NASA Scientist Hansen Arrested at Tar Sands Protest | Hacker News Reader

NASA Scientist Hansen Arrested at Tar Sands Protest

rollingstone.com

30 pointsmiraj7 comments

What I find most problematic is how frequently peaceful protestors are being arrested. As far as I can tell, he wasn't lobbing Molotovs at the White House, trying to climb a fence, or otherwise posing the sort of threat that would justify interfering with a peaceful protest. But courts appear to have given large leeway to police to put "time and place" restrictions on protestors, arresting them for e.g. picketing on a sidewalk that falls outside specially approved "free speech zones".

They chose the place deliberately, so that they would be arrested, to make a point, as I understand it. The point was about the environment, not the 'free speech' issue.

Hansen's arrest was no surprise – in fact, it was deliberate.

From my following of the situation the organizer spoke with the park police and they set up an area at the white house that is blocked off and if you go and sit in that area you will get arrested. If you look at photos of those arrested you will see a perimeter.

Where the park service has screwed the protesters is that they have decided to randomly keep some people they arrest in jail for a couple days, after promising to only issue a $100 fine and be on your way.

Yes, this is disturbing. Contrary to some claims, this was not an off limits area. It was on the Pennsylvania Avenue (which is closed to vehicle traffic but not people here) and is a public area. It is extremely wide and the protestors were not blocking anyone.

Yeah, I think that's what bugged me (I looked for some photos, though admittedly I may not have seen all of them). I realize this wasn't a free-speech protest per-se, but a civil-disobedience one with an environmentalist goal. But even with purposeful civil disobedience, you have to commit some actual crime to get arrested, and it boggles my mind that this can be a crime in the US. They were just sitting peacefully on the sidewalk, not even obstructing pedestrian traffic!

I guess I have a higher bar for what kind of disturbance is required to arrest someone in a free country--- violence, definitely; blocking traffic, ok; but sitting on a sidewalk with a sign, well, no.

Buried the lede: "If he chooses the dirty needle it is game over [for the earth's climate]..."

Reply on news.ycombinator.com