"Occupy Wall Street" and Protesters' Rights

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-10-27/occupy-wall-street-and-protesters-rights
"Occupy Wall Street" and Protesters' Rights

This week hundreds of "Occupy Wall Street" protestors around the country have been arrested, sometimes clashing with police dressed in riot gear. We explore the laws that govern police actions and protester rights in Washington.

This week hundreds of "Occupy Wall Street" protestors around the country have been arrested, sometimes clashing with police dressed in riot gear. But protesters and police in D.C. have largely avoided the confrontations seen in other cities. We explore the laws that govern police actions and protester rights in Washington.

Guests

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard

Attorney, Partnership for Civil Justice

D.C.’s “First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act”

Following an investigation into police actions during anti-globalization protests, the D.C. Council passed the “First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004.” The law created a new set of guidelines for police activity during demonstrations, banning such practices as “kettling” or “trap and detain” actions. It also made it easier for protesters to acquire permits for demonstrations larger than fifty people, and allows smaller groups to demonstrate downtown without a permit. Current Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh helped draft the law as Special Counsel to the D.C. Council’s Judiciary Committee. In this 2005 academic paper, she describes “lessons learned” from the investigative process.

Related Images

NBC Washington's "Occupy D.C. in Pictures"

Comments

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vishnurama wrote:

I recently read an interview in the Washington post with police chief Cathy L. Lanier; Chief Lanier said the police were there to protect the people and ensure that they were allowed to demonstrate without harassment from other parties etc.
One might argue that clashes between police and protestors related to the Occupy Wal-Street movement could serve as evidence that the police do not serve the interests of the American people but rather the interests of the people of corporate America.
this youtube video was recently brought to my attention, a soldier who served in Iraq berates police officers in New York for their brutality, saying that he didn't serve in Iraq to protect the American People just to come back and see them attacked by members of the police force that's supposed to protect them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WmEHcOc0Sys

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 12:37pm
The Kojo Nnamdi Show is produced by member-supported WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC.