RogerB
Crusader
This note may only apply to New York, dunno about that, but certainly is something for you guys inclined to wear masks etc., at any organized demonstration etc.
This from this morning's Wall Street Journal link here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...=88888&mod=WSJ_hps_sections_newyork#printMode
This from this morning's Wall Street Journal link here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...=88888&mod=WSJ_hps_sections_newyork#printMode
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
Rare Charge Is Unmasked
By SEAN GARDINER And JESSICA FIRGER
New York City police monitoring a social media-fueled protest in Manhattan's Financial District have charged demonstrators with violating an obscure, 150-year-old state statute that bans masked gatherings.
Since Saturday, five people connected with the protest to "occupy" Wall Street have been issued a violation for running afoul of the antimask law, according to police.
"People here are very acutely aware of it now because of the arrests," Laura MacAuley, a spokeswoman for the social media-fueled event, said Monday.
The protest against U.S. banking institutions began Saturday, drawing hundreds from across the country.
Police blocked off several streets in lower Manhattan, directing protesters to Zuccotti Park. On Monday afternoon, sleeping bags, tents and a potluck buffet were set up in the park to accommodate demonstrators.
Among those arrested was Max Hodes, a 28-year-old from Concord, N.H. He said he and a few others wearing bandanas were pulled from a line of unmasked protesters on Saturday morning in front of 40 Wall St. He said he was taken to the 1st Precinct, checked for outstanding arrest warrants and released about three hours later, having been issued a summons for "loitering and wearing [a] mask."
"I was arrested for looking like I ought to be arrested," Mr. Hodes said.
Ms. MacAuley said two others were taken into custody on Monday for writing on the sidewalk with chalk.
Police said only one person was charged with violating anti-graffiti laws, and one person was charged with disorderly conduct.
Oakland, Calif., native Jason Ahmadi, 26 years old, said he was issued a summons for "damage to the sidewalk" after scribbling a Gandhi quote on the concrete near Zuccotti Park.
"The cops asked me what other country I'd rather live in," he said. "I said the point was to make this country better."
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said that in past protests in other cities, demonstrators would "disrupt otherwise peaceful protests by 'masking up,' and engaging in vandalism and confrontations with police. There was an expectation that their bandannas might help them escape identification."
New York's law dates back to 1845, when lawmakers tried to quell uprisings by tenant farmers who "used disguises to attack law enforcement officers," according to a later U.S. Court of Appeals ruling. A dip in the price of wheat left many in debt to landowner Stephen Van Rensselaer IV.
After Mr. Rensselaer moved to evict tenants, disgruntled farmers disguised themselves as "Indians," dressed in "calico gowns and leather masks" and attacked agents of the landlords. The court papers said the tactics adopted by these rebel groups ranged from "tarring and feathering" to murder, including a sheriff.
The law was amended in 1965 to prevent masked gatherings of two or more people, with a significant exception: "a masquerade party or like entertainment." It received substantial attention in 1999 when, on the basis of the law, the city rejected a request from splinter group of the Ku Klux Klan to hold a masked protest in Manhattan.
Eugene O'Donnell, a professor of police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said arrests for violating the antimask laws are uncommon.
"It's just another tool that police have if they need to use it," he said. "Cops figure that if you're covering your face [at a protest], it's probably not for a good reason."
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, agreed that enforcement is rare but said the arrests occur almost exclusively during political protests.
She said civil libertarians have argued that demonstrators should be able to wear masks as part of their right to free speech.
"Unfortunately," Ms. Lieberman said, "the courts have not agreed with us."