The Cops outside the RG stopped us from chanting

After the Blazer WIN last night, my buddy and I walked to the entrance in front of the fire/fountain in front of the RG to do a little "Lakers Suck" chanting. The COPS put an immediate end to our chant because "there were 30+ fights last Laker game." There were cops everywhere. Freaking COPS! Not RG security, COPS! He was really nice about it and could tell I was baffled by the fact that I wasn't allowed to CHANT after a Blazer win. He could have been a dick, but he wasn't. He was actually kind of laughing, but he would not allow the chant.

Fucking Laker fans. They're so "sore down there." No other fan base would require LAW ENFORCEMENT to protect their well being.

 

im scouting the magic statue at staples to see howd it look with a blazers jersy

 

It's understandable. There were a bunch of idiot fans last night on both sides. After the game some Blazer fan up on the 300 level kept trying to get into it with a Laker fan in an almost empty hallway. Saw one Laker fan getting arrested as I left.

 

I'm curious how he stopped you from exercising your Constitutional right to express yourself through Freedom of Speech?

Gag, taser, or choke hold?

 

[video=youtube;AkMkGOpAF4s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkMkGOpAF4s[/video]

 

It's called disturbing the peace.

 

Do a monkey dance around burning trash cans next time.

 

It's called bluffing the citizenry through scare tactics and abuse of authority.

"Disturbing the peace" carries a very high burden of proof that would never apply to simple exuberant speech in that situation (outside an arena immediately after a game in the noisiest part of town).

Unless you made death threats or something that would qualify as "inciting a riot" the cops overstepped their authority, which has become a trademark for the PPD.

 

It's not like they arrested him. They didn't beat him. They didn't mace him. They asked him to stop chanting "Lakers suck". I'm sure they weren't stopping him from chanting "Blazers rock" or something of that nature. Freedom of speech doesn't let you stir up trouble.

Also, I'm pretty sure the Blazers request the police presence there. They don't want fights to break out. Freedom of speech isn't a free pass to talk shit.

 

One thing I have noticed since I moved to PHX 12 years ago is that at any sporting event down here there ae police everywhere. Befrore and after the sporting events in PHX I always feel very safe around the arena, I never felt that way in Portland. This year at the rook/soph game I swear there was a police every 30 feet down here. This has made going to the games down here a much more enjoyable experience.

 

Yes, it does.

Yes, it is.

Look up the meaning of Freedom.

Read the Bill of Rights.

Learn the history of a few dictatorships that were born by trampling Freedom of Speech.

Then get back to me.

You are only as Free as your courage allows you to be.

 

Sounds more like idiocy. By chanting "LA Sucks", you are begging for a reaction. It's no different than going to a predominantly black neighborhood, and screaming "I hate black people" over and over. You're right, you are "free" to do whatever you like, but you are likely to start a fight.

The police are not saying you can't hate the Lakers. They aren't saying that you can't publicly proclaim your distaste for the Lakers. They ARE saying that you can not say or do things that will incite violence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disturbing_the_peace

If you want to compare that to fascist dictators, be my guest, but I think you'll have a hard time making the comparison. People who spoke out against Hitler were imprisoned or shot. How can you compare that to someone yelling inflammatory remarks?

You mean like John Adams with the Alien and Sedition acts?

If you want to have a public demonstration against the Lakers and their fans, you are well within your rights, but you have to go through the proper channels. Hiding behind the first amendment is a cowardly move.

 

I've been to hundreds of sporting events, and have never felt threatened even once. I've never witnessed a fight at a sporting event I attended, other than between players on the ice at a Winterhawks game (if a couple of heavily padded guys on skates slapping each other into exhaustion counts as a fight).

Nothing in a police force's dress, domineering demeanor, smug attitude, questionable behavior guidelines, decietful speech, threatening actions, obvious bigotry and bias, rampant drug and alcohol abuse on duty, and God complex speaks "safety" to me.

A police department that feels it must demonstrate a "show of force" to "keep trouble from happening" is a failed organization led by incompetents.

 

WTF?

 

A First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Comment: The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association and assembly. It also protects the rights of citizens to worship as they please and the right not to be forced to support someone else’s religion. The First Amendment also provides for the right to demand a change in government policies.

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553383/Bill_of_Rights.html

Can't be much plainer than that.

 

And I'll say it again. The first amendment doesn't give you a free pass to talk shit and be a complete asshole. If you walk up to someone and tell them their wife looks fat, you better expect to get punched in the face. The first amendment was put into place by the founding fathers to allow us to think freely and voice our opinions without fear of oppression. PPD never told anyone they couldn't dislike the Lakers, nor did they tell them that they couldn't publicly voice their dislike for the Lakers.

I would encourage you to go back and reread your history books about Jefferson, Madison, and our founding fathers. You claim "Disturbing the peace" carries a very high burden of proof" and yet you try to encapsulate anything and everything to do with the spoken word under "freedom of speech".

The way you speak about the police, I wonder if you have ever really spoken to one or know any on a personal level. They are doing a difficult, thankless job, and people like you make the job that much harder.

 

So when did the Cops become congress?

 

Regarding the original post -- at least the cop was nice about it. I kind of think its funny that they had to ban "Lakers Suck" chants.

 

You are right, it was an extreme metaphor, but I used to to illustrate my point. Walking through the Rose Garden or just outside the Rose Garden after a Lakers/Blazers game yelling "Lakers suck" is like sparking a match over tinder. Emotions are high, and there are plenty of Laker fans at those games. The LAST thing the Blazers need is a big fight breaking out.