Posted on 03/19/2024 7:14:48 AM PDT by V_TWIN
A small-town political feud that wound up with a Texas city council member behind bars is headed to the Supreme Court this week, where justices will consider whether the councilwoman can sue city leaders for politically motivated retaliation. "I would never believe that I would be going to the Supreme Court," Sylvia Gonzalez told Fox News. "I would never believe that I was in jail either."
"In America, we don't arrest our critics," IJ attorney Anya Bidwell said.
Gonzalez's story began in 2019 when the then-72-year-old retiree won a seat on the Castle Hills City Council. She said constituents had complained extensively that the city manager, Ryan Rapelye, was unresponsive, particularly to their concerns over the condition of their streets.
As soon as she was elected, Gonzalez championed a nonbinding petition calling for the city manager to be replaced with a previous manager who residents felt had done a better job. Another resident introduced the petition at Gonzalez's first city council meeting. Discussion of the manager's job performance "grew contentious," according to court records, and the meeting was extended through the following day.
At the end of the meeting, Gonzalez said she straightened up the papers strewn across her dais and put them in her binder before going to talk to a constituent.
Gonzalez went back to the dais and Trevino asked where the petition was. Gonzalez said she didn't know. Trevino allegedly asked her to look in her binder, saying he could see a clip inside.
Trevino and Police Chief John Siemens used the briefly displaced petition to launch a criminal investigation into Gonzalez, her lawsuit alleges.
The special detective produced an arrest affidavit alleging that Gonzalez had "been openly antagonistic" toward the city manager from her first meeting, "wanting desperately to get him fired."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“City of New London’s taking of private, non-blighted property “
And to this date it was never developed
Dude ...
It was a chickenshit arrest and everybody knows it. Why are you trying to make excuses for it?
How many hundreds of pearl clutching posts have you made?
How many more will you make between now and November?
You are entitled to your opinions—but it would be very helpful if you provided new data to support them—rather than just repeating the same gloom and doom for post after post after post.
“That changed in 2021.”
I would claim 2008... It was just not as widespread and popular yet.
Will do.
That's not a crime.
Democrats and leftists jail you for exposing them and their corruption, not because someone actually committed a real crime.
What they are engaged in is retaliation, not justice.
“”Trevino asked where the petition was.””
Who was Trevino - what did I miss? I hate writing with names dropped in without introducing who it is they’re talking about. I have to admit I get lost in the weeds before I can get to the rest of the story.
“In America, we don’t arrest our critics,” IJ attorney Anya Bidwell said.
True. If you are a Clinton, you just ice them.
Are you trying to suggest that Vince Foster didn’t shoot himself in the back of the head ... thrice ... and then fly his magic carpet to Fort Marcy Park?
Really?
That’s crazy talk ...
:’}
This is no longer America.
My firm represented the City of Castle Hills back in the day. It was always a challenge - everybody in leadership had “big-fish-little-pond” syndrome. Sounds like nothing’s changed.
The DemocRATS’ new First Amendment. “Say anything you like, just don’t say anything you don’t like”. Now drink your Vodka and shut up.
Themselves, maybe, but certainly not themself.
“Bidenland is ruled by King pedoPig, The First.”
Bidenland is ruled by Obama — America’s first Muslim and foreign born president, and first three-term president since FDR.
Are we just supposed to know who these people are? Perhaps the article started in the middle?
"Texas grandmother thrown in jail after criticizing local government. Now her case heads to Supreme Court 'They wanted to punish me': Ex-city councilwoman hopes SCOTUS case will protect free speech rights"
I don't know how this case is going to turn out. But just as a reminder for activist Supreme Court justices, the 14th Amendment (14A)-supported federal law below is a penalty for government actors who abuse government power by using it to abridge the constitutionally enumerated protections of their political enemies to silence them.
Excerpted from 14A:
"Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States [emphasis added]; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
"Section 5: The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."
18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law:
"Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death." --18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law
Kudos to freeper MarkTwain for noting this law.
Apologies if it reads as a little disjointed.
I suspect its a combination of the way the article was written and the forum restriction of 350 characters or less.
Thanks for that...no problem. A bad habit of mine to get caught up in the minutiae of things..but I tell myself I’m too old to change. I should really change my FR screen name to MINUTIAE...
Where is the meme from The Ramones band member Kill a Commie for Mommy T Shirt
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