The Night Umbrellas Became Illegal in Seattle

[n2doc]

The Stranger’s Dominic Holden reported umbrellas that are not being held by a standing individuals are considered structures, and therefor are illegal at the Occupy Seattle protest in Westlake Park. That’s right. Umbrellas are illegal in Seattle:

Police are aggressively clearing people out of the park. Cops are telling people they can’t stand underneath the awnings, can’t wrap themselves in a tarp, and can’t even sit down with an umbrella. “You can’t have an umbrella open unless you’re standing and holding it,” a cop reportedly just told a few people who were sitting down next to their umbrellas. Paul Contant, intrepid reporter, just called to confirm that person’s account. And he added, “The cops are lined up under the awnings—I tried to get under an awning to type and and they told me I cannot be under the awning at all.” Police are also telling people they can’t lay under a tarp.

UPDATE: Occupy Seattle has asked concerned citizens of Seattle to call the police to ask them to allow the protestors to protect themselves from the rain [phone].

http://blog.seattlepi.com/stepforward/2011/10/08/the-night-umbrellas-became-illegal-in-seattle/

[xchrom]

1. the police are becoming bizarre. nt

[butterfly77]

9. The police are...

TEABAGGERS.

[TBF]

10. That is ludicrous. They are simply tools of the 1% - and I'm not surprised at all by their

reaction since there are at least 2 billionaires living in the Seattle area.

[butterfly77]

14. Do you really,really ,

believe that just because they are police that none of them are Teabaggers?

If you believe that then you are very naive.

There are many teabaggers on the police force and many other institutions of law enforcement in America.

[TBF]

15. I'm sure there are some - but that is not what you said. I believe you are being

divisive ... we ought to be encouraging the police to join us as they are part of the 99%. Just my two cents.

[Mr Deltoid]

18. The Seattle police WILL NOT join, trust me on this

[TBF]

21. Yeah I've been hearing about them -

and I did do some reading when you mentioned the movie. I just think it's silly to worry about whether they are baggers or not. Who cares. They work for the ruling class. At some point they may switch (sometimes the military does as well), but that won't happen in early stages in any event.

[EdMaven]

33. The police as a force may not, but individuals may. I know a couple of Seattle-area cops who are

*very* left. Also very intelligent & well-read.

[WinkyDink]

31. No police ANYWHERE in the US will go against the Establishment.

Now who's being naive, Kay?

[Sirveri]

22. Teabaggers are simply brainwashed, they're not the problem, the propaganda is.

So what if they are teabaggers, I don't blame the man who gets sick for getting sick. Propaganda is specifically designed to confuse people and alter their perceptions, I bear no ill will to those who are sucked in by it since that is what it is designed to do. I instead blame the 1% which spreads such filth to poison the minds of my neighbors.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tesha]

2. Ask them to show you the law!

Police love to make shit up as they go and hope that the
color of authority will intimidate you into believing them.

Tesha

[cyberpj]

29. EXCELLENT POINT. We're so brainwashed into cowering before them - ASK TO SEE THE LAW!! nt

[unhappycamper]

3. The SPD is trying a new tactic.

Pepper spraying people just pisses off the natives (aka We The People).

Rousting people out of Occupy sites pisses off the natives.

Locking up 700 people on the Brooklyn Bride pisses off the natives.

Grand Theft Wall Street pisses off the natives.

Outlawing open umbrellas in the rain is just the latest stunt of many more to come.

[Mr Deltoid]

19. The way to react is to have 1000 people all open umbrellas and sit down

[malthaussen]

4. They Must Have Gone to the Same School as the NYPD

It's interesting how some cities are harassing the protesters and some are not... the ones who are doing the harassment seem to have the same menu of fake laws. The NYPD was pulling the umbrella trick almost from the start of the protests.

"The rain comes down
On the just and unjust fella
But mostly on the just because
The unjust has the just's umbrella"


-- Mal

[saras]

6. If I could stomach the reading, I'd read right-wing stuff to find where the fake laws come from

Is there an ALEC-like organization for police?

[JRinMI]

5. Just called Seatlle PD, TWICE!

Got hung up on twice when I respectfully mentioned the protests and umbrellas. What does it say when the people working the phones at the Police Dept are not just rude, but hostile to protesters and their sympathizers? I hope we rip the entire power structure out by its rotten roots and replace it with something REAL, something designed to work FOR the people!

[n2doc]

7. One can hope that the voters of seattle make this a big deal in the next council/mayor elections

The Police chief there needs to be fired.

[coalition_unwilling]

13. Not to be unduly contrarian here (and I do understand your frustration

and righteous anger), but the police are almost uniformly working class, i.e., part of the 99%. They are suffering massive cognitive dissonance right now and who wouldn't be, serving as lickspittles for the 1% while knowing in their hearts of hearts that they are the 99%.

I wish I knew how to raise the cops' class consciousness (I don't), but raising and sharpening it is what is required, in my opinion. Once we have the police on our side, it will be game over for the ruling class.

[WinkyDink]

32. Are you from around here (like, America)? Were you, in 1968? 1969? 1970? 1971?

[coalition_unwilling]

35. I was born in 1959, so just a little boy in the years you reference. However,

I had a couple hip parents and a hip aunt who kept me turned on and tuned in to what was happening. And I've studied the history pretty closely since reaching adulthood.

Why do you ask?

[Dover]

38. The same might be true for the military...

but indoctrination is hard to pierce. I mean the Republicans have convinced the lower classes that
their policies are GOOD for them, and they believe it. Of course they were seduced with promises
of giving a pulpit and a change of law regarding their pet issues like abortion, prayer in the school, etc.
I'm sure some of them are just as dissillusioned as the left relative to actually getting what they voted for.

[inna]

24. Welcome to DU, good to have you on board!

:hi:

[Lorien]

8. So much for "America, land of the free"

though they would never do this to teabaggers.

[alfredo]

11. The police in Lexington, Ky have been very supportive. They even honk

Approval as they drive by. Local businesses have Ben supportive, especially Natasha's Bar and Bistro. Google them and show your appreciation. They also have a Facebook page.

Here's my photo stream of Occupy Lexington.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alfredo_tomato/sets/72157627666611013/

[Odin2005]

12. Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink!

[Left coast liberal]

16. I am ashamed of my city. :-(

[tavalon]

25. Don't be. We are the ones who kneecapped the WTO!

We will succeed. The beginning and middle are always ugly.

[Lyric]

20. Seattle PD is also ticketing anyone who drives past and honks in support of the protestors.

We always knew it was going to be this way. We have no rights save for what we fucking RIP back from them.

[cyberpj]

30. WHAT?! Wow. I hope some local lawyers step up for this match. nt

[freeplessinseattle]

36. whoops, guess I unknowingly broke the law the other day! eom

[Fire Walk With Me]

23. This depth of bullshit will polarize the average citizen. Thank you SPD for supporting the protests!

[tavalon]

26. In a funny convoluted way, that is just what they are doing! LOL

And thank you to the weather goddesses who have deemed that we are to have a dry night, finally!

[freeplessinseattle]

37. I take the unseasonably dry weather as a good sign:)

Maybe I will see you down there, Tavalon! Hopefully I can find where I tucked away a DU sticker and be more easily found...and maybe bring in more wonderful Seattle members:)

[tavalon]

39. I wish but I'm fighting off pneumonia right now and managing to be a keyboard commando is a stretch.

[freeplessinseattle]

40. sorry to hear that, hope you win the fight! eom

[Liberal_in_LA]

27. kick. I recall the authorities created stupid rules during the union batle in Minnesota

[sabrina 1]

28. They did the same thing in NY. They need legal help as the NYC

occupiers were able to get around all of their restrictions with legal advice.

But they should not give up or just ask the police to let them back in. The police are being told what to do so they really need to call the ACLU or other legal organizations in their area.

[Recursion]

34. How is a free-standing umbrella *not* a structure?

Just wondering. I mean, if you were to show me an umbrella that does not need someone to hold it up, and ask me "is that a structure?", I would say "yes".