R&R Arrested at March On NRA

swinokur said:

Too late the motion was passed unanimously!

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Rack&Roll said:

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That's why this case is so important. On August 4th at the NRA headquarters, the Fairfax County government kept decent, peaceable citizens from mingling with their political opponents to debate, or even be exposed to some up-close-and-personal shaming, taunts and cursing. The Fairfax County Police "Commanders" told me and our Patriot Picket crew leaders that "it was for our own good", and because officers could not risk being hurt in the public square.

So.... did my "Not Guilty" verdict today have an impact going forward? The answer is yes, when you factor in that the officer who arrested me was Fairfax County's top "Civil Disturbance" Incident Commander. He will carry the message back to his Incident Command Post that barricading opposing groups is NOT legal in every instance, just to make it "easier to manage". When he sees the Patriot Picket coming he will know that we fight for the right to peacefully be in public spaces and are willing to be arrested to prove it.

That's a key takeaway, because in these turbulent times the NRA headquarters will continue to be the focal point of protests and counter demonstrations.

That means will be there too, and we know our rights.

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Rack&Roll said:

Thanks to all for their encouragement and support!

There are yet more interesting aspects to the trial that are still in my notes and I look forward to writing them up here. But before I pack it in for the day, I have a few takeaways that I think are worthwhile to go over.

For several years now, police agencies have snuck up on us with this new version of "safety" in the public square. Remember the protests and dire warnings when the Burea of Land Management put up those "First Amendment Area" cattle pens at the Bundy Ranch when there was a confrontation there-later ruled a government overreach? For a while so many were adamant that this "mission creep" by LE be checked. The cops replied "safety above all else!" They said "officer safety!" takes priority.

What it meant was law enforcement was investing in barricades, and training up on "safety zones". Mechanically, the process works great: use fencing to literally and physically separate points of view in public spaces.

And the police would say, "no foul, we ALLOW opposing groups close enough to each other that they can read each other's signs and they can hear each side yelling their point of view."

And as we heard from the witness stand today, the officer who arrested me said "we set it up so that we can send the news media back and forth [across our No Man's Land] so that each side gets equal time". Oh, please.

And then there's this: the government declares that fencing off demonstrators from each other is the most EFFECTIVE way to keep cops (government employees) from being injured, or worse.

Effective, certainly, but is it legal? The answer is NO. The government DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT to create political cattle pens in the public square just because it serves THE GOVERNMENT'S PURPOSES.

That's why this case is so important. On August 4th at the NRA headquarters, the Fairfax County government kept decent, peaceable citizens from mingling with their political opponents to debate, or even be exposed to some up-close-and-personal shaming, taunts and cursing. The Fairfax County Police "Commanders" told me and our Patriot Picket crew leaders that "it was for our own good", and because officers could not risk being hurt in the public square.

So.... did my "Not Guilty" verdict today have an impact going forward? The answer is yes, when you factor in that the officer who arrested me was Fairfax County's top "Civil Disturbance" Incident Commander. He will carry the message back to his Incident Command Post that barricading opposing groups is NOT legal in every instance, just to make it "easier to manage". When he sees the Patriot Picket coming he will know that we fight for the right to peacefully be in public spaces and are willing to be arrested to prove it.

That's a key takeaway, because in these turbulent times the NRA headquarters will continue to be the focal point of protests and counter demonstrations.

That means will be there too, and we know our rights.

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delaware_export said:

as was asked before the hearing, earlier in this thread, will there be a suit against the police for their actions being improper?

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spoon059 said:

Congrats Rack, this was clearly a bad arrest. I would encourage a lawsuit as well. Illegal arrest and violation of constitutional rights...

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Outerlimits said:

Great Victory Jeff. Sorry you had to defend yourself for actions that were not against the law. I have a feeling this is just a bump in the road for the Fairfaix Police Dept. Its seems the ends justify the means....even if its unconstitutional.

Thanks for allowing me to help.

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Rack&Roll said:

And when you think about it, FFX County doesn’t have any history of needing demonstration/protest police lines outside of Waples Mill Road, which is of course the headquarters for the NRA.

It might not be a bad idea to take my “Not Guilty” certified court document and blow it up into a 2-foot x 3-foot poster to have with us everytime we make the trip to Fairfax to stand up for the NRA in front of their HQ.

(And the crowd cheered wildly)

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gamer_jim said:

Congrats and glad I could be "on the team".

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