Joe R. Golowka joegolowka at earthlink.net Anarchist FAQ - http://www.infoshop.org/faq
"According to the libertarian litany, if an industry or an institution is making a profit, it is satisfying "wants" whose origins and content are deliberately disregarded. But what we want, what we are capable of wanting is relative to the forms of social organization. People "want" fast food because they have to hurry back to work, because processed supermarket food doesn't taste much better anyway, because the nuclear family (for the dwindling minority who have even that to go home to) is too small and too stressed to sustain much festivity in cooking and eating -- and so forth. It is only people who can't get what they want who resign themselves to want more of what they can get. Since we cannot be friends and lovers, we wail for more candy." - Bob Black ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Choflet" <bchoflet at yahoo.com> To: <announce-dan at egroups.com>; <la2k-colorado at egroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2000 10:01 PM Subject: [la2k-colorado] LA: Protesters 1, Cops 0
> Wednesday July 19 9:07 PM ET
> Judge to Block LA DNC Convention Security Plan
>
> By Dan Whitcomb
>
> LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal judge said on
> Wednesday he would strike down as unconstitutional
> plans by Los Angeles officials to keep protesters at
> the upcoming Democratic National Convention fenced in
> and well away from delegates.
>
> U.S. District Judge Gary Feess said he would issue a
> formal order on Thursday barring the city from
> enforcing its security plan -- which includes a
> special ``no access zone'' ringing the Staples Center
> arena, where the convention will take place -- on the
> grounds that it violated the demonstrators' free
> speech rights.
>
> Los Angeles police officials have predicted mass
> arrests, rioting in the streets and chaos at the
> Democratic National Convention in August, and have
> made elaborate plans for containing demonstrators and
> protecting conventioneers.
>
> Some protest groups have said that they will not be
> shunted off to the city's designated areas for
> demonstrations, which are more than a block from the
> arena, and have vowed to resort to civil disobedience
> to make their voices heard.
>
> About 60 members of a pro-life youth group called
> Survivors turned out for Wednesday's 90-minute
> hearing, which stemmed from a lawsuit filed against
> the city and its police department by the American
> Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
>
> ``It's the court's view that the no-access zone is
> unconstitutionally overbroad,'' Feess told the packed
> courtroom. ''The zone is violative of the First
> Amendment of the United States Constitution'' which
> guarantees free speech.
>
> Debra Gonzalez, a lawyer for the city, told Feess that
> the no-access zone and other security arrangements
> were necessary to protect those attending the
> convention, including President Clinton and
> presumptive nominee Vice President Al Gore (news - web
> sites).
>
> But Feess, who reviewed detailed plans of the security
> arrangements, said that some the restrictions seemed
> to have been put in place mostly for the convenience
> of conventioneers. He cited one area that was cordoned
> off so that shuttle buses bringing in delegates would
> not be disturbed.
>
> ``When its convenience vs. the First Amendment,
> convenience loses every time,'' he said. ``Maybe (the
> delegates) are going to have to walk a little further.
> Maybe they are going to have to hoof it.''
>
> Feess said that a major political convention was
> exactly the type of event that Americans should be
> allowed to attend and protest without being muzzled by
> authorities.
>
> ``Somehow, somewhere, there has to be communication
> (from demonstrators) and there can't be communication
> from parking lot four,'' he said, referring to one of
> the Staples Center car parks set aside for protests.
>
> Gonzalez said after the hearing that the city would
> consider appealing Feess' ruling.
>
> Daniel Tokaji, a lawyer for the ACLU, hailed the
> decision as a victory for the First Amendment and for
> the demonstrators, many of whom had vowed to risk
> arrest rather than be confined behind fences.
>
> Sarah Dawson, a spokeswoman for Survivors, said she
> was pleased with Feess' decision, but said the group
> would stage protests in front of the Staples Center on
> Thursday to hammer home their position.
>
>
>
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