(Seattle) Police to protest supporters: Honk if you'd like a ticket

[Rhiannon12866]

Police experimented with a new tactic Friday night as they responded to a weeklong Occupy Seattle demonstration at Westlake Park -- ticketing drivers who honked in support of protesters.

Starting at 11 p.m. Friday, police started pulling over and ticketing drivers who honked as they drove past protesters.

When the first car -- a taxi -- was pulled over, the protesters followed and shouted at police who then formed a blockade around the driver's cab.

The cab driver was then given a $144 ticket -- and protesters ended up handing him money afterwards to help pay for his fine.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Police-to-protest-supporters-Honk-if-you-d-like-2209430.php

[mrs_p]

1. kick and rec

what a bunch of assholes (the police, not the protesters)

[hobbit709]

2. wonder what would happen if there were more people honking than cops.

[nuxvomica]

3. This must be that "money = free speech" thing

Sounds like selective prosecution to me.

[Lyric]

4. Particularly in that setting, a honk is fucking SPEECH,

I don't see how that's not a civil rights violation.

[appal_jack]

6. +1 k&r n/t

[bluethruandthru]

5. Did they ticket anyone who honked in support of a Tea Bagger rally? n/t

[saras]

8. No, they honked. Pretended it was to clear traffic.

[glowing]

7. Is this just an evening thing starting at 11pm? If so, I can understand

if they are located near places of residence... No one wants to hear honking all night long. I would be pissed if I was being woken up at 3 or 4am from honking.

Hey honkers, go park, pick up a sign, and stand up!!! Stop being so damned lazy. (Taxi driver was most likely was probably working; so I'll give him a pass)... But if you are on your way home, stop and put some more numbers on the st.... Especially, if you are traveling from the office and still have your suit or work clothes on. Block out any names of the co with some tape if you have a uniform. Pictures of people in business suits and ties, nurse scrubs, maids uniform, Target shirts... make a point of wearing the clothes of the working people. Its harder to discredit the movement as fringe when the pictures show working Americans.

[icymist]

24. It's in the middle of downtown, surrounded by shopping malls

and such. It's right near a major bus hub and usually is busy all through the night.

[johnnie]

9. They should make signs

The protesters should make signs that read "Do Not honk if you support us". Then the non-supporters would get the tickets. Heh.

[malthaussen]

10. Okay, So Up the Ante

What every single person who gets one of these tickets needs to do -- every single one of them -- is go to court and fight the ticket. Possibly even rig up some kind of class action thing. Perhaps the attorneys among DUers can offer more suggestions.

When authority is abused, it needs to be abused right back.

-- mal

[butterfly77]

11. Kick

[Dennis Donovan]

12. Kick - this needs exposure!

:hi:

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. Good. They're sending all of their victims out to join the protesters!

[Rhiannon12866]

14. At the launch of the Iraq war, there was a lone guy who stood in the center of my town

With his "Support the Troops" sign, expecting folks to honk. This was in response to a silent candlelight vigil, attracted a couple of hundred protesters who gathered in opposition to the war. The "Support the Troops" guy got all the publicity and his pic in the paper, while this unprecedented gathering was merely a footnote. The priorities here are baffling... :(

[LWolf]

15. Is it against the law to honk? nt

[Supply Side Jesus]

17. generally yes

Honking must be traffic related

p.s. what a fucking bullshit ticket

[LWolf]

19. I'd think that, technically, honking as you made your way

through a protest might be traffic related.

bullshit ticket is right.

[Missy Vixen]

22. It'll be interesting to see how many "traffic related" honking tickets

are given out in support of other events in downtown Seattle.

I'm a native. I can't count the number of times we've passed anti-war supporters, etcetera, in the past on our way to dinner or whatever, tapped the horn in support, and NEVER got a ticket for it.

I predict lots of phone calls to the Mayor's office tomorrow morning. I'll be making one for sure. I'd like them to quote the law to me, and tell me how many others were ticketed for the same offense in Seattle, WA, in the past calendar year.

:mad:

[Supply Side Jesus]

23. recent story on same issue in WA

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Hold-that-honk-Car-horns-are-for-safety-only-1247702.php

I like the part were the Trooper is quoted as never issuing a similar ticket.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. That story is from four years ago. Who knew?!

:shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Not surprised they are going there

expect more crap like this... and yes it should be taken to court as freedom of speech

[coalition_unwilling]

18. A picture is worth a 1,000 words:

[Glimmer of Hope]

20. Love it!

[Jamastiene]

29. I love it!

[Rhiannon12866]

21. And in another bizarre turn: The Night Umbrellas Became Illegal in Seattle

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=2084813&mesg_id=2084813

[AngkorWot]

26. Mayor McGinn's statement on honking and umbrella's and more.

http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/

Tickets were given for honking after 10 PM. Noise ordinance.

Police believed protestors were using umbrellas for makeshift tents, despite camping ordinance.

http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/

[BBG]

28. Makes Sense to Me

We drove by this afternoon and honked a twice. Three times each. But it was the middle of the day.

I got to agree with the reasoning, no honking late at night. It's kind of rude.

[eridani]

27. More cowbell NOW!

Seriously--if they don't like horns how about bells?

[Missy Vixen]

30. This protest needs more cowbell!

I suppose someone could also arrange a visit by the Seahawks' Blue Thunder drumline, if one was so inclined...

I don't know them, but I know people who do!

:woohoo:

[LeftyMom]

31. Honking for no traffic reason after 11 pm SHOULD get you a ticket.

People need to sleep. You can still show your support by waving or giving a thumbs up or parking and saying something nice.

People occasionally honk outside my place at night (not at protesters, just being douchebags) and I'd be delighted if they got tickets. Or fed feet first through a woodchipper. But I guess tickets would be a start.