The way I look at it, the duly constituted authorities are within their rights - or perhaps I should say, within their responsibilities - to say you can’t be in a particular place at a particular time. Well, if so, then this really is a First Amendment issue - which I had doubted.
Jack speculated that maybe carrying a sign was what made you a trespasser (and that’s what the19 were arrested on last night, trespassing - or at least Walid was, which is all I can say for sure, since no Occupier is allowed to speak for others). But Walid, his lawyer, and four or five others - some media - were still on the proscribed side. Most of the Occupiers were across the street, it having been informally decided that the “grounds” extended to the curb on the south side of Gervais. And, he said, Walid - “You mean Walid, the non-leader leader?” and Jack nodded - had been walking about on the grounds without being touched. Jack said he’d seen plenty of people cross the area unmolested - joggers, people walking their pets and the like. I said aloud to Jack what I was thinking: What makes being on the grounds after 6 a crime? Nobody was challenging us, although two BPS officers were standing at the steps about 25 yards away. “Hey, Brad.” It was Jack Kuenzie from WIS. Another figure separated from the group and headed my way. As I moved toward the Confederate monument, I saw a group of people in the gloaming near the flag - on the part of the grounds people were arrested for being on last night.
So I parked in one of the “working media” spots, and started rehearsing my explanation that I was, too, working media in case of challenge, when I realized I was walking across the State House grounds after 6 p.m. And that’s harder than it sounds, because parking is scarce with Vista Lights going on. So you know who had to schlep his tired bones down to the State House. That’s what I’ve done most of my life when I had a question that was holding things up - send somebody to find out and let me know.
The trouble is, I don’t have any reporters to go check and see what’s happening. The movement’s (I almost said “the organization’s,” but that wouldn’t be accurate) website didn’t tell me. only had a minimal update since the night before. I didn’t know, and none of the more obvious websites were telling me anything. So how did I know there weren’t new arrests taking place as I was posting? Well, I didn’t. As I posted today’s Virtual Front Page, featuring a blurb about the Occupy Columbia situation at the State House, I glanced at the time. Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home…
0 kommentar(er)
