Over the line: Carson City woman arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at protesters
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 07/04/2010 - 12:29am
There was a disturbance near the Legislature Building Saturday afternoon in Carson City. A woman who was apparently angry at some political signs, allegedly threw rocks at three demonstrators.
The news that came across the scanner this July 3 afternoon was that there was a fight involving "protesters" in front of the Legislative Building. Given the political climate these days, it was worth following up.
Arriving at South Carson and Fifth, in front of the Legislative Building, there was a woman being interviewed by deputies and a man, a woman and teenager who were also being interviewed. Uniformed officers from the Legislative Police arrived and spoke with deputies. The woman, Carla Spencer, a transient, was arrested and put into a squad car. She faces three counts of misdemeanor assault, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office.
Kurt Forester was the man who said rocks were thrown at him and his family and that his protest signs were kicked and abused. Forester was holding up political signs protesting President Obama, illegal immigrants, people against Arizona law, and all those who he considers traitors, including "the liberal media."
Forester, who wears a pistol on his hip, said he has been protesting at the same place, "every day for three weeks." He explained how folks in the media are willfully lying and withholding information to the American people. The only news sources that are telling the truth are Fox News and NewsMax, and News Busters, he said.
So I asked him: "Do you mean 300 million Americans are being deceived?" His reply was: "Yes they are. And it's not their fault. It is, pardon me for saying this, but it is people like you."
People like me, purveyors of free and protected speech? Fascinating.
I steered the conversation back to the woman who he says threw rocks at him and his family and kicked down their signs. Forester said the woman came up to him and started yelling and calling him a racist. He said he's not a racist; that he works with Mexicans "all the time" and that he is protesting illegals and people like President Obama who are out to destroy the country. Forester said the woman threw rocks, yelled at him and his family and got into their faces, but there was no physical contact.
Political protesting is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is also understood how signs can provoke emotion and anger. Throwing rocks absolutely crosses the line. If Ms. Spencer did it, it was out order, wrong and if proven guilty, she should accept the consequences and punishment to the full extent.
Meanwhile, Mr. Forester and his signs are designed to rouse support for his cause and to incite anger among those who disagree with his belief system.
Obviously, protesting with signs is well within his rights. I would stand with him and I'm sure every member of the press would when it comes down to this precious First Amendment right that we have, etched in the Constitution, the foundation of this great country.
(If you're skeptical, ask me sometime about how I publicly defended, in a newspaper column, the right of the grand wizard of the KKK to speak at my Colorado alma mater after the college president denied him access to our public liberal arts campus. Talk about conflicted emotions and grinding molars.)
Still the larger question remains: Are there healthier ways for people with opposing beliefs to disagree without resorting to disorderly conduct? Are there more dignified and constructive ways to get a point across than antagonizing with signs clearly designed to provoke, fuel and incite anger, fear and hostility? Or simply put another way: What would Jesus do?
Just sayin'.
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