Posted on 12/30/2005 8:07:26 PM PST by kristinn
An officer with Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) ordered the D.C. Chapter of Free Republic to silence our voices tonight at our weekly support the troops demonstration outside Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The officer cited complaints from the neighborhood about the noise our voices make as we chastise the so-called antiwar protesters across the street at the main gate to Walter Reed.
The officer went across the street and issued the same order to the Code Pinkos. We're not sure if the order applies to their singalong guitar player (who serenaded the wounded troops tonight with Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door".)
Two weeks ago, several MPD officers staked out our Walter Reed demonstration. One officer issued a similar order but he did not enforce it as we verbally challenged it on First Amendment grounds and called in a complaint to MPD's 4th District HQ where Walter Reed is located.
We plan to formally challenge tonight's order as a violation of our First Amendment rights. D.C. case law is extremely "liberal" when it comes to exercising First Amendment rights and we believe there is strong grounds for our right to vocalize our political beliefs.
Our permit application on file with MPD clearly states that we planned to use battery powered megaphones. MPD has not denied the usage of megaphones when they processed the application. However, out of respect for the residents in the mixed-use area we have never used megaphones--just our voices.
The D.C. noise ordinance kicks in at 10 p.m. We stop using our loud voices between 9 and 9:30 p.m. when Code Pink slinks off before the Fran O'Brien's bus returns to Walter Reed with the soldiers and their family members.
Several months ago, Code Pink left fliers at the doors of residences near Walter Reed encouraging them to call the police to complain about our vocal exercising of our First Amendment rights.
We understand the complaints of those who live in the neighborhood, however our demonstration would be crippled if we were silenced.
We've never had to file a lawsuit in seven years of activism in our nation's capital, but there's a first time for everything.
Our rights are being denied.
Congressman Billybob
Ping Mark Levin
If I lived in the neighborhood, I would complain. Unless the enemy is using megaphones, protest quietly at that time of night.
Kristinn- what are their grounds if you have a permit covering your activity?
like always it is ok for code pinkos to make noise but not the conservative FRs. So much for equality and tolerance.
He says in the post that they've never actually used the megaphones -- they just have the permits to use them.
I'm really ticked about this. Maybe if they hadn't let the commie pinko's protest at a military hospital to begin with we wouldn't have to be there. The cars that go through there make more noise than we do. There's got to be something we can do.
The first amendment does not require a permit.
My tagline says it all.
!@#$%@#$%@#$%@#$$%#&^%^&
Thanks.
Reread what the dude wrote.
Good luck. Do you need money for this?
The catch all "disorderly conduct."
call the ACLU
Are the Code Pinkos using megaphones?
Let's hope not. We'll try to resolve this without going to court.
Maybe "njpa" has a good idea here, Bob Barr works for the ACLU, so does Dick Army
Worse, they have a guitar and a harmonica. They torture us every week with tired, worn-out '60's antiwar songs. It's horrible.
Dude - call the ACLU - they'll take it all the way to SCOTUS...
Meanwhile, back in reality...see if you can find neighbors sympathetic to our point of view to file complaints against Code Pinkos.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.