Two more free-speech arrests in Boston
Boston Police report arresting two protesters yesterday outside the BU deadly-germ lab under construction on Albany Street:
... On arrival, officers observed several females milling about on the sidewalk in front of the bio-lab. Officers further observed that one of the females had white makeup on her face, with red makeup mixed in to look as if she had blood on her face. The female with the makeup on her face then lay down on the sidewalk. While she was on the ground, a second female drew a chalk outline of her body on the sidewalk. As this was going on, both pedestrians and cars began slowing down to witness what was going on. In short time, traffic began to back up. At this point, officers asked the females if they were in possession of a permit allowing them to occupy the sidewalk. ...
Mary Collela, 21, of Cambridge and Leeanne McHugh, 22, of Dorchester were then arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and damage to property (graffiti).
You may recall the last time Boston Police arrested somebody for failing to have a sidewalk occupancy permit, the Suffolk County DA's office dropped the charges because the guy's actions "did not rise to the level of criminal misconduct." However, in that case, the protester wasn't drawing chalk outlines on the sidewalk.
| 
| 
graffiti?
Damage to property? That must be some super chalk if it damaged anything.
Doesn't rain wash away chalk?
And if so, how can chalk damage any property?
If a chalk drawing is
If a chalk drawing is considered graffiti, I think the police department might want to investigate the 15 children that live in my neighborhood.
Terrorist Training Starts Young
Oh, today it is only chalk ... tomorrow it will be launching water balloons in funnelator contraptions.
Weapons of mass deluge.
Horrible overreaction
Drawing chalk outlines seems to be a remarkably non-violent and non-destructive form of civil protest. That authorities are cracking down on such a non-issue with a tortured reading of the law is frankly scary. This case should be dropped immediately.
But maybe we'll find out that the cops thought the chalk was really a bomb and they'll escalate the charge to a felony. Can't be too careful, donchyano.
Disturbing the peace
The charge of disturbing the peace may be reasonable. From the description, it sounds as if passersby could easily have gotten the impression that the one lying on the sidewalk was seriously injured, with traffic disruption as a result. This is a bit different from sitting in a folding chair.
I agree that the property-damage charge sounds silly.
At this point, officers
Bill of Rights? Surely, you jest. This is Boston, where the police feel they should be able to intimidate the city's poorer and less-educated residents into consenting to warrantless searches of their homes to look for guns the government won't let them legally own.
Government-issued permission slips to occupy a public walkway. Nice.
Welcome to Warsaw West.
Disclosure
That was me. Forgot to log in.
As you were.