The trouble with suing Occupy L.A. protesters for $2.35 million

[n2doc]

L.A. City Atty. Carmen Trutanich may sue Occupy L.A. for $2.35 million, which includes the cost of 1,400 LAPD officers sent to watch and evict the peaceful protest.

"Freedom isn't free. It ain't even affordable," opines cartoonist Ted Rall in this week's installment.

It may sound like a sketchy -- and improbable! -- idea to sue protesters for the cost of the cops sent to evict and arrest them. But perhaps Trutanich is on to something. Today, it's charging protesters to repair City Hall. Tomorrow, it could be overbilling all Angelenos so that we may repair all of L.A. (and foot the bill for $1.2-million parachutes).

Is this what the future of L.A. looks like?
toon at link
http://opinion.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c7de353ef0168e490c68b970c-600wi

[FreakinDJ]

1. LA is in desperate need of many things

but a jack ass like that isn't one of them

[graywarrior]

2. Sorry, I can't undertand what you're saying

I'm mesmerized by your dancing signature.

[Downwinder]

3. Going to ruin their credit rating if they don't pay

for someone to hit them over the head with a club?

[Merlot]

4. Where will they deliver the summons?

[Fire Walk With Me]

5. Entrapment.

http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/10/20/29498/villaraigosa-occupy-la-can-stay-now/

Oct. 20, 2011 | By Frank Stoltze | KPCC

"Last week, the City Council passed a resolution supporting Occupy LA, and Council President Eric Garcetti told protestors 'stay as long as you need.' Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is not making a similar commitment."

(And Trutanich wants to run for higher office (good call, coalition_unwilling) and use #OLA as a "tough on crime" stance.)

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/02/11/councilman-trutanich-wants-to-silence-civil-disobedience/

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. Perhaps the city could be sued for stealing money from the homeless?

http://www.laweekly.com/2011-04-21/news/huge-subsidy-for-stadium-architect/

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has decided to spend $1 million in federal grants — money that had been avidly sought by residents of Skid Row — to instead help out San Francisco–based Gensler, a 2,800-employee giant that enjoyed $463 million in revenue last year.

[freshwest]

9. Outrageous.

[Zalatix]

7. Every protestor should fight it in court, bankrupt the system

L.A. can't squeeze blood out of a turnip, this will cost them more than it will make them money. Plus it will tie up the court system.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Of course the opinion writer knows

that cities have tried this before only to lose in court. I do not expect the writer to know this, but the city attorney, yes.