West Frankfort Business Owner Holds 'Smoke-in'

[High Plains]

Source: WSIL TV-3

WEST FRANKFORT -- Smokers and non-smokers alike took a stand against the Illinois smoking ban Saturday. The first ever "smoke-in" was held in West Frankfort and folks from across the region--and the country--turned out.

West Frankfort was a smokers paradise on Saturday, but for the folks that came to the protest, it was more than just standing outside in the nice weather--This was supposed to send a message.

"Our government keeps taking away and chipping...away at our rights, what we feel is our rights," said Mona Coyler. Colyer owns Colyer 212 lounge in West Frankfort. She says businesses around the area are struggling to deal with the smoking ban. "You know we went through a prohibition on alcohol it looks like we would have learned a lesson, prohibition does not work," Colyer said.

Protestors had plenty of support throughout the day. Drivers honked their horns as they drove by as signs and shirts saying "we smoke, we vote" were on display.

Protestors from as far way as West Virginia showed up to the "smoke in". They are upset that there was never a vote on the smoking ban.



Read more: http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=4260&type=top

---

There was an earlier thread about this guy's planned protest. I thought I would share this update.

[High Plains]

1. A bit more from the story:

"The state says then you are mature enough to make your own decisions well evidently not, they're making our decisions for us," Colyer said.

One interesting note: The smoke in was organized by a man who doesn't even smoke.

But he has a sign in front of his business welcoming smokers in.

"Stand up for your rights," said owner Jon Hemminghaus. "You can still put a sign up, everybody put a sign up, by golly that ain't against the law yet."

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

[Mountainman]

2. Oh boy! A smoking thread. Let the games begin!

[Kelvin Mace]

3. Our government now routinely

tortures people, detains people without trial forever, spies on us, and wages illegal wars and all these fulls are worried about is their "right to smoke".

[JFN1]

6. This isn't about the "right to smoke"

Rather, it is about the continued infringement of the government on our rights! I'm not a smoker, but I fully support them against this stupid, silly law. I have a "daddy" - I don't need the State doing the job, too...

[Kelvin Mace]

10. As I said

with the Constitution in shreds, THIS is where people draw that line and take a stand? For a goddamned cigarette?

I don't quibble that our rights are being eroded, but Jeebus' sake, their are MORE COMPELLING issues to protest about.

I don't smoke. I don't care who does.

[AZ Criminal JD]

15. Many of us can do more than one thing.

[truthisfreedom]

4. Freedom to breathe.

That's what I'm talking about.

[chusmeria]

8. give me a break

start with corporations if you're going to bitch about that

[Kelvin Mace]

11. Not so's you'd notice

but we DO regulate what, where and when corporations can pollute the air. Why should cigarettes smokers be different?

[chusmeria]

13. Hahahhaa

that's a joke, right? Even if you think that's true, maybe you should consider how FTAs (and the Bush administration recently implemented a lot of them when he had access to TPA) are zones of deregulation.

[Kelvin Mace]

16. Again

I am not claiming that Bush enforces any of the laws, I simply point out that we do in fact have them on the books. Therefore similar laws for smokers are hardly at odds with government practices in the past.

[Dr.Phool]

5. I organized a smoke-in, on Cleveland Public Square in 1973.

But, we weren't smoking cigarettes.

:evilgrin: :hippie: :evilgrin:

:smoke: :hippie: :hippie: :smoke:

:evilgrin:

[bitchkitty]

17. I'm having my own little Oregon smoke-in as we speak! :) n/t

[asthmaticeog]

7. "Prohibition doesn't work"

This isn't prohibition. Smoking isn't outlawed. It's forbidden in certain places. Places that have to have a special license to serve alcohol, ironically. That being said, it absolutely *should* have gone to the voters.

[Lance_Boyle]

9. But this guy's business is not a bar.

He doesn't serve liquor, he repairs boats. I think the law may be more far-reaching than you know. And yes, voters should have had a whack at it before it became law.

[Kelvin Mace]

12. Agreed.

That avoids issues about "the nanny state".

[bean fidhleir]

14. When's the last time anyone elected a representative rather than a ruler? (nt)