On April 28, police for the city of Meriden, Connecticut, prevented Libertarian Party petitioners from working in a city public park at a well-attended Daffodil Festival. The party was working to get 7,500 valid signatures for its statewide slate of candidates. The party sued, and the city has now settled the lawsuit by paying the party $37,000. See this story.
How refreshing a verdict!
Back in the early 1990s, before Libertarians were an official “established party” here in Missouri, I was petitioning in the midst of a densely-packed concert audience (BEFORE the event began) in a St Louis County park. Folks spread out on the park grounds on their blankets were readily signing!
After twenty minutes a policeman came up to me and said I’d be arrested if I didn’t stop because I didn’t have a permit like the concert organizers did. I argued with him; I wouldn’t leave. So he didn’t get his handcuffs out but beckoned his police chief who was elsewhere on the park grounds.
Standing among the concert goers I explained to the chief my 1st-Amendment right and that I didn’t need a permit because I wasn’t collecting money and I didn’t have a big raised stage and electrical equipment like the concert owners had.
The chief told me to continue — and took his frustrated officer away! Many concertgoers, within earshot of the encounter, applauded. Guess I kinda beat city hall. And the audience’s attention made my petitioning even better (until I stopped when the music began).
Any Fed indictments of the local HACKS ???
See 18 USC 241 and 242
This is fantastic news! I have been saying for many years that Libertarians, and anyone else involved in ballot access petitioning, ought to fight back like this, because petition circulators being illegally run out of locations that carry public foot traffic is one of the biggest impediments to ballot access, and free speech in general, that there is.
Way to go to Dan Reale and the other Libertariain Party of Connecticut members who were involved in this victory. People around the country should follow their lead.
Great news!!