Occupy Dallas: City demanding a $1 MILLION insurance policy!!

[rainbow4321]

By tomorrow at 5pm.
A $1,000,000 general liability insurance policy



From their Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/OccupyDallas

For clarification: The deal with the permit is that originally we were told it would go through city hall with great ease. It was listed as being as indefinite. What came later was news that they had released information to the media: our permit requires us to provide a 1million dollar insurance policy. That doesn't mean we have to pay 1mil, but the premiums would probably be insane anyways, especially for of the 99%. Because of this we strongly urge anyone who can to come out tomorrow in protest of the tactics City Hall used, and any who can't to fill their phone lines with calls urging their support and a more just approach to our protest. We will not be arming ourselves, we will not be attacking city hall, we will not be rioting. We are radical because we are peaceful. We are radical because we stand up to injustice. We are radical because we can set aside our differences. We will not use the tactics the 1% have used to disenfranchise us.
__________________________________________________

Follow #occupydallas:

AnonyOps Anonymous
Call into the City of Dallas tomorrow and let them know that Free speech does not cost $1million. Mayor's office: 214-670-4054 #occupydallas



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Copy of the permit demanding the policy:

[rdking647]

1. first amendment trumps insurance demands....

[Xicano]

36. +100

I was going to say in response to the permit demand. "Up yours, the constitution doesn't require a permit."

[mazzarro]

2. Can't the city be sued for this?

I do hope there is a lawsuit waiting to be filed against the city!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. That is pretty generous,

I would demand significantly more coverage and a bond to cover clean-up.

[catabryna]

4. Is that based on your knowledge of the city or the people that live there?

I spent some time there and think you are denigrating them.

Oh wait, we might have to clean up duct tape from the grass.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. No, I just don't see how these protests end without morons smashing shit

[hobbit709]

16. Which morons? The ones in blue uniforms have been doing the smashing.

[EFerrari]

27. The violent morons already have insurance. n/t

[Contrary1]

5. I think it smells...

Provide insurance certificate to the city by 5pm Tuesday, when the event starts at 12am Monday?

So what happens after the crowd is allowed to gather for 41 hours, and the deadline for providing insurance passes?

Mace, pepper spray, batons...?

[catabryna]

6. I guess "Lori" is willing to take a "Chance"

Something to think about when this all works itself out.

[JDPriestly]

11. Check with a local civil rights lawyer maybe somebody with the ACLU.

[lynne]

8. Not unusual for a city or any property owner to ask for insurance -

- for an event being held on their property. They're trying to protect the city property in the event of damage and liability protection should someone be injured at the event. As they are requiring that they be listed as additional insureds, it sounds like a standard requirement for all event contracts.

[EdMaven]

9. I think people don't need to have a million dollars to exercise their 1st Amendment rights

on public property.

[JDPriestly]

12. Exercise of free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment

and can be regulated as to time, place and manner. The First Amendment right to speech and assembly are not for sale.

It's different if you want to have a concert or some sort of event.

[truebrit71]

20. Can't find that blurb in the Constitution though....I'll keep looking...

...

[JDPriestly]

10. Free speech rights are subject to time, place and manner regulations.

I don't think that a one million dollar insurance policy would qualify, but the right-wingers on the Supreme Court could disagree with me.

Seriously doubt it, but they could.

They could limit where you protest, how you protest and when you protest in exchange for a permit, but how could this insurance fit? It virtually means that you have to buy your right to free speech.

Free speech is rather a natural, innate right.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

13. I'm sure more insurance is asked of the Insane Clown Posse.

These types of protest have a pretty strong track record for descending into mayhem. I don't see what is unreasonable about it.

[Missy Vixen]

25. How many of the OWS protests have "descended into mayhem"

since September 17th? I'd like cities involved and supporting links.

I'll wait.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

37. Other than a handful of confused teabaggers...

How is this business any different than the other anti-globalization and whatever else mob scenes of the past fifteen years?

[rugger1869]

38. Ahem

[JDPriestly]

35. Charging people to exercise First Amendment rights is unreasonable.

It's like charging people to vote. It is extremely unreasonable.

There are rowdy crowds after sports events. Who pays for the damages? The public, that's who.

Who has paid for the rowdy, destructive antics of the Wall Street crowd and the unethical corporations? The public, that's who. Think of the BP spill. The damages far exceeded the amounts that BP was willing to pay and paid. It will take a long time before the destruction of the ocean is made good.

So far the OWS demonstrators haven't caused much damage at all. No reason to think they will in Texas.

Here in LA, the City Council gave the demonstrators their blessing and even visited them and invited them to a Council meeting.

And that is the right attitude. The Wall Streeters have done everything they could to break the budgets of the states, counties and cities of California. We are all in the OWS together. The only people who have profited from the irresponsibility and fraud on Wall Street are the people who work there and their largest investors.

[Earth_First]

14. Make no mistake, this is an EVICTION NOTICE...

While I am not sure if this is a standard permit clause, there is no way that OccupyDallas can come up with this...

[w8liftinglady]

15. Thanks for posting that. The Dallas morning News left that out

[themadstork]

17. I die a little insde every time I read "First Amendment activity" . . .

[rainbow4321]

18. Update: Protesters told today that police would be searching for illegal substances

From their facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/OccupyDallas


If asked to leave, a General Assembly has authorized our protest team to engage in civil disobedience. As I type, five police cars are parked on the perimeter. We've been informed they are coming up to "search for illegal substances". We can't currently live broadcast. Our current count is close to 300 people.

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Every person in this camp has been notified they may search for drugs. Everyone. They are free to leave now through the west area without police intervention. No one here has any illicit substances of any kind. We are concerned about planting.


------------------

Everything is cool here now. Only one car. Taking a nap.

[truebrit71]

19. On what grounds are they going to search people...last time I checked we still had a 4th amendment..

...no?

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. 4th Amendment written on that "G-d Damn Piece of Paper?"

Honestly. They don't give a rats ass what the Constitution says.

[mod mom]

23. so do they follow the same procedure at teabagger rallies, If not...

wouldn't it violate equal protection clause?

[moondust]

22. "Let's make some money offa them hippies, Billy Bob!"

[Bragi]

24. It's game on, and peaceful protests will not be allowed

I think the powers that be are now officially afraid of these protests, as well they should be, so their natural inclination at this point is to make peaceful protest impossible.

In any civil society, this tactic would force protesters to engage in civil disobedience through minor lawbreaking, with subsequent arrests and trials, etc.

However, that won't do for the oligarchs because they are getting scared. So they will instead now use various petty laws to justify violent police riots and mass arrests.

This is what happens when you have a police state that is accountable to oligarchs. It's game on, folks.

[EFerrari]

29. The truth is, the city can't stop the protest.

They can roust and arrest these protesters but they can't stop more people from showing up.

Occupy Dallas needs to laugh at this and make up a chant and carry on.

[Bragi]

32. Agreed, but we should expect it to get ugly

There will be police violence. This should be expected and openly predicted.

If the protesters adhere to one stupid bylaw, they will just make up more stupid bylaws until there is a legal pretext for police violence

Of course these bylaws should be/are trumped by the 1st amendment, but that won't matter.

The oligarchs are scared, police violence is inevitable.

[EFerrari]

34. Yep. n/t

[Redford]

26. I heard on the radio

the plan is to jam the phone lines at City Hall to protest this. I don't understand why people cannot just show up and be there. Why do they even have to have a permit?

[KamaAina]

28. Similar to the crap San Jose pulled

Supposedly the presence of tents made the Occupation an "event", complete with a $250/hour "event fee".

Ironically, those same tents were later used by the cops to justify a crackdown on "illegal camping". :eyes:

edit: I had half a mind to go down there and give them their damn $250...

[EFerrari]

30. I haven't seen San Jose. Are they gone?

These extortion attempts need to be resisted. The National Lawyers' Guild needs to be called in or ACLU and the city needs to be told to fuck off.

[KamaAina]

31. They have apparently retreated to the nearby Peace and Justice Center

One man, described as an "itinerant construction worker", refused to leave and was cited. :thumbsup:

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19087792

[EFerrari]

33. Good. I'm going to try to get in touch today and see what they're

plans are. Of course the money card is going to be played. It will fail. :)

[Xithras]

39. A million dollar insurance policy should cost a few hundred dollars.

Based on past experience.