Protests flared Tuesday outside the New York Public Library, near the site of the fallen World Trade Center and in the historic Herald and Union squares.
"People are trying to question the policies of a corrupt government. They take to the streets and don't ask permission," said protester Gan Golan, 30, a graduate student from Boston, who was arrested hours later after he sat in the street and refused to get up.
Also Tuesday, outside the Fox News Channel studios in midtown Manhattan, police in riot gear contained around 1,000 demonstrators behind barricades. In what was dubbed a "shut-up-athon," protesters denounced what they called the network's right-wing slant. One woman held up a sign that read: "Republicans are really stupid. They watch Fox News and believe it." The demonstrators spilled onto nearby Sixth Avenue.
Police also announced the arrest of a 21-year-old Yale student after he entered a restricted area near Vice President Dick Cheney's booth at the convention Monday night, coming within 10 feet of him and shouting anti-war and anti-Bush statements. Cheney was never in any danger, and no weapon was found on the man, authorities said.
The suspect, Thomas Frampton, was charged with assaulting federal officers and impeding the operation of the Secret Service.
And guess who Frampton's daddy is in the same law firm with? David Boies! Wonder if the Times will do a web of connections chart about that!
And released on bond; evidently his lawyer was outside waiting.
Miami, FL -- Charges were dismissed in Dade County Court yesterday in the first jury trial to occur since last November's Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) protests. The defendant, Gan Golan, 30, a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was arrested on Friday, November 21, 2003 and originally charged with "failure to obey a police order" and "resisting arrest without violence."
After hearing testimony and evidence from both sides, Judge Beth Bloom granted the second motion for a judgment of acquittal and dismissed the charges. Bloom ruled that no reasonable juror could convict Golan based on the evidence presented. Public Defenders Philip Kim and Barbara Ho represented Golan and put forward the motion after the defense finished their case, but before the jury deliberated.
After the ruling, Golan commented, "It is not the FTAA protesters that should be on trial--it's the police. 'Law enforcement' not only not only assaulted a group of non-violent citizens exercising their first amendment rights, but also trampled on the Constitution. As Miami Court Judge Margolius commented in another case," continued Golan. "The police should be facing charges."
Hahaha! This "guy" must really be something else. Major Garrett, an eye-witness to the Cheney episode last night, described him as a 5'2" WOMAN who was shouting about how much money Cheney had made from the war. Gee, I sure hope the guys in the cell-block don't think he's a woman too...
And I heard that they get fined $15 for public disturbance or something like that. That is ridiculous if true. They should have to pay fines comensurate with the cost of all that security that NYC has had to pay this week, and they ought to have a felony arrest on their record as well that may bother future employers. After all, these 30 yr. old graduate students should have to face the real world one of these days.
Two fewer Democrat voters.
People thought that the new brownshirts would have armbands and have an oom-pa-pa band. But they carry "hate Bush" signs and a green flag.
A 30 year-old grad student? Sounds like another evil, rich democrat to me.
Its interesting how this didn't happen at the DNC last month...
So a sensitive "intellectual" such as Gan Golan (a graduate student --- oooh, how impressive -- yeah, right!) is going to QUESTION AUTHORITY whenever and wherever he feels like doing so, apparently having never outgrown the "terrible twos." After all,some of his comrades do reek of an odor reminiscent of soggy-soiled diapers! Remember wannabe shoe-bomber Richard Reid? Well, I have news for Gan Golan. Now we are going to question the authority of those like him who "question all authority" (except their own, of course!). We are going to expose the dangers posed by those who seek to impose their authoritarian social experiments on an entire nation. We are going to deconstruct the deconstructionists until they are reduced to schizophrenic incoherence. These liberal loons are relentless, however. A few observations on the protesters against the RNC: (1) LIBERALISM IS AN ALMOST INCURABLE MENTAL ILLNESS. (2) IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE AN IDIOT. (3) REGIME CHANGE COULD BEGIN WITH THE ABOLITION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ITSELF ;-)