 10 others) the cop ORDERS me, and only me, to find a seat. At this point I am tired of being harrased and I leave without staying for the end of the program.
The next day I call up Rosa's office to demand an apology. You see, I had witnessed her former campaign manager, I think the guy's name is Chuck, talking to the cop immediately before he came to harass me. So knowing my rights were violated, and knowing that I had spent hours volunteering for Rosa during the last cycle, I was certain an apology would be forthcoming. How wrong was I!
The staffer I talked to didn't believe in the First Amendment. She insisted that 1) the forum had not been a political event (LOL), and 2) that my signs were inappropriate. I argued back that inappropriate or not, I had every right to protest and hand out flyers at a townhall meeting. And that in my America people stillhave the right to hold up signs even if they had been critical of Congresswoman DeLauro herself!
Our phone call ended at an impasse. Rosa's staff insisted that I was wrong, and I continued my demand for a direct apology from Rosa. (I also asked if loyalty oaths would be next!) Now a week has gone by, and I still haven't gotten an apology, so reluctantly I am publishing this here, with the hope that next time, my Democratic Congresswoman won't act like George Bush. (And yes, we will be back!)
For the record, this was the front and back content of our three BANNED signs, nothing hateful, nothing disruptive:
DLC = Democrats Losing Consistently
Joe Must Go!
I Want a REAL DEM in 2006 (Anybody But Lieberman)
TORTURE is not a Democratic Value (Anybody But Joe in 2006)
Testing: Update [2005-2-28 21:19:45 by ctkeith]:: I forgot to point out that I got some editorial help on this. Not a big deal, but I don't want any of you thinking I suddenly graduated from college. hehehe
Update [2005-2-28 23:50:17 by ctkeith]: 2nd Update. Hey, I thought this was a MoveOn event. I still do. (MoveOn has never had me sign up to someone else's event, and their was no disclaimer on their invite.) But without talking to MoveOn.Action I have no immediate proof of this, so I have changed the title.