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by Nancy M. of TPF
Last night was a night to be remembered. I turned 45 and Tulsa Peace Fellowship’s demonstrators told Secret Service members that they would not be moved! The former occasion pales in comparison to the latter!
Yet, the story I am about to tell you was not was not found in the Tulsa World’s account of Vice President Dick Cheney’s visit here to Tulsa although the reporter knew about it. And it won’t be either, unless you get busy and write your letters to the editors at letters@tulsaworld.com
When I sent out the e-mail announcing an impromptu demonstration at the Double Tree Hotel, I warned that we might risk arrest if we failed to move to wherever the Secret Service told us to move.
Well somebody didn’t pay attention.. Local author Billie Letts (Shoot the Moon, Honk and Holler Opening Soon and Where the Heart) had already decided where it was she was going to stand….wherever she wanted to, as long as it was on public property.
So when she strode across 7th Street to and stood on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, my husband Terry and I followed her. Immediately, three sheriffs on horses surrounded her and told her that she must move …she was not allowed to be there. They asked her to cross the street. There, the statistics regarding mounting American and Iraqi death and the cost of the war which she had printed on her poster, would not offend the sensibilities of the well heeled folks going to hear Cheney speak at the Tom Coburn fundraiser.
Billie politely responded that she was precisely where she wanted to be. In fact she preferred it. Terry and I informed the officers that we were standing on public property and that no laws were being broken. Gruffly, they told us that they were not going to argue with us.
When Billie joked to the big man on the horse asking him, “What are you going to do, run over me with your horse,” he said no but he may “just have to carry her across the street.”
Then a secret service man, who was many years her and Terry’s junior, strode over to warn them. She again repeated that she was quite satisfied with her position. Terry, with control and calm repeated that we had every right to be there, saying, “It’s true sir, no laws are being broken.”
At that point the secret service man got angry and he unctuously spat out in a rapid staccato rhythm, “I have been very courteous up until now.”
Terry replied with same contrived courteousness, “And so, sir, have we.”
The guy was flustered and for a moment and he looked as if he about speak when he suddenly turned around and walked away.
The funny thing was that, one of our members has a police broad band radio and he thought he’d check out what the police were saying about Cheney’s visit.
Earlier in the day, as the officers went back and forth on the radio, one of them said, “We’ll move any protesters down the street,” to which another one responded, “But wait a minute, they wouldn’t be breaking any laws if they are on the sidewalks.” At that point, one officer said something about getting this conversation off the airwaves.
As it turned out, the second officer was right. The police left us alone. In fact, one of them later told Billie that they refused the Secret Service’s request to have Terry and her arrested. Bravo for them!
It’s important that we keep sidewalks what they are-- public property. In Oklahoma City, demonstrations on sidewalks require a permit.
Ironically, one arrogant woman dressed in her power suit and heels, hissed at Terry as she walked by, “Aren’t you glad you live in a country where you can do this?” Yet her words only thinly veiled her resentment. It was if she were saying, “Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should.”
The hawks like to say in their support of wars, “Freedom isn’t free.” Yet freedom is a farce if it can’t be practiced.
Thank you Billie, for your genteel courage. Thank you Terry for your steely calm. Your actions reminded me of the classic peace song, “We Shall Overcome” (someday). You showed us that we shall not be moved, not just someday, but this day, because that’s all the time we really have.
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