Chalkers and Food Sharers beware. Police are now indoctrinating and recruiting children in children's parks to be informants.
On a serious note, on May 23, 2006 at approximately 2:30 pm, Food Not Bombs supporter Joe Sacco was arrested for chalking with non-permanent, washable chalk on city park cement. He was approached by, tackled by, and arrested by Marshal R. McMenamy.
This marshal is the same marshal who told Joe (on Feb. 22, 2006) that protest signs were not allowed in the public park. Using the marshal's loudspeaker system of his patrol car, he told Joe, "No signs in the park. Take the sign out of the park." Thankfully when the marshal's superior arrived, McMenamy was reminded of Joe's free speech rights.
http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2006/03/02/local_news/shrapnel/shrapnel.txt
This marshal was visibly ticked off about being told about Joe's free speech rights- twitching his head and shoulder. (Witnesses are available.) Then the marshal tried to change his story saying that Joe was impeding pedestrian traffic- which was untrue. Joe was in the city park and not near any sidewalks with pedestrians.
On another occasion, this same marshal told me that he loves his job, and loves what he's doing when asked if he thought it was wrong for the city to prevent people from sharing food with the homeless and hungry.
Regarding how the marshals change their story, Joe was arrested for grafitti AND providing false information to a law enforcement officer according to the information I received when I called the jail on Wednesday morning. When in fact, the only thing Joe said to the marshals was, "I have the right to remain silent. I want to speak to my attorney".
Joe did not have any identification on his person and refused to identify himself. This is NOT the same thing as providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
Now, I really don't know WHAT Joe was actually charged with because the court told my lawyer that Joe pled no contest to grafitti and impeding an investigation. However, on Joe's release paper it states the charges as grafitti and obstructing a police officer.
Reminds me of when Norm "flipped off" the marshals and was tackled by an undercover officer in the MIDDLE of Circle Park. He was arrested for "misuse of a hand signal" and spent five days in jail. On his release paper it states the charge of jaywalking.
Is this the type of law enforcement we want and need here in Las Vegas?
Does this concern anyone but me?
We Just Want To Eat
Food is a Right, Not a Privilege
Food Not Bombs
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