Anti-Bush Protesters Arrested at Rally Sue Secret Service

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAOLHM72JD.html

MIAMI (AP) - Three protesters who were arrested at a 2002 rally attended by President Bush for refusing to picket inside specified areas sued the Secret Service Wednesday, arguing that their First Amendment rights were violated.

The suit in Tampa federal court also names the Hillsborough County sheriff's office and the University of South Florida in Tampa, site of the November rally for Gov. Jeb Bush at which the president, his brother, appeared.

Joe Redner, Adam Elend and Jeff Marks said they attended the rally specifically to protest the Secret Service's designated "free speech zones." Redner said his sign read "Don't let these crooks fool you" on one side and had a quote from a Supreme Court free speech decision on the other.

Officials at the public university's arena ordered the men to move to a designated zone about a half-mile away, and deputies arrested them when they refused, Elend said.

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[alaine]

1. This is exactly what happened to protesters when

Christine Todd-Whitman toured the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see the destruction of the trees at the highest altitudes (for anyone who hasn't seen it, it looks like a forest fire or or tornado came through; same has happened on the high altitudes on the Blue Ridge Parkway, due to, depending on who you believe, acid rain, most notably from the Tennesse Valley Authority power plants, or Japanese boring beetles. I think is probably a combination.)

Anyway, the protesters were standing quietly with their signs but they were removed from the area anyway, there was quite an outcry about it.

[Pastiche423]

2. "...restrictions must be applied equally to protesters and supporters."

"Elend said the Secret Service and deputies for the most part allowed those with pro-Bush and neutral signs to stay nearby but sent protesters to the zone."

That does not sound like it was equally applied to me.

[madfloridian]

3. Joe Redner is very good at getting attention to his causes.

He will get attention for this. He makes the establishment furious, absolutely furious. He runs a nude dancer club in Tampa, and he drives them crazy.
I don't go to nude dancer clubs, in fact I am pretty moderate in my views about such things. But I do LOVE the way he bugs them to death.
I think he ran for city commissioner once against a fundamentalist Christian who thinks all things are evil. I may be wrong on the running part, but he bugged that guy to death.
He will get attention.
:evilgrin:

[PaDUer]

4. They should sue them...

after all, they have all of us on their "do not fly" lists!! What's the ACLU doing about this?? When are the people going to do something about all the BS going on!? We're being held HOSTAGE, have all our of rights stripped, and if you don't have $, you're definitely screwed, all from the bunch of thieves who are robbing us and the country blind while the people's eyes are OPENED and doing zilch..Yet, our leaders are looking the other way and letting them get away! They're ENABLERS!..Grand theft of amerikkka! BTW, I have a question---were any of you invited to * ranch for a picnic while he's there for the month?

[dArKeR]

5. I saw this happen at De Anza Col. sports field, Cupertino CA. when

Reagan came. Santa Clara Sherriffs would not allow anyone past the gate who had any anit-Reagan sign or make-up on their face. But they just got shoved back by Sherriffs. They had no where else to go. I've got pictures at my father's house. I thought I read in the newspapers, a long time ago, that a court case is still running? About 1983 - 85?