.Iraq War Vet Arrested In D.C. For Posting Anti-War Sign
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - An Iraq war veteran was arrested in Washington D.C. Thursday after he attempted to post an anti-war poster in Lafayette Park. His action was a direct affront to municipal regulations banning the posting of signs. Two other anti-war activists were also arrested during the incident.
More than a dozen police officers arrived at a press conference organized by the ANSWER Coalition, an anti-war organization that has launched a lawsuit against the district for what they see as a targeted attack on "those who post on grassroots political issues." They attempted to post the signs in front of news cameras immediately following the event.
D.C. regulations state that "signs, advertisements, and posters shall not be affixed by adhesives that prevent their complete removal from the fixture," but do allow for the posting of any sign that "does not relate to the sale of goods or services." The coalition claims that they have been issued over $30,000 in related fines, although their signs have fallen within district guidelines.
Following the press conference, Tina Richards, CEO of Grassroots America and mother of an Iraq war veteran, and Adam Kokesh, Iraq war veteran and Co-Chair of Iraq Vets Against the War, attempted to post flyers promoting an anti-war demonstration scheduled for next weekend. They were quickly arrested and charged with defacing public property. Ian Thompson, of the ANSWER Coalition, was also arrested and charged with impeding an officer.
The three spent the night in jail and are scheduled to appear in a D.C. Superior Court today.
"It is a disgraceful show of police brutality and a trampling of every single right granted in the Constitution of the United States of America to have a small, quiet, press conference disrupted by police on horseback, " Sholom Keller, a member of IVAW told AHN from their Philadelphia headquarters.
Lt. Phil Beck of the U.S. Park Police told the Washington Post that the officers only took action after the demonstrators ignored a command to stop posting the signs.
AHN
More than a dozen police officers arrived at a press conference organized by the ANSWER Coalition, an anti-war organization that has launched a lawsuit against the district for what they see as a targeted attack on "those who post on grassroots political issues." They attempted to post the signs in front of news cameras immediately following the event.
D.C. regulations state that "signs, advertisements, and posters shall not be affixed by adhesives that prevent their complete removal from the fixture," but do allow for the posting of any sign that "does not relate to the sale of goods or services." The coalition claims that they have been issued over $30,000 in related fines, although their signs have fallen within district guidelines.
Following the press conference, Tina Richards, CEO of Grassroots America and mother of an Iraq war veteran, and Adam Kokesh, Iraq war veteran and Co-Chair of Iraq Vets Against the War, attempted to post flyers promoting an anti-war demonstration scheduled for next weekend. They were quickly arrested and charged with defacing public property. Ian Thompson, of the ANSWER Coalition, was also arrested and charged with impeding an officer.
The three spent the night in jail and are scheduled to appear in a D.C. Superior Court today.
"It is a disgraceful show of police brutality and a trampling of every single right granted in the Constitution of the United States of America to have a small, quiet, press conference disrupted by police on horseback, " Sholom Keller, a member of IVAW told AHN from their Philadelphia headquarters.
Lt. Phil Beck of the U.S. Park Police told the Washington Post that the officers only took action after the demonstrators ignored a command to stop posting the signs.
AHN
posted by madtom at 10:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home