Police Break Up Public Citizen Press-Conference

[G_j]

http://www.citizenvox.org/2013/08/28/police-break-up-press-conference-criticizing-hhs/

August
28
By: Guest blogger
By Sam Jewler
Press Office Coordinator

I’ve been in tense police-protester situations before, but generally in more of a civil disobedience context. It was the last thing I expected at a press conference with renowned doctors in suits and a family with a six-year-old daughter who has cerebral palsy.

But that’s what happened today when we held a press conference outside of the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where a public forum was convened to discuss revelations we publicized last spring of an HHS-funded study that put premature infants at great risk without fully informing their parents of the dangers.

As we set up our minimal props for the press conference, we were informed that we were on government property and would have to move elsewhere. We briefly debated with the security guards the difference between “government property” and “public property,” but that didn’t go very far. (Side note: Can I pay less in federal taxes now that I know I can’t put up a sign and speak to reporters in front of federal buildings?) The guards went inside, so we continued to set up, and then we started the press conference.

<snip>

Soon after Dr. Dreger spoke, while reporters were asking questions, about 10 Department of Homeland Security vehicles showed up, sirens blaring – and we were told to move to the sidewalk, about 70 feet away from the building.

We don’t know how high up the word was given at HHS for us to be kicked out, but we’d like to think that if the injustice of us holding a press conference on government property can be corrected, so can the injustices of thousands of babies being subjected to risky experiments without the informed consent of their parents.

At the end of this video is when the police show up.

..more..

[dballance]

1. So much for "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble..."

I guess that's actually a triple-whammy on the 1st 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.

They only part they don't seem to have infringed upon is the establishment clause.