"If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all"
Posted on 09/29/2006 12:39:13 PM PDT by kenn5
City officials want to know why police ejected Jason Peck, Libertarian candidate for the 24th District in the Kansas House, from the Mission Arts and Eats Festival.
During the festival's second night, Peck conversed with event goers and distributed campaign literature. Peck said no one objected until Councilwoman Suzie Gibbs approached him with a Mission police officer.
"They told me that I had to leave and that if I came back they would cite me for trespassing," Peck said. "I don't know if the decision came from a higher-up or what."
Gibbs did not respond to messages left on her residential and mobile phone voicemails, nor e-mail. She also could not be reached at City Hall.
Mayor Laura McConwell said in a press release that city officials should not have ejected Peck.
"This is a very unfortunate turn of events and I want to personally apologize to Mr. Peck for the way he was treated," McConwell said. "Mr. Peck should not have been asked to leave this public event. Mr. Peck was within his rights to be campaigning during the Arts and Eats Festival."
McConwell said that Mission is conducting an investigation and has contacted the District Attorney's Office and the League of Kansas Municipalities for guidance.
Peck said he wants assurance that such an incident will not occur again.
"I've got a lawyer who is going to be in contact with them to explain to them why what they did was wrong and also to ask for something in writing to us (stating) that it won't happen again," Peck said. "Otherwise, we're going to file suit."
Peck said city officials silenced his freedom of speech.
"I guess the bottom line with me is that this is a First Amendment issue and I'm really kind of surprised that there's anybody out there, particularly in the City Council, that doesn't understand that," Peck said. "It's disappointing to me that it has to come to this point."
Are these two looking at any charges? Unless the officer had a statute to go by he had to have known better.
"If I could not go to heaven but with a party, Legalize freedom!
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
http://candidate.lpks.org/Default.aspx?alias=candidate.lpks.org/jasonpeck
I'd bet real money that Gibbs is a Republican of the Kool-aid drinking true believer variety. They seem to be the most threatened by libertarians. It's not a stretch at all for me to imagine one of the mouth-breather bushbots here on FR calling the cops on a libertarian.
This is case where the cop should certainly lose his job. Of course he won't since it is impossible for cops to lose their jobs unless they are use a racial slur.
If councilwoman approached the cop and if he was unsure if there was a legal issue then he should have contacted a supervisor for direction.
Obviously, the Losertarian was caught distributing marijuana and child porn < /Libertarian bashers >
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