How to ruin a professional agitation group’s day. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState
About 2 weeks ago, Perriello held a “townhall” event on a private farm in a very rural area of VA, Blairs, which has a total population of about 2,200. It is just north of his Danville office. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, and, Tom Vilsack, Energy Secretary were speakers at the event. The event was to push for “Green jobs” in Virginia. The 2 Tea Party organizers, as well as the campaign manager for a Republican running against Periello in 2010, from Danville attended, and wanted to ask Perriello not to support Obamacare. They had signs with them. A plainclothes policeman asked them to leave as soon as he saw the signs. They left peacefully, and went to a local restaurant. They observed an unmarked police car pull up, and the cop called in their license plate numbers. A few days later they were “interviewed” at their homes by VA State Police. The police wanted to know why they were at the Blairs event, and wanted lists of all they were there with. There is no question they are now on Janet Napolitano’s list of terrorists. They are not giving up, and it has been a story locally that has not died down any more than the Gates/Obama story.
Well, though, as long as the cops were acting like Gestapo, that’s okay. Cops can do anything they want. This is America, after all.
UPDATE: And from Dan Riehl:
Riehl World View: Tea Party Organizers Harassed By Police?
Why would Virginia State Police officers show up at a Tea Party organizer’s home on a Monday to ask questions after a weekend event? You can read more in the full letter (that link here), including charges of what amounts to surveillance and the taking down of license plate numbers and what appear to be other intimidating tactics by the police. We’re not supposed to be living in a police state, for heaven’s sake. The rights to assemble and protest, especially at public, political events, are protected ones. At least, they were.
This one includes more interesting tales of interactions with cops in the police state, including a woman who claims they broke her back because she asked to see a warrant.
Also, more here.
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Pity this was only in the comments–I’d love to see what ‘they’re not giving up’ means.
This entire incident was wholly outside the law, from the initial asking them to leave to the plate running and ‘interviews’.
Are they litigating? They should.
I may defend the cops when they stay inside the law–however crappy that law may be–but this blatantly crosses the line.
I’m gonna see if I can find out more…