One police officer, who attended the Selectboard meeting "on his own behalf," said the protesters were being irresponsible, pulling officers away from their more serious duties.
"We are a very busy department," said Detective Eric Johnson, who said he sympathized with the protesters but disagreed with their decision to not leave the property when ordered to by police.
"If we go to a scene and ask you to please leave, just leave and move to a public place," he said. "Our responsibility is to enforce the law," adding "if I ask them to leave and they don't, what am I to do?"
Oddly enough, one of the protesters had a fairly good idea about that:
"All they had to do was take our water away from us and we would have been gone in 48 hours," said Kilmurray, after speaking at Tuesday night's Selectboard meeting.
Congratulations, Brattleboro Police Department. You've taken a minor protest by a very small group of people and turned it into something much bigger.
First off: No snark here.
There have been a few times in the past where my line of work has put me in an ethical position.
It's never happened twice in one day before.
One was an easy call.
The other is more complicated....but at the end of the day, it's still an easy call.
Both decisions on my part, if I do what I know to be the right thing, will cost me money.
On the jump.
Damn it.
(Crossposted to Daily Kos)
Between me and Odum, we'll keep you on memory lane....plus, I'l give you the latest on a dear friend.
Rosemarie Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in Vermont. On March 20, 2003, her 66th birthday, she was arrested for participating in a peaceful protest against the war. After her arrest, she was incarcerated, hand cuffed, booked, finger printed, photographed, arraigned, tried, convicted and sentenced. The jury arrived at a guilty verdict in less than 10 minutes. The conviction has been appealed in the State Supreme Court. The decision of the court is expected to be rendered sometime within a year. If the appeal is won, the government will retry Rosemarie. If the appeal is lost, Rosemarie will most likely go to prison.
Principles are not always convenient....
The legal struggle continues below the fold.
250-1
55-1
