That one was found by Jttmab on the Impeach Bush thread. He found it by clicking on the links in my previous article (clever devil)!
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In late August of this year the California legislature
passed a bill put up by state Senate Majority leader Richard
Polanco intended to encourage peaceful protest and civil
disobedience by clarifying and codifying limits of prosecution, given
the fact that much so-called "crime reform" has clearly been
deliberately designed to limit peaceful protest. Peacefully
demonstrate and you risk big trouble. Here are some examples, as
offered on justdissent.org, a site that lobbied for Polanco’s bill.
Excessive fines...Exorbitant bails–some as high as $1
million–keeping peaceful protesters in prison. Felony charges
used to threaten or punish protesters with loss of voting rights and
jobs. Federal RICO and domestic terrorist legislation employed to
stigmatize peaceful protesters. Permits to protest denied for
legitimate protests... Trespass and other false charges fabricated
by police. Charges of "Interfering with a religion" used to prosecute
protesters.
Police granted immunity from lawsuits, leaving them free to abuse
protesters’ rights. Adults prosecuted for bringing minor children to
protests. "Zero tolerance" rules which expel students who
participate in nonviolent protests. Use of court orders to stifle
future legitimate and nonviolent protests. Long sentences in
overcrowded and inhuman conditions meted out to protesters.
Seizure of organizations’ bank accounts so that members who
protest can be fined.
Protesters arrested and held without charge, preventing them from
further protest. Use of racial and other biases in the arrest and
prosecution of protesters. Unjustified force (tear gas, pepper spray,
bean bags) is used against peaceful protesters. Legal distinctions
blurred between violent and nonviolent protest, so that all
protesters are demonized as "anarchists," "hoodlums" and
"domestic terrorists."
Pre-protest surveillance, infiltration and investigations to identify,
arrest and detain nonviolent protesters prior to protest. Police
entrapment used to fabricate grounds for arrest and charges.
To try to redress the balance, Polanco introduced SB 1796 in
Sacramento last February, designed to roll back all these dire
inhibitions against peaceful, nonviolent protest. Essentially, it
provided that the punishment for the commission of, or for a
conspiracy to commit, certain misdemeanor offenses (ones that
didn’t cause physical harm to people or property) would be a fine
not larger than $100, imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to
exceed two days, or both that fine and imprisonment, if the motive
for the violation is found to be political expression.
Polanco’s bill cleared the legislature near the end of August and
went to Gov. Gray Davis for signature. Davis, prime whore for the
enforcement and corrections officers’ lobbies, vetoed it a month
later.
nypress.com
justdissent.org |
