9-11 activists arrested at ground zero

[Sterling]

Arrests at Ground Zero

Police Claim Ground Zero Sidewalk is “Private Property” --by Michael Kane

On February 7th, 2004, four activists from the “No Police State Coalition” were arrested at Ground Zero when they refused a police order to move from in front of the World Trade Center Path Train Station. The police claimed the sidewalk directly in front of the train station was “private property” of the Port Authority.

I overheard an officer say to one of the onlookers witnessing the arrests, “This is private property, they were asked to leave and they refused. They’re not being arrested for what they have to say. If they would have went to the other side of the street, that would have been fine”.

But the Port Authority is only partially a private entity. It is also a public entity, receiving public funding to create public spaces such as train stations and sidewalks. The sidewalk should constitute a public forum, meaning it is not a privately owned store or home, and therefore the rights of free speech are guaranteed.

Dennis Griggs, Joel Meyers, Geoffrey Blank and Jason Blank were charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, refusing to disperse and refusing a lawful order from a police officer, but they contend the order given by the police was completely unlawful. They say there was no lawful reason given for them to disperse and the request was in direct violation of their constitutional, inalienable rights of free speech and assembly.

“We weren’t arrested for trespassing on the sidewalk, we were arrested for holding signs”, said Geoffrey Blank, one of the four activists from the “No Police State Coalition” arrested on Saturday.

snip


http://www.legitgov.org/front_kane_arrests_at_ground_zero_020904.html
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0402/S00061.htm

http://stopshoppingmonitor.journurl.com/ (links to indymedia)
http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/86968/index.php

Please spread this - it is a historical moment and landmark case that will end up defining what free speech means in NYC. This is especially important as we look ahead to the RNC. I am convinced by August there will be a contingency plan to get rid of the dangerous truth that the NY 9-11 Truth Movement is presenting every Saturday at Ground Zero.

peace eternal
m>k<

[G_j]

1. kick

[JackRiddler]

2. kicker

NEW YORKERS!!!

EVERY SATURDAY NOON AT GROUND ZERO THE VIGIL CONTINUES!

[Sterling]

3. I had not thought about it but.

This is a great thing to be doing leading up to the convention. Maybe there will be a large group together by then and it will be a factor in the coverage and event itself.

[Stephanie]

4. Madison Square Garden is also home to Port Authority entities

PATH trains, etc. Does PA own the sidewalk around Penn Station? Looks like they are setting the stage for mass arrests at the convention. I saw this coming from the way they handled the Halloween Parade - treated it the same way they did the Feb/March peace protests. Herded people into pens, blocked streets for no reason. NYC is a police state now.

[0rganism]

5. Private property? No, just Republican property

If they were holding "Support the American President" and "We Love George Bush" signs, there would be no problem at all. Most of the country is Republican property these days.

[Sterling]

6. I talked with Mike Kane

this weekend. He really has a lot of guts. At first I thought this was a bad idea but I was wrong.

I assumed people would just beat him to death. From the reports I am getting way more people are sympathetic to their message than are agrivated by it.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

7. yet, Bush is still walking free...

...

[Sterling]

11. I used to like irony

now it does not even give me comfort as black humor. Bush has even ruined irony by providing an excess for the past 4 years.

[ComerPerro]

8. Kick because that is bullshit

Private property?

Fuck, I would like to see them run off those "support the troops while cutting their benifits and voting for an AWOL son of a bitch" assholes.

That is just pathetic.

[DFLer4edu]

9. Kick for free speech!

[buycitgo]

10. reminded me, for some reason of this, from the Bush/London visit

[WarNoMore]

12. Kick! eom

[DFLer4edu]

13. Kick to stop Bu$h!