UFB : Capitol Police told to stand down and let protesters deface the Capitol

[AK-74me]

http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/012507/protesters.html

Anti-war protesters spray paint Capitol building
By Jackie Kucinich

Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police were ordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.

According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said,who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."

After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west fron tof the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.

A second source who witnessed the incident said that the police had the crowd stopped at Third Street, but were told to bring the police line in front of the Capitol.

Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps and began to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Our capitol building" and "you can’t stop us" around the area, the source said.

Morse responded to these claims in an e-mail Sunday afternoon,explaining that the protesters were seeking confrontation with the police.

"While there were minor instances of spray painting of pavement by a splinter group of Anarchists who were seeking a confrontation with the police, their attempts to breach into secure areas and rush the doors of the Capitol were thwarted," Morse said. "The graffiti was easily removed by the dedicated [Architect of the Capitol] staff, some ofwhom responded on their day off to quickly clean the area."

He added, "It is the USCP's duty and responsibility to protect the Capitol complex, staff and public while allowing the public to exercise their First Amendment rights … at the end of the day, both occurred without injury to protestors or officers."

Yet, the sources who talked to The Hill were furious that protesters were not stopped before reaching the Capitol.

"To get that close to the Capitol building, that is ridiculous," the second source said. "[Police] were told not to arrest anyone."

The second source added that police had to stand by and watch as protesters posed in front of their graffiti.

Tens of thousands of people rallied on the Mall and the Capitol complex Saturday in protest of the increased troop deployments and the war in Iraq.

 

[Vince]

This is such a crock of ####. I don't believe they were actually ordered to pull back and let those POS's do that to my Capitol building.

Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps andbegan to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Ourcapitol building" and "you can’t stop us" around the area, thesource said.

Well wait a minute. It's my Capitol building also and I don't want you spray painting it with your BS.

 

[alucard]

I didn't realize that defacing government property was part of the First Amendment.

 

[Dutch6]

I didn't realize that defacing government property was part of the First Amendment.

Maybe we should ask JPC. :shrug:

 

[Pushrod]

I don't see any problem with letting a group of protesters go to the Capitol to verbally protest something, that is within their rights. As soon as someone started defacing public property by spraypainting, they should have been arrested!!

 

[bresamil]

Who has the law book? I think that's a criminal offense.

 

[Bustem' Down]

Anarchist symbols? Those people wouldn't be able to survive in an Anarchy. Anyways, anarchy leads to feudalism naturally so they would be screwed in the end.

 

[cattitude]

U F B

 

[PsyOps]

The precedence has now been set that all of us can go to any government building, in DC, and spray paint it. If you are arrested all you have to do is cite this incident.

You think???????

 

[vraiblonde]

According to the sources, police officers were livid when they were told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols.

I'll bet. Cops typically don't like standing by and watching someone commit a crime. However, they'll get used to it in time - and *then* where will we be?

 

[PsyOps]

I'll bet. Cops typically don't like standing by and watching someone commit a crime. However, they'll get used to it in time - and *then* where will we be?

I think we are already there.

 

[RadioPatrol]

What a Crock - maybe the next time i am downtown, i stop by and take a Wizzz on the Capitol Steps to let the current leadership know just what i think of them ..... after all i'll only be "Expressing" myself ...... oh wait I am Middle Aged White Guy - i'll probably get life for that .........

 

[PsyOps]

What a Crock - maybe the next time i am downtown, i stop by and take a Wizzz on the Capitol Steps to let the current leadership know just what i think of them ..... after all i'll only be "Expressing" myself ...... oh wait I am Middle Aged White Guy - i'll probably get life for that .........

Naw... You'll end up on YouTube, then the local news, then Geraldo at Large, then Letterman and The View (Rosie will love ya). You'll become a celebrity and rake in all sorts of cash.

 

[bcp]

Maybe we should ask JPC. :shrug:

I was thinking the same thing before I read your response.
If I were JPC I would be getting a lawyer to look for some kind of monetary reimbersment for the time I spent in jail for spray painting a public building.
It is now clear that his civil rights were violated when he was arrested for using his freedom of speech.

 

[Dupontster]

Maybe we should ask JPC. :shrug:

Maybe it was him....I heard it wasn't spray paint but Jane Fondas makeup kit...Had enough to do the whole Capitol...

 

[carolinagirl]

My hubby had to work through all this on Saturday. He called home at one point and I couldn't hear him over the radio which was going not stop. He said they were totally unprepared and everybody was the control center asking to send more officers to help. At some points they would send more officers and things would get calmed down, then when the extra officers left within 10 minutes all he!! would break loose again. He didn't mention the issues stated in the article, but I'll have to ask him about it today.

He said some protestors were climb on the Labor Department roof.

 

[RadioPatrol]

NO respect for the Common Good ....

He said some protestors were climb on the Labor Department roof.

Good Place to snipe @ Dems from ........ Oops did I say that


I remember watching this 60 min fluff piece on a group of collage age people after the 1st group of Riots during a G7 Summit - i believe they trashed several blocks of Seattle that time .... this wanker Anarchist wannabe actually stated he believed Property Ownership was a Crime against other people .... mind you him and his cohorts are living in a rented house , sharing a car or walking - but of course the car was really evil too .... but sometime sacrifices have to be made - ya know some animals are more equal that other animals .....

 

[czygvtwkr]

Calling JPC....

 

[hvp05]

There are two Capitol police officers that live in my neighborhood, but I don't know them; I would like to hear what they went through that day.

I can understand the point that the steps and exterior are the "peoples' space", while the interior is absolutely not accessible. But what if, instead of spray paint, an anarchist pulled out something more aggressive like a pick axe? Would he be allowed to take chunks out of the facade because its his "right"?

I wonder how the Founding Fathers would have reacted if they had foreseen the ways in which "free speech" has been twisted and perverted.

Those anarchists were probably high-fiving, thinking they're the sh*t. Well hey, if we're going to employ moral relativism then I think it should be okay to beat the living crap out of jackass, loser anarchists. How long do you think it would take for them to cry for the police officers to step in then?

 

[Bustem' Down]

IMO, time to use the military. Things have gotten out of hand and unreasonable force is probably the only way to set them straight.