The Cops outside the RG stopped us from chanting

hahaha

 

First off, this was done at the Rose Garden, so your very poor analogy would be screaming "I hate black people" over and over in a predominantly white neighborhood.

Secondly, it's a simple sports chant, a very much used one at that, and anyone who would actually get violent over it needs to be imprisoned or committed to a mental institution as they're obviously not right in the head.

To equate that with overt racist antagonism is sooooooooooooooo pathetic.

The fact is Americans are protected by Constitutional law from being prevented from expressing their opinion verbally and in writing.

Whether it's LA sucks, Bush/Cheney sucks, or America sucks, they have an absolute right to voice their opinion.

Whether they have the stones it takes to stand up for that right against a small-town power-tripping police force is on them.

The less that citizens are willing to man up, the less rights we all will eventually have.

 

Yeah, there is.

But not for you if you don't think so.

 

I have to agree, "preemptively preventing" a possible scenario is not an excuse to infringe on a constitutional right. If there is an imminent danger they can break it up. Suppressing rights in no face of danger is how authoritarians guarantee safety.

 

Everyone has a right to voice their opinion. Everyone has the responsibility to voice their opinion in the appropriate way and be aware of situations that could escalate to a violent nature - especially in the event that children are in the vicinity.

The PPD made the correct call in asking people not to elevate the possibility of violence with a Lakers Suck chant as there were many belligerent people on both sides last night leaving the game. In a pretty empty hallway up in the 300 level on the way out some drunk Blazer fan was trying to start a fight with a Laker fan who was trying to leave peacefully.

 

Well... I don't know if there were ANY Laker fans left after the game was over.

 

Mostly Portland and Seattle arenas.

Blazers, Seahawks, Breakers, Beavers, Mariners, Winterhawks, even a Timbers game once.

And hundreds more youth sports games.

Not one fight. Not one threat. No feeling of unease.

It's entertainment after all.

 

We already have one: shouting LA SUCKS on my way to my car after a Blazers/Lakers game at the Rose Garden.

I absolutely guarantee my arrest would not hold up through appeal to the Supreme Court and my suit for false arrest would also prevail in the end.

You can twist the facts and add in what-ifs to change the circumstances, but the situation as described screams of police abuse of power, which is a known trademark of the Portland Police Dept.

That's how they roll.

 

legally and justifiably = 2 separate things, both a matter of opinion.

You are born into this world absolutely Free.

You lose whatever rights you concede, whether by cowardice or convenience.

 

Why do you put "preemptively preventing" in quotation marks, as though it's a silly and contradictory idea, like "preemptive vengence?" Prevention only can be done "preemptively." That's what prevention is...you can't retroactively prevent something, after that fact. It has to be done before the fact.

I wasn't there, so I have no idea whether this prevention was justified. If there really were fights breaking out, preventing people from goading more fights is perfectly reasonable.

 

It might have sounded redundant, but I was trying to say "preventing situations where there may not have been a situation at all." I think of preemptive as cutting out any possibility before a conflict is developing. It's a word I personally only use to indicate possible excessiveness when modifying an otherwise normal verb like prevent. I know excessiveness isn't attached to the true definition of the word, but that's just how I use it, which is why I put it in quotes.

I wasn't there either, so while I can't judge the situation itself, I can judge the arguments that are presented about the subject in general, of an officer telling someone to not say something if there wasn't someone else looking to get involved in a conflict with them. If there were about to be fights, then I'm not bothered by them telling them to calm down. If not, then I just see it as an officer saying "guys, make my job easier."

 

2 Question:

1) Does your freedom of speech hold true on private property or can someone have your removed from their property for what they feel is stirring up trouble?

2) Is the Rose Quarter considered private property?

I'm seriously asking because I slept through my American Government class in high school

 

I think in terms of private property, you could have someone removed just because you feel like it.

If the Blazers asked the police to ask fans to not chant negative things about the Lakers around the Garden, then I think that's the Blazers' business.

 

Clearly, you've never been to an Eagles game in Philadelphia.