Anyone on DU ever been confined in a "first amendment zone"?

[Generic Other]

Have any of you experienced directly or heard of people who have been confined in First Amendment Zones at protests?

[northstar]

1. Yes!

All of the United States of America is a 'first amendment zone'. I speak my mind, and others do as well....and we will all 'defend to the death our right to say it....even if we don't necessarily agree.

Cool, yes?

[Generic Other]

3. well, yes of course you are right but I was thinking of the more exclusive

"zones" where they pen you in like cattle.

[northstar]

8. I know what you meant.....but I, along with other patriotic people

hopefully you, as well....won't accept this new 'framing' of what the first amendment means. Hard as you/they may try.....the first amendment won't be turned into a 'zone'.

Know what the law gives you....don't think it's your enemy, sometimes it's your friend.

The Constitution of the United States of America is a most beautiful document....it's founders understood the worst of men, yet hoped for the best. I will support it (the Constitution) .... I, aspire for the best of mankind.

[Generic Other]

9. Okay, I guess they should be labelled "speech- free zones"

Or maybe Bush gulags?
I was just curious about DUers' experiences with them.

[MGKrebs]

2. Oh yeah.

Shrubbie came to Atlanta for the fundraiser at the house of the big Home Depot cheese, this past spring. We were kept about 300 yards away from the INTERSECTION that the motorcade had to go through. The actual house was another 100 yards or so down the street from there. We never saw them, and I'm sure we were never seen by anyone who mattered.

[Zan_of_Texas]

4. Of course. Hasn't everyone?

When Bush came to town, the cops corralled us in a pen, away from the street the motorcade would travel on, and the businesspeople on the sidewalk gawked at us like we were zoo animals.

It is highly unconstitutional as far as I'm concerned.

[Generic Other]

5. Was that in Texas?

That's so degrading! Especially while businesspeople are free to go about their business.

I wonder if anyone anywhere has been arrested or convicted after such an experience?

[JSJ]

13. without willing cops (a prime bush constituency), there'd be no...

...free speech zones to speak of.

[Generic Other]

15. You're right the big police union backed him this week

How could they do that?

Most of the protests I have attended have been marked by fairly civil exchanges between protesters and police. Why would they back a man who made their jobs more dangerous and screwed them out of their overtime? This is not using the old thinking cap!

[G_j]

6. well we were 'supposed' to

demonstrate in a FSZ but we ignored it.
nothing happened because I don't think they expected a thousand ppl.

(presidential debates, Winston-Salem, NC.)

[Kipepeo]

7. At two of the anti-war protests in LA

I don't know if these were technically "free-speech zones" but they sure felt like it. One was near the beginning of the illegal war...it was a large protest on the night of the Oscars (yes, the one where Moore accepted). We had a permit and had a small stage, and protesters also lined the main street so that oscar-bound limos and random passersby (all in near standstill traffic) had to see us. There was a line of cops all down both sides of the street, fencing us in. Eventually they started closing in and cornered all of the sidewalk protesters into a small area in an alley-type street....just by closing their circle they did this. We were surrounded and they kept saying that we could either leave or sit down and be arrested. And we weren't blocking any traffic or anything...this was a peaceful assembly completely on the sidewalks of one long street. Fucking scary.

A similar one happened at a protest at the CNN building here in LA, after the start of the war. The cops formed a circle around a group of protesters and said they could either leave or be arrested....same deal. And there was no illegal activity. Still doesn't make sense.

[Lori Price CLG]

10. Yes, Waterbury, CT -- spring, 2001.

The Idiot Usurper was speaking at the Tinker Elementary school in Waterbury, CT. People with PRO-Bush signs were allowed to congregate directly in front of the school (and cheer for Bush). People with ANTI-Bush signs were not allowed to step in the street or cross it (to get closer to the school), or they faced arrest. We kept asking the police why *we* could not protest from the same location as the PRO-Bush people... we did not get a satisfactory explanation.

Lori Price
http://www.legitgov.org/

[Generic Other]

11. He's so afraid of bursting his own bubble

He's turned our country into a psycho ward!

[anarchy1999]

12. Yes, here in Dallas, they tried and they failed. It was right before

election day 2002. Dubya was appearing at SMU. The Republicans had been giving tickets away. In a short amount of time a number of us all came together and we stood together at Mockingbird and Central Exprwy (75 or 45, however you want to call it). We stood in pouring rain and then we slowly walked to the auditorium. We were fortunate in that a few in front knew what they were doing and we slowed the march down in amazing ways. When Bush's caravan arrived we were supposed to be far away in a tennis court designated as the "free speech zone".

Unfortunately for all of those in control. they were still getting good at it, and all of us protestors were better at protesting and organizing and that evening we had an elite crowd. I was in front working with people that have been protesting for 30-40 years and then some if you want to go collective. We lined Bush's entire entrance, he heard us all, I will always believe that that day we had a big affect upon him and the people he puts in command and control. He was not a happy camper that evening.

He had to see banners and protestors all the way along his route, he heard us all because of the acoustics of where we were gathered as his caravan arrived and he had to step out to walk into his perfomance hall.

We had members inside the auditorium that dropped a banner, they were attacked much like what has been happening recently, several were threatened by the SS, it will be an evening that all of us that were there will always remember. We all made it happen in DALLAS!! That evening there were lots of DU'ers there. It was a very big moment to be proud, especially in Dallas, and there have been many to follow. Join in with us. We've only got a few weeks left to make a difference. It was the first time that year he was actually confronted by demonstrators, right in his back yard. Thanks to everyone here that backed us up and that showed. It was a special moment in time.

We have to make sure our votes count. Period.

Oh yes and by the way, while there were members of our groups inside the auditorium, after dark and while Dubya was inside they (the PD and Campus Security) were finally able to get us all to that tennis court on the far edge of the campus that they had deemed to be the "Free Speech Zone" in the pouring, cold rain.

[Generic Other]

14. Go Texas!

I can't believe folks in your state haven't all spontaneously combusted having to endure this man's antics.

A tennis court as a holding pen? Good grief.