Democrats Prepare "Free Speech Zone" Behind Chain Fences and Concrete

[PittsburghAfterDark]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040721/capt.bx11407212244.protest_lawsuits_bx114.jpg

Boston, MA (AP) An area designated for organized protests appears enclosed by mesh and chain link fencing near the site of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, in Boston, Wednesday, July 21, 2004. A new federal lawsuit has been filed against the city over the fenced-in protest area that has been called a 'demonstration zone,' and a 'free speech zone.' (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

[jmcc]

Eh. I think after '68 it's better to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to DNCs.

[peteloaf]

http://www.amconmag.com/12_15_03/feature.html

The Bush Administration has been doing this for a while

[jmcc]

http://www.amconmag.com/12_15_03/feature.html

The Bush Administration has been doing this for a while

Ah, so this is a Secret Service action and has nothing to do with party lines.

[CaseyRyback]

CNN has a video of them talking about gettting an injuction aganist this after they show how bad the site is.

[ZarathosNY]

All of America is a "free speech zone" and neither party should be doing this. Bush has been doing this since he has been elected.

[ElwoodCuse]

Wheeee another post from PittsburghAfterDark slamming the Demmycrats! For doing something the Republicans do too, no less!

[GuilewasNK]

He didn't slam anything. He posted an AP story and didn't even make a personal comment. How is that a slam on Democrats?

[Duo_Maxwell]

More or less it seems as though every major convention or organization that has the slightest bit of controversy does this kind of thing now, not just one political party or the other.

[JSweeney]

You know, sometimes people actually do deserve to be taken to task... especially when thier area designated for protesting looks like a detention facility. The scary thing about this is how starkly it contrasts with the image the Democrats are trying to maintain from themselves... We're all for the people and organized protest.
(yet apparently if you are against them you have to sit in an area that looks suspiciously like a detention facilty.. add a few chains and padlocks,
and you've got a temporary holding facility.

[dafoomie]

They tried to get a judge to stop it, they called it a concentration camp, and after going to see it he said it was an understatement. But he allowed it after the secret service talked to him... Though he's reducing the number of people allowed inside from 4000 to 1000, but they can now march past the front of the Fleetcenter.

Does anyone seriously think that they'll just go in there? They'll probably protest the protest zone... Will be kinda hard to arrest a few thousand people especially with the police union picketing somewhere else.

[JSweeney]

Think about how effective that will be for the people there. Just go sit in thier little holding pen, holding a piece of posterboard stating
"I am an American Citizen... remember when that actually meant something?"

It makes for some really powerful pictures and video.. I'm shocked that the image consultants for Kerry and such aren't screaming bloody murder.

[Duo_Maxwell]

Yeah I gotta admit, this is probably the worst one I've seen. usually it's just an area a few blocks down the street that they have sectioned off with roadblocks or somehting. It does look like they went a little overboard with the DNC setup, but at one time or another I guess someone would've done it, if not now, sometime later. But isn't it really the city's setup. I mean I'm sure there was some infleunce from planners for the DNC, but I think usually people from the city or area where it's taking place are the ones responible for getting the setup done.

[JSweeney]

Yeah I gotta admit, this is probably the worst one I've seen. usually it's just an area a few blocks down the street that they have sectioned off with roadblocks or somehting. It does look like they went a little overboard with the DNC setup, but at one time or another I guess someone would've done it, if not now, sometime later. But isn't it really the city's setup. I mean I'm sure there was some infleunce from planners for the DNC, but I think usually people from the city or area where it's taking place are the ones responible for getting the setup done.

Yep. This is going to make the DNC every so much more safe, since we all know that terrorists always follow rules and never break any laws.
It'll be even funnier when the attendees start speaking about safeguarding the rights of the individual citizens when they have this spectre sitting in front of thier site.

[JSweeney]

By the way, before anyone says this is political, I'd be saying (and will say) the exact same thing if the Republicans (or even the Green Party) set up something as disgusting as this.

[CheapyD]

That reminds me of Freedom Town from Scarface.

[Quackzilla]

John Ashcroft had planned "red zones" (a.k.a. free speech zones) for both the DNC and RNC because they have a decent amount of evidence that the Al Qaeda terrorist network was planning to disrupt the elections.

Conventions on both sides a huge targets of opportunity, and in this case even I, being opposed to anything that threatenss our civil rights, beleive that in these two cases it is a neccesssary precaution.

Now the red zones at random speeches and photo ops are just plain wrong, though.


Oh, an I would advise Republicans to shut up because A: It was John Ashcrofts decision and B: the same thing is going to happen at the Republican National Convention

[Vthornheart]

come on Pitt... who's acting like Michael Moore now? As I said in regards to my opinion of Michael Moore... the facts are true, but the connection attempting to be made is disreputable, at best.

[Thunderscope]

Hey Bushboy, This isn't new Bush has been doing this for years...