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Park Police Investigate Arrests for Dancing at Jefferson Memorial
ABC News ^ | May 30, 2011 | RUSSELL GOLDMAN

Posted on 05/31/2011 4:09:56 AM PDT by tellw

Park Police Investigate Arrests for Dancing at Jefferson Memorial By RUSSELL GOLDMAN

May 30, 2011—

The U.S. Park Police are investigating whether excessive force was used in the arrest of five protesters Saturday, who silently danced in the interior of the Jefferson Memorial to protest a recent ruling against dancing at federal monuments.

Videos posted to YouTube over the weekend show park police officers in light blue polo shirts handcuffing dancers. It looked as if one protester, who was wearing a "Disobey" T-shirt, had been body-slammed by an officer, and choked.

In a YouTube video of Saturday's incident, when a police officer asked the protestors which one of them was the leader, a member of the group pointed toward the statue of Thomas Jefferson inside the rotunda.

"I'll give you a warning," the officer said calmly. "If you come out here and you demonstrate by dancing, you will be placed under arrest. ... Does everybody understand that?"

Groups looking to protest at federal monuments are required to obtain permits.

Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser told the Associated Press Monday that the Park Police chief had directed the Office of Professional Responsibility to conduct an investigation into the officers' conduct.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adamkokesh; codepink; constitution; dancingfreespeech; jefferson; medeabenjamin; memorial
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1 posted on 05/31/2011 4:10:00 AM PDT by tellw
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To: tellw
Groups looking to protest at federal monuments are required to obtain permits.

LOL!

2 posted on 05/31/2011 4:12:09 AM PDT by HIDEK6
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To: tellw

Looks like Medea Benjamin of Code Pink and her professional agitator dance troupe.


3 posted on 05/31/2011 4:13:52 AM PDT by Cathy
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To: tellw

At least no dogs were shot


4 posted on 05/31/2011 4:16:46 AM PDT by dennisw (NZT - "works better if you're already smart")
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To: tellw

First, rules are rules.

I watched the video and these “wonderful, gentle, vocal and non-law abiding” punks were only man-handled after they refused to do what the cops said and furthermore, were only manhandled after THEY physically resisted arrest.

They brought this upon themselves. The cops simply didn’t go in there and start throwing them down on the ground for no reason.


5 posted on 05/31/2011 4:18:26 AM PDT by DH (Once the tainted finger of government touches anything the rot begins)
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To: DH

What caused a court or the U.S. Park Police to say you can’t dance at Federal monuments?


6 posted on 05/31/2011 4:22:47 AM PDT by scrabblehack
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To: scrabblehack

My question, also. The need for such a rule seems absurd. What did I miss?


7 posted on 05/31/2011 4:32:24 AM PDT by MNGal
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To: tellw

Charlie Veitch and the Love Police should pay a visit.


8 posted on 05/31/2011 4:40:47 AM PDT by bait4719
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To: tellw

Wonder if Disobey” T-shirts out sell Ass kicked T-shirts.


9 posted on 05/31/2011 4:47:45 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: DH
They brought this upon themselves. The cops simply didn’t go in there and start throwing them down on the ground for no reason.

Shame on you, DH.

10 posted on 05/31/2011 4:47:58 AM PDT by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (Please sir...permission to protest?)
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To: HIDEK6

Per my tagline. :)


11 posted on 05/31/2011 4:49:14 AM PDT by 668 - Neighbor of the Beast (Please sir...permission to protest?)
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To: DH

The guy who got ‘body slammed’ was Adam Kokesh.


12 posted on 05/31/2011 5:02:33 AM PDT by maine yankee
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To: maine yankee
Wouldn't body slamming be considered dancing and therefore prohibited w/o a permit?

Shouldn't the cops obtained a permit to protest protesting?

13 posted on 05/31/2011 5:05:58 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: tellw

lol. The whole thing sounds like a Monty Python skit!


14 posted on 05/31/2011 5:06:47 AM PDT by Huck (The Antifederalists were right.)
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To: 668 - Neighbor of the Beast

Why do I suspect that these “protesters” would also be in favor of the Gov’t arranging their housing and health care, defining the scope of their education, and telling us all what cars to drive or what we should eat?

I’ve met many such fools who believe that something as petty as dancing at the Jefferson Memorial is a “right” - while at the same time they will happily give away control over every other part of their lives.


15 posted on 05/31/2011 5:07:25 AM PDT by PGR88 (I'm so open-minded my brains fell out)
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To: tellw

Article with photos in the Daily Mail (UK)
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392653/Police-officers-body-slammed-dancing-protesters-inside-Jefferson-Memorial-face-investigation.html


16 posted on 05/31/2011 5:09:23 AM PDT by tellw
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To: 668 - Neighbor of the Beast
Wearing 'CodePink' t-shirts also. I'm not going to even suggest that You support that group...but really...this was a set-up for publicity and nuisance law suits.

Handcuffed and body slammed by police... for dancing at the Jefferson Memorial

Watch the video at the bottom.
17 posted on 05/31/2011 5:17:01 AM PDT by Tainan (Cogito Ergo Conservitus.)
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To: tellw

Something ironic about needing a permit to protest. What if you wanted to protest a law that requires permits to protest?


18 posted on 05/31/2011 5:21:18 AM PDT by Hatteras
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To: tellw

Not that I’m for what these idiot protesters are trying to accomplish, but I am somewhat troubled that dancing is not legal near a statue of Jefferson, yet cops body-slamming dancers is.


19 posted on 05/31/2011 5:28:53 AM PDT by AAABEST (Et lux in tenebris lucet: et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt)
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To: tellw

I was very disappointed by these arrests. NO ONE WAS TASERED. How disappointing.


20 posted on 05/31/2011 5:29:09 AM PDT by vladimir998 (When anti-Catholics can't debate they just make stuff up.)
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