Man Arrested at State Fair With Impeach Obama sign

Dude111

http://www.youtube.com/v/ppBZM88mHvQ

TOTALLY SICKENING!!!!!!!!!!

Are people really THAT BRAINWASHED that when someone says something against him THEY DO THIS??

Unreal........

Manic Moran

What was the charge?

NTM

Carcharodon

Manic Moran wrote: »

What was the charge?

NTM

Crazy with intent to supply.

But everything in that clips sums up what is wrong with America, the guy is obviously one of those crazies that thinks Obama is Hitler and all the rest of their nonsense.
Then you have the what seems to be unjustified arrest and restrictions of free speech, although I don't really think there is free speech in America.

kev9100

Even though the guy looks a bit nuts, that is awful behaviour. The guy has the right to say whatever the hell he likes.

Thuck_Fat

Carcharodon wrote: »

Then you have the what seems to be unjustified arrest

How could you say that? What exactly was it about this arrest that seemed justified to you?

Manic Moran

What exactly was it about this arrest that seemed justified to you?

That's why I asked what he was charged with. If the arrest was for being anti-Obama, that's one thing, but if there was some other legal justification which is not immediately apparent from the video, then so be it.

Here's what showed up in the newspaper.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A supporter of frequent presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche who carried a sign that called for President Barack Obama's impeachment was handcuffed and arrested at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer.

A bystander posted video of the incident on YouTube.

Fair officials say Sidney Hill drew complaints Thursday that he was disrupting fair entertainment.

The video shows Hill claiming his free speech rights were violated. He said he was disabled and that fair security personnel hurt him as they pinned him to the ground.

Fair spokesman Dean Phipps says the fairgrounds are private property and fairgoers are subject to rules. He says excessive force was not used.

Hill was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.

Points to note: The fairgrounds were being used for an event, it wasn't an open park. People were paying for booths, such as ones selling Obama T-Shirts. He apparently did not pay to participate as an 'exhibitor' at the fair. He was being somewhat boisterous and disruptive. Freedom of speech does not extend to the level of interfering with other people's expectations.

Now, whether or not all these factors can trump the gentleman's 1st Amendment rights may be open to debate, but it does put the incident into perspective.

NTM

Overheal

Manic Moran wrote: »

What was the charge?

NTM

From what I could hear in the video, 'advertising without a permit'

Fair officials say Sidney Hill drew complaints Thursday that he was disrupting fair entertainment.

I'd like to see a more unadulterated video. The clip begins too far into the altercation to assess the validity of this. If he was just standing around with his sign for example; or screaming at everyone that walked by.

Hill was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.

?!

Carcharodon

Thuck_Fat wrote: »

How could you say that? What exactly was it about this arrest that seemed justified to you?[/QUOTE

I didn't say anything was or was not justified, you seem to be jumping to conclusions, something I didn't want to do since I feel you cannot get all the information needed from this video.

I think Manic Morans post gives a clearer view of the situation, that is not to say that it was handled correctly.

Portraying Obama as Hitler is just so ridiculous to me but that is another debate altogether.

Overheal

Thats his right though and, I have to say, I've just seen so much of that crap since the GOP collapsed in on itself that I've become numb to it. 'Obama as Hitler', 'Obama as the Joker' it's all a bit silly but it's all, frankly, freedom of speech.

I will add though that I could probably understand Criminal Mischief, as the prosecution could argue this guy had every intention of going to this fair to do this - canvassing. However, the Defense also has a strong case that he had no intention of committing a crime: at every step he believed he was breaking no law.

jank

The security Guards didnt handle it too well at all but they were in their rights to remove him from a private event. He got his 15 minutes of fame which is what he wanted I suppose.

I dont get the assault charge. Nothing will come of it though.

metrovelvet

Ok yes it was a private event.

Free speech is not a blank cheque though. You can still get arrested for disturbing the peace, on public or private property.

metrovelvet

Overheal wrote: »

Thats his right though and, I have to say, I've just seen so much of that crap since the GOP collapsed in on itself that I've become numb to it. 'Obama as Hitler', 'Obama as the Joker' it's all a bit silly but it's all, frankly, freedom of speech.

I will add though that I could probably understand Criminal Mischief, as the prosecution could argue this guy had every intention of going to this fair to do this - canvassing. However, the Defense also has a strong case that he had no intention of committing a crime: at every step he believed he was breaking no law.

That really doesnt matter OH. When I parked too close to a corner I didn't think I was breaking a law. I still got a ticket.

Exile 1798

Dude111 wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/v/ppBZM88mHvQ

TOTALLY SICKENING!!!!!!!!!!

Are people really THAT BRAINWASHED that when someone says something against him THEY DO THIS??

Unreal........

So there’s a member of a bizarre cult (LaRouche) holding an Impeach Obama/Hitler banner acting in a belligerent manner and there's some private security guards doing their jobs.

Isn't it the cultist with the insane banner who is the "brainwashed" actor in this whole scene?

Overheal

metrovelvet wrote: »

That really doesnt matter OH. When I parked too close to a corner I didn't think I was breaking a law. I still got a ticket.

True, but that was a parking violation, not criminal mischief - but a quick google shows the charge relates to misdemeanor property damage and vandalism...

metrovelvet

Overheal wrote: »

True, but that was a parking violation, not criminal mischief - but a quick google shows the charge relates to misdemeanor property damage and vandalism...

I don't think the law lets you off with ignorance of the law as an excuse to break the law.

Einhard

It's always going to be pretty shocking watching a video like that, no matter the context. But if this was a private event, then he didn't have the right to say and do what he liked, especially if it there were others there who paid to have their banners and stalls in prominent positions.

Overheal

Like NTM said, private venue with expectations of peaceful fair-going and whathaveyou, not political canvassing.

Killer Wench

Freedom of speech is about protecting the citizen from the actions of the government; unfortunately, most Americans think that free speech also goes to what they can/can't say on message boards, youtube, etc. It doesn't work like that.

Likewise, in public areas, your speech can be limited through permits and areas where you can exercise your free speech. If this guy came with just his t-shirt, there probably wouldn't have been a big issue, but when he shows up with a large banner he is a public nuisance.

http://news.findlaw.com/features/protester-rights.html

metrovelvet

Overheal wrote: »

Like NTM said, private venue with expectations of peaceful fair-going and whathaveyou, not political canvassing.

It actually doesn't matter private or public. Its context and what determines disturbing the peace or being a nuisance as well.

For example, there are any number of loo las in NYC standing on corners shouting crap about the white jewish man being the devil, or the anti vivisection league showing pictures of tortured animals, and it wouldn't phase anyone in NYC. But if the same people stood on the corner or street in my housing estate [which is public property], across from the creche and did that, someone could call the police and have them removed.

Raoul and the Kings of Spain

kev9100 wrote: »

Even though the guy looks a bit nuts, that is awful behaviour. The guy has the right to say whatever the hell he likes.

Freedom of speech gives the crazies and the dumb the right to voice their opinion without being hauled away to jail.

demonspawn

I was gonna reply to this earlier.

The Alaska State Fair is a private corporation. The grounds in which it is held is the company's own property. They can decide what the want to allow in their fair and what they don't. The man was causing a scene and was obviously behaving irrationally and they wanted him out.

http://www.alaskastatefair.org/

Security may have been a bit heavy-handed at the end but they're rent-a-cops, what do you expect? They informed him he was on private property, even the old dude with the white beard told him and he ignored them. They gave him ample time to wind up his little protest and he refused to leave, what else could they do? I would not risk my own job by refusing to follow orders to remove a crazy old man from the premises, especially a cushy job at the State Fair. Imagine all the free ride tickets you must get!

Johro

Carcharodon wrote: »

Crazy with intent to supply.

Nice one.:D