Rep. Filner, others taken into custody

[Joanie Baloney]

Source: San Diego Union-Tribune

Rep. Bob Filner and six other people have been taken into custody during a protest rally late this afternoon in Old Town San Diego. The protesters had said they planned to stage a civil disobedience protest.

Filner was among a group of about 80 people protesting the grand opening of Old Town's Plaza del Pasado with union workers who were fired in March after the plaza's operation changed hands. The new operator has said the plaza will not be unionized.

Also taken into custody about 5:15 p.m. by park rangers was Nicole Murray-Ramirez, chairman of the San Diego Human Relations Commission.

Capt. Richard Dennison, a park ranger, said the seven were detained for disturbing the peace, interferring with a lawful business and making unreasonable noise at a state park. He said they are being cited and released.

Dennison said the operator of the concession, Chuck Ross, made a complaint to the rangers about the protest.



Read more: http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/2009/05/rep_filner_others_taken_into_c.html

---

Wow! Lookee here...an actual activist politician. I must be having a flash-back. Attica!! Attica!

Oops...sorry. Got carried away.

-JB

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Not surprised, Filner has been active for a long time

like oh since he was in College

He got into politics because teaching history of science was not going to change a damn thing. He's been to more events than I can remember. And damn you Bob, if I'd known I'd been down there!

[Joanie Baloney]

2. Me too

I had not heard word one about the protest.

He's a bulldog alright!

-JB

[Chemical Bill]

26. You didn't know?

You mean Faux news didn't announce it? It wasn't carried by all the local TV and newspapers? I thought that since the teabaggers everything changed, and the media was going to start reporting on planned demonstrations and civil disobedience.

Bill

:sarcasm:

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Gets worst the local news cast didn't even cover it

I know, shocking

:-)

[xchrom]

3. recommend

[Bette Noir]

4. I like park rangers better when they're giving public information and

building cases against people who illegally kill wildlife.

Arresting protesters is *so* not what I picture park rangers doing. I volunteer in a state park, and consider the rangers valuable colleagues.

[Joanie Baloney]

5. Good point

Maybe all that "noise" was disturbing Yogi and Boo-Boo. Or maybe this was the first time a store owner had made a complaint like that and he got flustered. Hard to say.

-JB

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Goddamit. I stand with Filner,

and I never even heard of him before. But his politics are obviously right.


As some old Kraut once said,
"Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nichts anders."

[YvonneCa]

10. He was my Rep. up until five years ago...

...and he is GREAT! I stand with Filner.

[Earth Bound Misfit]

11. Thank you for refreshing my memory...

"Some old Kraut"...LOL!

[Jackpine Radical]

13. Yup. THAT old Kraut.

[starroute]

14. I first became aware of Filner for trying to keep Blackwater out of his district

The 2007 item below is about Filner's involvement in the successful movement to keep Blackwater from building a training camp in Potrero. The more recent items are about Blackwater's subsequent attempts to get a toehold in this sensitive region near the border with Mexico.


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070414-9999-1m14black.html

April 14, 2007

Rep. Bob Filner says he is exploring legislation that would block a controversial proposal for a major defense contractor's training camp in the backcountry community of Potrero.

The proposal by Blackwater USA to build a training center on a former chicken and cattle ranch has torn apart the tiny community and brought protests by those opposed to the company's government contracts in Iraq.

Filner, D-San Diego, told The Associated Press that although his district includes Potrero, company officers did not contact him until after they met with county planners, and after the local planning group unanimously approved a preliminary proposal.


http://aggravated.blogspot.com/2008/04/blackwater-vs-rep-filner.html

On Friday, April 25th, 2008, Congressman Bob Filner will host a rally and press conference announcing his opposition to Blackwater Worldwide’s proposed training facility in Otay Mesa, South San Diego County, California.


http://obrag.org/?p=717

May 2nd, 2008

Congressman Bob Filner on May 1 called on San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders to investigate the permit that Blackwater received as a “vocational trade school.” Filner also asked for Mayor Sanders’ support in preventing Blackwater’s presence in San Diego.


http://media.www.southwesterncollegesun.com/media/storage/paper777/news/2009/03/05/News/Governing.Board.Sets.Deal.With.Blackwater-3644911.shtml

3/5/09

Southwestern College has entered into an agreement with Blackwater Worldwide, the controversial company currently awaiting trial for the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. Under the five-year agreement, SWC will use Blackwater's Otay Mesa shooting range in exchange for free use of conference rooms. ...

Congressman Bob Filner, (D-San Diego), disagreed. He said Blackwater is not a reputable company and that a free shooting range is not enough justification for the SWC board to approve the agreement. Filner said the approval is a mistake and that he will write a letter urging the college to "reverse the policy immediately."

[Vidar]

7. Bravo Rep Filner!

[Joanie Baloney]

8. More details and new link

Here's the link to the updated story:

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/08/bn08protest211627/?metro&zIndex=96393

New stuff:

With a private party going on inside the Fiesta de Reyes area to mark its relaunch, about 80 protesters formed two circling picket lines near the entrance to Fiesta de Reyes without blocking it. A few others marched with placards at one of the park entrances.

But the demonstrators, including Filner, already had planned to stage what they called a “civil disobedience literally at the gate of Fiesta de Reyes.”

Locking arms and walking side-by-side, Filner, Local 30 president Brigette Browning, San Diego Human Relations Commission chairman Nicole Murray-Ramirez and four others marched to the closed iron gate and sat down. They led other demonstrators in noisy chants of “No justice, no peace!” in English and Spanish.

They were backed by other protesters beating drums and spinning large wooden noisemakers over their heads. The protesters didn't get a permit for their demonstration, but state park rangers, including a K-9 team, stood by calmly until the concessionaire made a formal complaint, Dennison said.

At that point, one by one, the seven sitting demonstrators, starting with Filner, were bound with plastic cuffs and detained.

Let my people go!!

-JB

[MindPilot]

9. Way to stand (or sit) with your constituents, Bob!

Note to other congresscritters -- this is how it's done.

[Posteritatis]

12. Whole lotta Congressfolk getting arrested lately

Good to see they're leaving their offices now and then, willing to put their (bail) money where their mouth is on some issues. That includes the ones I don't like or agree with.

[Union Yes]

15. K&R for Rep Filner and for Solidarity!

[klebean]

16. The rest of the story...

From a commentor on the story:


NoJusticeNoPeace 6 minutes ago
I'm a former union organizer. Filner and HERE Local 30 do NOT represent the workers! A strong majority of the workers signed a petition telling the union bosses to NOT protest and demonstrate. Why? They let their contract expire. Not only that, they didn't protect the workers by having a severance clause in it just case they got fired or a continuity clause requiring the contract be extended to any new concessionaire. The union blew it and now they want to blame the new concessionaire for their own incompetence. They should be sued for union malpractice. Instead, Filner acts like he's protecting us. He's only kissing the labor bosses' butts and ignoring the workers.

And it gets worse. When the union knew Delaware North was leaving Old Town, there were 300 Delaware North jobs open in Petco Park. Did they give them to the union workers first? NO! They hired new employees while letting Delaware North fire the ones already working! That's why workers want nothing to do with HERE Local 30 and signed a petition saying so! It's ironic that the people exploiting the workers is Congressman Filner and the Union. That's why HERE is getting ripped to pieces all over the country. They are either incompetent, cynical or both. Workers Unite! No Justice - No Peace! Hold our union leaders accountable!

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Dupe

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. The union was responsible for hiring and firing?

That doesn't make any sense.

[4lbs]

20. "Former union organizer" huh?

Why "former" and not "current" ?

Also, why don't they give their real name, so we can verify the accuracy of their (likely false) claim?

[Binka]

27. Poster Is Full Of Shit n/t

[Cleita]

23. Got any reliable sources to back up your allegations? n/t

[4lbs]

19. I'm proud of my Rep Bob Filner!

He stands up for everything I believe in.

Filner's been doing these things for 20+ years. That's why I think he's never been defeated come re-election time.

His name automatically gets a YES vote from me.

[Omaha Steve]

21. K&R!

Thanks for posting.

[Joanie Baloney]

24. Welcome!

(I figured you may not have seen it.)

[Cleita]

22. And wow! Activists who aren't afraid to stage civil disobedience

protests, which the rest of us should be doing to get single payer health care and force an investigation of the torture regime of the Bush administration.

Go union!

[Maat]

25. I'm here to tell you that Bob Filner is the best.

I'm about one hour north of San Diego - inland - on the Murrieta-Ca/Temecula-Ca border, and run around in the same activist circles as Bob. He's just the Real Deal.

I applaud you, Bob.

[november3rd]

28. Since When?

Since when do owners get to decide whether or not workers can form a union?

union workers who were fired in March after the plaza's operation changed hands. The new operator has said the plaza will not be unionized.

It's long past time for the American people to assert their rights in this area.

[MasonJar]

30. What level constitutes unreasonable noise? He is in good company.

Thoreau went to jail for civil disobedience. And his dissertation on the experience is studied in high school and college. Go Rep. Filner. Keep up the good work. You have made a demonstration national news.