(Originally posted by Travis Kiger from Friends For Fullerton's Future blog)
On June 7th a few of us took a banner onto a public sidewalk along a freeway overpass in Fullerton to participate in constitutionally-protected free speech in support of Bill Hunt for Sheriff. Almost immediately, a CHP officer told us to leave or we would be ticketed and removed.
Citing the 1st amendment, we declined and held our position for nearly an hour.
Eventually backup arrived and we were threatened multiple times with arrest, although the officers would not say which law was being violated. Here is a clip of the event, which reveals several disturbing statements made by the officer.
We decided to leave after the officer began to quiver with anger and his threats of arrest became more forceful.
The officer then suggested that we were being paid and then made disparaging remarks about the candidate who we were supporting. Those statements were extremely unprofessional and suggest that the officer’s intentions may have been political in nature.
We have been informed of similar accounts of intimidation of sign-holders by the CHP at other freeway overpasses throughout Orange County on that same day.
A complaint of officer misconduct will be filed with the California Highway Patrol shortly.
Disgusting! This is exactly why we need men like Bill Hunt and other Oathkeepers in positions of authority. Such blatant abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteI don't bring this up often but we are and have for some time living in a police state.
ReplyDeleteArbitrarily saying that someone is breaking the law or threatening someone with arrest without disclosing the law being broken is akin to judging a book by it's cover. I don't know what you are doing but I don't like the story based on the cover and I might arrest you.
Reminds me of the new immigration law in Arizona.
I should be pointed out that the US Constitution does not exist within 100 miles of any continental US boarder, east or west coast or any navigable waters in the continental United States. This would include all of Orange County and all of Humboldt County. The state cop could do anything the feds deem ok if they were deputized by the feds.
Check this out from the ACLU.
Here it is.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.aclu.org/national-security_technology-and-liberty/are-you-living-constitution-free-zone