[A-List] Fw: [NLGchicago] free speech zones litigation & White House manual

Mon Aug 27 19:16:51 MDT 2007

From: Nick Stein 
Subject: [NLGchicago] free speech zones litigation & White House manual

By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 22, 2007; Page A02

Not that they're worried or anything. But the White House evidently leaves
little to chance when it comes to protests within eyesight of the president.
As in, it doesn't want any.

A White House manual that came to light recently gives presidential advance
staffers extensive instructions in the art of "deterring potential
protestors" from President Bush's public appearances around the country.

Jeffery and Nicole Rank sued after they were arrested in 2004 for refusing
to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts at a Fourth of July speech by the
president. (By Bob Bird -- Associated Press)

Among other things, any event must be open only to those with tickets
tightly controlled by organizers. Those entering must be screened in case
they are hiding secret signs. Any anti-Bush demonstrators who manage to get
in anyway should be shouted down by "rally squads" stationed in strategic
locations. And if that does not work, they should be thrown out.

But that does not mean the White House is against dissent -- just so long as
the president does not see it. In fact, the manual outlines a specific
system for those who disagree with the president to voice their views. It
directs the White House advance staff to ask local police "to designate a
protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in the view
of the event site or motorcade route."

The "Presidential Advance Manual," dated October 2002 with the stamp
"Sensitive -- Do Not Copy," was released under subpoena to the American
Civil Liberties Union as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of two people
arrested for refusing to cover their anti-Bush T-shirts at a Fourth of July
speech at the West Virginia State Capitol in 2004. The techniques described
have become familiar over the 6 1/2 years of Bush's presidency, but the
manual makes it clear how organized the anti-protest policy really is.

The lawsuit was filed by Jeffery and Nicole Rank, who attended the
Charleston event wearing shirts with the word "Bush" crossed out on the
front; the back of his shirt said "Regime Change Starts at Home," while hers
said "Love America, Hate Bush." Members of the White House event staff told
them to cover their shirts or leave, according to the lawsuit. They refused
and were arrested, handcuffed and briefly jailed before local authorities
dropped the charges and apologized. The federal government settled the First
Amendment case last week for $80,000, but with no admission of wrongdoing.

The manual demonstrates "that the White House has a policy of excluding
and/or attempting to squelch dissenting viewpoints from presidential
events," said ACLU lawyer Jonathan Miller. "Individuals should have the
right to express their opinion to the president, even if it's not a
favorable one."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said that he could not discuss the manual
because it is an issue in two other lawsuits.

The manual offers advance staffers and volunteers who help set up
presidential events guidelines for assembling crowds. Those invited into a
VIP section on or near the stage, for instance, must be " extremely
supportive of the Administration," it says. While the Secret Service screens
audiences only for possible threats, the manual says, volunteers should
examine people before they reach security checkpoints and look out for
signs. Make sure to look for "folded cloth signs," it advises.

To counter any demonstrators who do get in, advance teams are told to create
"rally squads" of volunteers with large hand-held signs, placards or banners
with "favorable messages." Squads should be placed in strategic locations
and "at least one squad should be 'roaming' throughout the perimeter of the
event to look for potential problems," the manual says.

"These squads should be instructed always to look for demonstrators," it
says. "The rally squad's task is to use their signs and banners as shields
between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators
are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out
the protestors (USA!, USA!, USA!). As a last resort, security should remove
the demonstrators from the event site."

Advance teams are advised not to worry if protesters are not visible to the
president or cameras: "If it is determined that the media will not see or
hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event, they can
be ignored. On the other hand, if the group is carrying signs, trying to
shout down the President, or has the potential to cause some greater
disruption to the event, action needs to be taken immediately to minimize
the demonstrator's effect."

The manual adds in bold type: "Remember -- avoid physical contact with
demonstrators! Most often, the demonstrators want a physical confrontation.
Do not fall into their trap!" And it suggests that advance staff should
"decide if the solution would cause more negative publicity than if the
demonstrators were simply left alone."

The staff at the West Virginia event may have missed that line.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101662.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for a deal? Find great prices on flights and hotels with Yahoo! FareChase. __._,_.___  

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional 
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) 
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured 
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe 

__,_._,___ 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/html
Size: 14561 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/pipermail/a-list/attachments/20070827/efddd219/attachment.txt>