Convention Plan Puts Protestors Blocks Away (Boston DEM Convention)

[matcom]

*sigh* guess our lack of freedoms are here to stay x(

<snip>

Protesters at this summer's Democratic National Convention in Boston may be confined to a cozy triangle of land off Haymarket Square, blocked off from the FleetCenter and convention delegates by a maze of Central Artery service roads, MBTA train tracks, and a temporary parking lot holding scores of buses and media trucks.

Under a preliminary plan floated by convention organizers, the "free-speech zone" would be a small plot bounded by Green Line tracks and North Washington Street, in an area that until recently was given over to the elevated artery. The zone would hold as few as 400 of the several thousand protesters who are expected in Boston in late July.

"The area looks a little silly, to be honest with you," said Urszula Masny-Latos, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild's Massachusetts chapter. "People will not be able to express their concerns with whatever will be happening, because no one will have access to delegates. No one will be heard, and the area is just too small."

Officials with the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU of Massachusetts plan to meet with Boston Police Department representatives in the weeks to come to ask that the plan be changed. Boston police say no final decisions will be made for months, and stressed that they're open to input.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/02/20/convention_plan_puts_protesters_blocks_away/

[mhr]

1. The Democratic Party Has Been Lost - Acts Just Like * With FSZs

This is confirmation that all is lost with the democratic party.

It is time to walk away from the established parties since both act with no consideration of the US Constitution or will of the people.

This is disgusting.

[sangh0]

20. A day late, and a dollar short

The free-speech were created under the Clinton administration in order to protect abortion clinics from violent pro-lifers. During the Clinton admin, no Democrat complained about the law and the Clinton admin submitted a amicus curae brief to SCOTUS defending the limits on free speech.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Blocks away? How ugly can a Freeper be without a computer or a

telephone?

[Robb]

5. Fear them!

The lockstepping brownshirted Porta-Potties of DOOM!!! :D

In all seriousness, FSZ's are nonsense for anyone. Even a freeper.

[whatelseisnew]

8. If you think it will be freepers protesting you are sadly out of touch

freepers turn out about 5-50 at any given action so be sure to

do the math this summer.

[MichaelHarris]

3. I remember a Haymarket Square tragedy in Chicago

"During the nation-wide strike for the 8-hour workday, which began May 1, 1886, a mass meeting was held in the Chicago haymarket to protest a police action of the previous day in which workers were killed. When police ordered the protest meeting to disperse (peaceful though it was), a bomb was thrown by an unknown person, killing several officers. This became known as the "Haymarket Riot." The 8-Hour Day Movement was destroyed in the nation-wide hysteria which followed."

Long live the American Worker and our right to protest.

[dbt]

4. Talk about sending the WRONG message!

What the hell are we afraid of? Showing that there's a difference between us and the Pugs? I hope the ACLU and the Lawyers Guild rip "us" a new one over this!

:argh:
dbt

[MaineDem]

6. Everything I've read about this convention

...makes it sound like the Fleet Center (if it IS still the Fleet Center in July) will be like an armed camp. I'm sure the security needs to be tight but people who live and work int he area will be inconvenienced a great deal.

Based on the geography of the area I'm not surprised that any protestors will be that far away - which isn't really that far. But I understand security is closing down a large area around the Fleet Center to everything but delegates.

I don't like the idea of calling it a Free Speech Zone though. That's what we condemn the GOP for doing.

[annagull]

7. Uh..Howard? Can you c'mere for a while?

WTF is up with that---jaysus, we may as well be stormtroopers for bushco!! If this is for real, and it flies with people in control, then I am onto the next wagon train.

[truthspeaker]

9. I just sent an email to the DNC expressing my opposition to this

Contact info: http://www.democrats.org/contact/

[mazzarro]

10. More evidence that the leadership of Democratic Party needs

cleansing of it's reactionary members and of course the influence and hold of the DLC neo-con sympathizers.

[Barrett808]

11. We'll see what they do in NYC... n/t

n/t

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

12. That's not right at all.

Imagine where we'll be put for the opportunistic repugnant ghoul convention this coming September.

[chenGOD]

14. You're gonna have to practice "guerilla protesting"

Walk by the convention with a friend like normal citizens, and then quickly pull out a banner and stretch it out. Guaranteed national news coverage when the brownshirts (sorry I mean Democracy Assistance Officers) tackle you and your friend.

Jeez, Dean drops out, and a day later the DNC is showing it's true colours: "Yeah, we put up with that Dean guy for a while, but now it's back to the status quo fucking American citizens in the ass".



PS: I'm not a "Dean supporter" as I'm not even an American citizen, so please save the flames for the zealots.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

15. That's a damn good idea.

I'll be sure to wear some padding too, just in case.

PS I think you're absolutely right about Dean. But remember he's "crazy". So we can't have any of that, I guess.

[chenGOD]

18. If you happen to have any crazy rich friends...

Get them to hire a small plane and drop leaflets in the general vicinity...

Gotta be crazy, cause you know they'll scramble fighter jets to protect Bush from the small planes.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

24. Crazy, yes. Rich, I'm still working on that.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. I'm more worried about NYC than Boston

I don't think there will be a large number of protesters in Boston. NYC will be a whole different story.

I have already called Mayor Menino to express my outrage at the hiring of John Timoney, the architect of the "Miami Model" of represession. If the police use the same tactics that they used in Miami, the Democratic Party will lose a lot of votes, including mine.

[truthspeaker]

16. But Boston will set a bad precedent for NYC

When protestors in NYC complain about being silenced, the repukes can say, truthfully, "well the Democrats did the exact same thing at their convention in Boston".

[Norquist Nemesis]

17. So how do WE as Democrats

get rid of McAuliffe? Seriously. What needs to be done to get him out?

[lcordero]

19. it seems that it isn't just

al-qaeda and Republicans that us for our freedoms.

[Walt Starr]

21. Yep, on March 17th, I am re-registering as an independent

Fuck, Replublicrats at their best!

[lcordero]

23. I'll be doing that on March 3rd

[bushisanidiot]

22. I'm Hoping This Is A political move by the DNC and that they'll

eliminate the free speech zones due to complaints, etc. This will bring the repukes consistant use and abuse of "free speech zones" into the spotlight. Then we'll be in a position to point out how differently the democratic party and the republican party view civil liberties and our rights to free speech and free assembly.

[burrowowl]

25. It makes one wonder

what is the difference between the 2 parties?

[Walt Starr]

26. If every elected Democrat or every elected Republican flipped on Choice

would there even be a difference any more?