Comments are temporarily disabled on TucsonSentinel.com while we upgrade our system.
— 30 —
411031112I want to help TucsonSentinel.com offer a real news alternative!
We're committed to making quality news accessible; we'll never set up a paywall or charge for our site. But we rely on your support to bring you independent news without the spin. Use our convenient PayPal/credit card donation form below or contact us at donate@tucsonsentinel.com today.
Subscribe and stretch your donation over time:
Or give a secure one-time gift with PayPal or your credit card:
TucsonSentinel.com is an Arizona nonprofit organization. Your contribution is tax-deductible.
Please be respectful and relevant. Thought-provoking. Or at least funny.
We want comments to advance the discussion and we need your help. Debate, disagree, yell (digitally) or laugh, but do it with respect.
We won't censor your comments if we don't agree with you; we want viewpoints from across the political spectrum. We're dedicated to sparking an open, active discussion. We believe people with differing opinions can spark debate and effect change.
Comments are open to registered users of TucsonSentinel.com.
Keep in mind:
TucsonSentinel.com does not allow:
Comments that violate these guidelines may be removed. We reserve the right to make up the rules as we go along.
Commentors are solely responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. Users who violate these standards may lose their privileges on TucsonSentinel.com.
Sentinel editors can't read every comment. Trolls, spammers and other troublemakers can slide under the bridge. We rely on you to help maintain a healthy conversation - more than likely, you're reading these comments before the editors.
What if you see something inappropriate? Use the 'Flag' button to send it to a moderation queue. Help us out and tell us why you're reporting it; please don't report someone just because you disagree with them. Boy who cried wolf and all that. We'll take appropriate action on violations.
We will not edit comments to alter their meaning or censor comments because of political content.
We will not remove comments solely because they are heartless, cruel, coarse, foolish or just plain wrong. Your disapproval can maintain a decent signal to noise ratio. Ultimately, however, self-policing is the best method.
Bottom line, don't be a jerk.
20 comments on this story
I’m wondering how the Tucson Police Department or the City of Tucson think they can justify arresting anyone for exercising their Constitutional rights.
The First Amendment clearly endows us with the right to peaceably assemble. There are no restrictions, such as day, time or place. Further, the Supreme Court has ruled in many cases that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies to each of the states, as well as to local governments.
The City of Tucson and the Tucson Police Department are arresting people based on unconstitutional laws.
Citizens of Tucson, let your voices be heard. Contact your city officials to demand that the rights of ALL citizens be respected in your fair city. If you do not stand up for others whose rights are violated, who will stand up for you when your rights are violated?
@OccupyPhoenixAnons
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that certain restrictions on the time, place and manner of speech are in fact constitutional.
TPM restrictions have been upheld under a four-part test: the laws must be content neutral, narrowly drawn, serve a significant government interest, and leave open alternative channels of communication.
See Just how much can the state restrict a peaceful protest? for more info.
@Dylan Smith
Thank you for linking to that article.
Given that I am not an attorney or law professor, I recognize that there are nuances of law, including Constitutional law, that are outside my current scope of understanding. It would be quite presumptuous of me to try to argue with someone such as Geoffrey Stone, who clearly is more learned on the subject than I.
I will, however, restate my appeal to the people of Tucson, and indeed US citizens everywhere, to be very watchful of our government specifically regarding our Constitutional rights. We have been moving rapidly down a slippery slope that will end in the eventual usurpation of all our rights if we do not rise up and make our voices heard whenever and wherever we see injustice.
The Supreme Court has been known to make some major blunders (Citizens United v. FEC is a recent one that is quite notable). I point this out only to remind people that bad rulings do not have to remain. We, The People, ARE the government. Whenever our government fails us, as it has in countless ways over recent decades, we must hold the guilty and unjust accountable. This is usually not a simple or pretty task.
Tucson residents have the power to petition their city officials to allow the peaceful protesters to continue their “occupation” of the public park. Do not allow the ambiguity of “what constitutes a reasonable time, place and manner restriction” to keep you from upholding the rights of your fellow Americans.
Do not let the minor distractions or inconveniences of peaceful protest blur your understanding of the fact that the protesters are sacrificing the comforts of normal living circumstances not just for themselves, but for you as well. We are fighting for the future of this country - the country your children and grandchildren will inherit. Stand with the protesters! We stand with you.
I said it before, and I’ll say it again…
The parks don’t belong to the flea party, they belong to the taxpayers, including the 99% that aren’t protesting with the flea party.
Whenever someone wants to use the park, there’s a process to make sure they’re not infringing on someone else’s plans (like All Souls Procession or Tour de Tucson, for instance). There’s also a few bucks involved, which goes back into the maintenance of the park…in other words, give back what you take from it.
The flea party doesn’t seem to get this. They don’t care who else had what planned in these parks, and they don’t care about the damage they’re causing to the parks. Is the flea party going to re-sod all they grass they undoubtedly killed, or reimburse the taxpayers for all the TPD overtime they caused?
The flea party has a right to peaceably assemble. Fine, they did that. Now they can disassemble. The flea party has a right to free speech…I would wholeheartedly defend their right to free speech if they would just say something. All they’re saying is that they’re mad. They won’t give specifics as to what they’re mad about, or what they propose we do instead. So, how can we defend their right to free speech when they won’t say anything???
@Bret LindenParks are free to use by anyone, not just taxpayers.
The difference between this movement and other events scheduled at the park is this is an event of the people, by the people, for the people. It is not a specific event sponsored by an organization. The permitting process does not apply.
If you had watched the video in the linked article, you’d see the protesters were very cooperative in moving and worked hard to clean up the park. If given the chance, they probably would re-sod the grass.
Your spiel about there not being any demands is getting old. Here’s a video for you that might help you understand
@scar
The flea party and their idiocy is what’s getting old. I have to admit that I found their horrible disorganization amusing and comical, but its wearing thin…just like the amount of dirty hippies wasting their lives trying to live in the park.
And I didn’t see any link to the flea party taking their flea circus to destroy another park.
And, yes, the permitting process does apply. The flea party can go and hang out at the park, staying out of the way of events who’s organizers showed the community the respect of following the rules, and get the hell out by 10:30pm. But, anything over and above that requires a permit.
I’ll bet the flea party doesn’t feel one bit bad about destroying the parks and interfering with other people’s events. It fits in perfectly with their “gimme gimme gimme” take-but-never-give mantra.
Perhaps if the flea party would spend the same energies into finding employment that they did with this idiotic circus then America might be a great place to live in again.
@Bret LindenLOL Bret. Sorry but I can’t take you seriously when you demand to be demeaning and cannot even address the protesters like human beings.
@scar
Fine, I’ll address them like human beings…
“Hello. My name is Bret Linden. Please intelligently articulate your specific concerns in 25 words or less, and please tell me what the specific goals of your movement are.”
The flea party is now reminding me of the King of the Hill Episode where Bill sets up for the holiday season by dressing up as Santa Claus and renting a Christmas-themed jumping castle and other Christmas decor for his front yard. But, once the holidays pass…he’s still doing it through January and even through Valentine’s day.
This whole “occupy” thing has run its course, and it’s past time for them to stop.
What I’m talking about, of course, is your continual demeaning speech in calling them the flea party. It is not conducive to a debate nor a conversation.
Well, I don’t feel bad for calling the flea party the flea party.
Yes, many politicians are corrupt, it’s my guess that more are corrupt than are not. And, yes, corporations have gained far too much influence in setting policies and laws. However, the flea party is equally responsible for the demise of this country as the people the flea party refers to the “1%”...they have just been tearing it apart from the other end of the spectrum.
How many flea party members voted for Giffords the last election? Do you know that she voted to give millions of your tax dollars to bail out corporations who got stupid and were on the verge of closing their doors because they were “too big to fail”?
How many flea party members even bother to research candidates, and just blindly vote political party or skin color?
How many flea party members blindly buy foreign cars, supporting the exportation of jobs and dollars overseas?
How many flea party members shop at Walmart, or buy a computer without researching if they need support where their calls are routed to, thereby helping to export even more money and jobs?
How many flea party members support border jumpers, who contribute to feeding corporate greed by depressing wages and taking jobs that rightfully belong to citizens or legal residents?
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating…yes, corporations have too much power and influence, but they have it for one reason…apathetic, uneducated idiots like the flea party members gave it to them.
You want change? Start thinking before you vote, and start thinking before you spend your money. Get the hell out of the park.
Bret until you can treat others with the respect and dignity they deserve as other human beings, your grievances will fall on deaf ears.
@scar
The flea party creates this environment, then they protest the environment they created. On top of that, they act as if they world owes them a living and they shouldn’t have to work for anything.
Yeah…I’m pretty certain that I’m treating the flea party with the respect they deserve. Regardless, they weren’t going to listen to me anyway because I was telling them the last thing in the world they want to hear…that if you want a good life you have to WORK for it.
Sorry you’re so out of touch with reality.
Mr. Bret Linden, your perverse ignorance is showing.
Being called ignorant by a member of the flea party is akin to being called unattractive by Rosie O’Donnell. Somehow, someway, I’ll find a way to get over it and move on with my life…