Fresno will pay $60,000 to forum

Fresno Bee ^ | 01/13/2004 | Jim Davis

[Johnny_Cipher]

City to retract release calling Free Republic a 'hate group.'

Fresno will pay $60,000 to conservative online forum Free Republic and retract a news release that called the organization a "hate group," according to a settlement agreement released Monday. Free Republic founder Jim Robinson, who lives in Fresno, said he wouldn't have filed the suit if the city had acknowledged its error.

"I think it's unfortunate the city did not retract and apologize immediately after they knew they were in the wrong," Robinson said.

City Attorney Hilda Cantu Montoy said the lawsuit was settled to "avoid the expense and burden of litigation."

"It's not in any way admitting any liability by any party," Montoy said.

[AGreatPer]

I just hope every Freeper in America supports Jim Robinson's "FreeRepublic Freedom Tour".

[Humidston]

I'm SO glad you posted that "killer" picture, Quilla. I would've done it if I knew how, LOL! I kept thinking of that shot when the charges were flying.

...So many haters, so little time... ;-)

[JustAmy]

Front page surprised me too.

I expected it to be front page, local.

Hey ..... you did see Cob's latest schedule, didn't you?

I think that I need to start contacting a few people.

[Humidston]

Just think of it as a cheap imitation of Je$$e Jackass's winning plan to interject chest-beating losers into municipalities. Of course he blackmails, er, ahh.... demands much more money for his "services."

[bicycle thug]

Hey, if touring America was good enough for Ken Kesey, it won;t hurt to get Jim Robinson on the bus either.

[nutmeg]

Thanks so much for the ping, kphockey2!

Great news for FR and for JimRob! :-)

[ladyinred]

No, I didn't see Cobi's schedule. I took a break from here due to all of the Bush bashing threads, couldn't take it anymore. Where can I find it?

[JustAmy]

You will have mail in a couple of minutes.

[Enterprise]

That was something councilman Brad Castillo said. He was being sarcastic and dismissive of the lawsuit, and said that if you pay these guys 20 bucks they will go away. Castillo is a twit BTW.

[nutmeg]

Robinson said he plans to use the settlement money to travel across the country in a motor home visiting Free Republic chapters. He will end the trip in Washington, D.C.

Looking forward to seeing you again soon, Jim! You may want to wait until it gets a little warmer before you head up here to the northeast U.S., though. :-)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[nutmeg]

ping!

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

[AGreatPer]

re #345, one of the greatest lines in music is:

Pack up the babies
And bring the old ladies

[Jim Robinson]

"Robinson said he plans to use the settlement money to travel across the country in a motor home visiting Free Republic chapters. He will end the trip in Washington, D.C."

Yeah, that's one of the first things the reporter asked. What are you going to do with the money? I told him we'll use it somewhere in our operation. Then he says, I heard you were gonna take a nationwide tour to visit your chapters in a motorhome. {pause} Well, I say, I'd like to do that someday, but probably won't be able to. He then asked if I was going to buy a motorhome. Nope, says I, there won't be that much left over after paying our legal expenses, taxes and other committed disbursements. He then asks, how much was the settlement? I'm sorry, I say, I signed the City's nondisclosure agreement and can't give you the number. Long story short, he already had all the answers he wanted for his story before he even called me.

But I truly would love to visit all the chapters. May not be able to do it in one grand tour, but year by year, state by state, we'll get there.

[Jim Robinson]

He also asked me how many chapters we have and I said, well, I don't think we have formal chapters in every state, but we do have groups of people in every state who get together for rallies and stuff.

And I explained the history of FR from the March for Justice and the Impeachment, and the SoreLoserman campaign and the FReeper protests outside Gore's mansion and in Florida and all across the coutry protesting against the Democrat takeover attempt. And then the hundreds of support our troops rallies all across the country.

And I did tell him I'd like to RENT a motorhome and take a tour zigzagging across the country visiting as many chapters as I can and end up in Washington DC. I was going to end that with "for the Free Republic George W. Bush Inaugural Ball II" but didn't get it all out before the phone call ended.

[Jim Robinson]

And I also told him about our Support our Troops rallies we held right here in Fresno nearly every Friday night for two years following 9/11. Also told him about Peace Fresno protesting the war right across the street from us every Friday night for two years and that they knew damned well that we were not violent people.

And I mentioned that that was the start of all this nonsense to begin with. Peace Fresno and or some of their anarchist comrades found out about our planned rally and picnic and then posted their plans to disrupt our activities over on InfoShop and IndyMedia.

And that because Peace Fresno was firmly entrenched in the HRC, they (the HRC) did this as a political attack on us and were trying to shut down our first amendment rights. He acknowledged this was true and agreed that HRC was controlled by the peacniks. I said that this was government abuse and he again agreed. But he didn't include much of this in his story.

[Mini-14]

Saundra Duffy you stated that:

Let me tell you what it feels like to go to a "tailgate picnic" in the park and when you arrive you read a letter ON FRESNO CITY LETTERHEAD that calls you a hate group and that you're having a hate picnic and a bunch of other crap that wasn't true. It was actually frightening.  This small gesture makes up for it a little. Jim Robinson was maligned and mistreated by the Human Relations Commission.

In actuality I have been the subject of many defamatory articles, one which falsely alleged that I had been arrested and charged for an act of terrorism in blowing up a women's restroom at a nightclub.  I have been the subject of defamatory articles which alleged I am a terrorist and extortionist.

ladyinred you stated that:

You weren't the one with your picture all over the news being called a member of a hate group. You didn't have your customers asking you about it. You didn't get death threats. The suit was not carried out, this was mediated. This was by NO means frivolous, and actually they got off easy. The Fresno group are not just fake names on a website, we are real people, with real jobs and businesses in this city who were smeared big time all over our local news, and the country too for that matter.

In actuality, I once had a company put up a web site about my in which I was called the "King of Bedwetters".  A picture of me was altered to show me drenched in urine.  This was done by the same company that damaged my vision through laser vision surgery.

To both of you:  you have put words in my mouth that I have never said.  Jim Robinson did the right thing when he sued the City of Fresno.  I simply find it interesting that the anti-lawyer / complaints about "frivoulous" lawsuits / "we need tort reform" sentiment that pervades this forum are absent from this thread.

What I think this shows is that some Freepers believe in "justice for me", but not "justice for thee".

[ladyinred]

Mimi, this is what happens when one (me) doesn't see the thread from the beginning and comes in late. I had only seen your first post on the subject when I responded. As I played catch up, I saw a post that led me to believe you might have been using a little sarcasm , although you didn't indicate it in your post.

What has happened to you proves to me you know exactly what I am talking about, so I am sorry I responded without seeing your second post. Maybe someday I will learn to read it all first, but I won't hold my breath! :-)

[Jim Robinson]

Hey, we weren't going for $140,000,000 million bucks. We asked for enough to get their attention. And we gave them every opportunity to do the right thing. All they had to do was apologize, retract the defamatory statements and rein in the HRC. The current mayor, the past mayor, and at least two of the city council members all agreed. Why did they refuse to admit they were in the wrong? Why did they refuse to set the record straight? It wouldn't have cost them a single red cent. In the end, we saved them hundreds of thousands by settling for a pittance and an apology and a retraction printed in the local papers. They reneged on the latter part. But at least they did nail Reyes. We got justice. Not complete justice, though. They really do need to follow through with the total package.

[bonesmccoy]

I wonder if they're real bills. Better check 'em out!

[bonesmccoy]

how dare they wear red white and blue?

LOL