|
|
 |
 |
See no protest
A Times Editorial
Published October 28, 2003
The White House apparently believes members of the public who disagree with President Bush should be neither seen nor heard. Protesters, rather than being allowed to line the presidential motorcade route, are routinely corraled into areas known as "protest zones" or the euphemistically named "free speech zones" - fenced-in areas well out of view of the president and his entourage. Supporters of the president in many cases are free to stand much closer with their friendly signs.
The Secret Service claims it moves all people carrying signs into protest zones, regardless of their political leanings, as a necessary precaution to protect the president. However, a federal lawsuit recently filed by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the use of these zones nationwide documents numerous cases where only critics of the president have been herded into protest zones.
But even if the Secret Service policy treated supporters and protesters the same, it is still constitutionally unacceptable. Since when is someone carrying a sign a presumptive threat? Certainly the president needs to be protected from crowds of people, but there is no valid security reason for keep protesters out of the president's sight and hearing.
The Tampa Bay area has had its own experiences with this. At a Bush rally at Legends Field in 2001, three demonstrators - two of whom were grandmothers - were arrested for holding up small handwritten protest signs outside the designated zone. And last year, seven protesters were arrested when Bush came to a rally at the USF Sun Dome. They had refused to be cordoned off into a protest zone hundreds of yards from the entrance to the Dome.
As much as the Bush administration dislikes dissent, Americans have the absolute right to express it. Protest zones need to be zoned out of existence.
Opinion
Editorial: Iraq through a filter
Editorial: See no protest
Letters: Gen. Boykin isn't alone in his views on religion
© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
|
|
|
