San Diego Police Cite Marine Corps Vet for Carrying American Flag

[cory777]

Huffington Post
Dec. 28, 2011

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Police have cited Iraq war veteran Marine Lance Cpl. John Canter for carrying an American flag at Civic Center Plaza, home to the Occupy San Diego movement.

At approximately 9:40 p.m. on Dec. 22, Canter was cited under an obscure municipal code, section 53.30, which prohibits certain items at protests and other such events.

San Diego municipal code section 53.30 states: "No person shall carry or possess while participating in any demonstration, rally, picket line or public assembly any metal stake, club, or pipe, or any length of lumber, wood, or lath, unless that wooden object is 1/4'' or less in thickness. and 2" or less in width. If not generally rectangular in shape, such wooden object shall not exceed 1/2" in its thickest dimension."

In an interview with signonsandiego.com, San Diego Police Department assistant chief Boyd Long said officers could tell the flag pole was larger than regulations allowed.

Link - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/benjamin-cossel/san-diego-police-cite-mar_b_1173565.html

[KansDem]

1. Did they check out these folks?

San Diego Tea Party Activitists Ready To Rally On Tax Day

SAN DIEGO — Thousands of Tea Party activists are gearing up for Tax Day rallies around San Diego County. The demonstrations are part of a nationwide movement against taxes and government spending. There are at least seven rallies planned in the county, and more than 75 statewide.

While some San Diego residents are scrambling to mail their taxes, others will be on street corners rallying for lower taxes and government reform.

The Oceanside-based Tea Party group Stop Taxing Us is holding its second annual rally at the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater. Spokeswoman Dana Matas said 5,000 protesters showed up last year. She's hoping this year’s event will draw even more.

"This out-of-control spending is a really scary thing. Particularly for parents who have children and what that means for their grandchildren," said Matas. "We don’t want them so burdened with taxes that they don’t feel the desire or motivation to achieve what we’ve all come to know as the American Dream."

--more--
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/apr/14/san-diego-tea-party-activitists-ready-rally-tax-da/

...I didn't think so.

[Dawson Leery]

3. The (Koch Brothers funded) tea party exists to protect the current corporate state.

Police exist to protect the status quo (which is the current corporate state). Don't expect much from police.

[freshwest]

10. Has it occured to anyone that the authorities ARE baggers?

As far as their 'anti-tax' mantra, they cared about the 'less deserving' getting anything than taxation as a whole.

They never expected their 'no tax' policies to hurt themselves. They'll fight to keep 'their' goodies coming, so long as they get theirs.

And on a spiritual level, their insistence on being armed in public, threatening violence and abusing the weak, is close to the police who committed acts of brutality to the same people the baggers want to 'die and reduce the surplus population.'

But hey, that's just the way it strikes me, as to why one group is penalized and the other isn't. Because authoritarians stick together.

[Tutankhamun]

34. "Surplus population"

I remember Ebenezer Scrooge using that phrase. A little late for me to use a "Scrooge" reference though.

[freshwest]

35. Don't worry, other opportunities will arise for you, LOL!

[MADem]

19. That looks like a rather generous flag pole in the foreground.

I'd say this recent situation is a case of "selective enforcement."

[SpiralHawk]

21. IYOKAR

Republicons hate real democracy.

[Odin2005]

22. +1,000,000,000,000,000,000

[JayhawkSD]

31. San Diego has an interesting relationship with its police department.

We went through a rash of police officers being arrested and charged with major crimes the first part of this year; rape, stalking, felony DUI, sexual harrassment under color of authority, trading sex for release after traffic stops... Nine such cases in about four months.

On the heels of all this an officer was shot while sitting in his squad car. One citizen rushed to the car to render aid while the shooter was still present, Another simultaneously rushed to the car to use the radio to summon help. Faced with people coming to the scene, the shooter fled. Three citizens followed so that they could point out his location to officers responding to the call. The officer died, and for several weeks the station house was buried in sympathy gifts from citizens.

A week later a female officer was attacked while making a traffic stop. Two citizens came to her defense, one being rather seriously injured by a knife that the attacker was trying to use on the cop. Bystanders called 911, and several citizens held the attacker until police arrived.

I don't think citizens respond to police in that manner when they consider them to be the gestapo.

[tawadi]

2. Land of the free

[Hatchling]

4. Home of the Brave

[ManiacJoe]

6. Inaccurate headline.

"San Diego Police Cite Marine Corps Vet for Carrying Illegal Flag Pole" would be the correct headline.

[emilyg]

15. Thank you.

[maggiesfarmer]

30. agree, we don't need Fox-News-like spinning of information with misleading headlines

[Javaman]

7. this won't end well for the branch of the corporate guards. nt

[Downwinder]

8. They sure didn't enforce it for the Memorial Day Parade.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Topeka cops did the same thing to Dan Choi for passing out flags at a parade

Those sticks on the flags were deemed "dangerous".

[Blacksheep214]

11. Shame!

So now the big bad cops want to take on the Marine Corps. Are you REALLY sure you want a bunch of battle hardened killers with PTSD pissed off at you?

They will take their toys and put 'em where the sun don't shine!

Semper Fi!

[sulphurdunn]

12. So, if I get this correctly,

Canter was cited for having too big a pole? I imagine any normal size pole would appear huge to the splinter dicks on that police department.

[truth2power]

28. "too big a pole". LOL! I'd say you're correct about that PD.

[tabasco]

13. Thanks for keeping us safe, douche.

No wonder people hate cops.

[bertman]

14. REC. judging from the picture of the TeaParty rally it's time for a 'selective enforcement'

or harassment law suit to be filed against the San Diego PD.

[1776Forever]

16. Where are the Tea Partiers now? This is something they would have went nuts over when they did it!

Where is the justice in this?

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

17. Ahh, San Diego's Finest, gotta love em.

They once threatened me with arrest while I was sweeping the gutter in front of my shop in Ocean Beach in 1969. They wanted to know what I was going to do with the trash that I had swept up, I'm not kidding.
Looks like they haven't changed.

[MADem]

18. They're afraid it'll be used as a weapon.

The days of using big wooden poles to hold up signs have been over for a while. It's kind of difficult to fly a flag from a cardboard tube, though.

I wonder if there's an exception in that rule for color guards at a "public assembly." I'll bet they do color guards often in San Diego, at Veteran's Day events, Memorial Day, etc. Might be interesting to see if "selective enforcement" is at play.

[Adsos Letter]

32. Totally OT, but I'm glad to see that the kitty in yer sig line made the jump to DU3.

[MADem]

33. Heh heh...!

I couldn't not bring along my li'l buddy!

[saras]

20. You wouldn't believe the spears on the flags in our summer parade

Traditional marching-band flags, nothing special. Just eight-foot poles with metal spikes about a foot long on the end of them.

I think every Occupy protester should take up the bagpipes.

[Odin2005]

23. The hypocrisy of the PTB is incredible.

[lunatica]

24. I feel safer already

Except who's going to protect us from the police?

[SixthSense]

25. Stupid ass Marine

if you wanted to fight for the freedom of Americans you should have had your tour over here cleaning out the terrorist gangs known as "police departments".

[Longspear]

26. Agreed

As a TEA party member and a supporter of military I say the SDPD was way out of line. ANYONE who wants to wave an American flag should have the right too no matter what their perceived views are. They want to use some obscure law to stifle our free speech? Time to take another look at revolution. That's our right too, you know.

[rhett o rick]

27. The Revolution is here. nm

[LibDemAlways]

29. If he had been a Tea Partier, the cops would have had no problem with it. n/t

[barbtries]

36. they're really reaching.

jerks. i wanted to call them different names.