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You may recall that Reverend Billy Talen was arrested in June for reciting the First Amendment in Union Square during a Critical Mass night protesting the proposed photography laws. We posted video of the arrest at the time, and Talen spent 20 hours in the Tombs charged with two counts of second-degree harassment.
Yesterday the Rev faced the judge and The NY Times reports that in court "the prosecutor told Judge Tanya Kennedy that Mr. Talen’s offense had been to shout the familiar lines beginning with 'Congress shall make no law' while standing just three feet from the officers, and to ignore their requests to stop. The prosecutor, Mary Weisgerber, said his behavior was 'obnoxious' by any standard."
Talen defended himself with the aforementioned video, saying he was 15 feet away from the officers. Meanwhile his lawyers defended him saying harassment is defined as not having a legitimate purpose -- but reciting the First Amendment at a rally is quite legit. By the end of the day the district attorney’s office was given until October 15th to respond, and a new court date is set for November 14th. If sentenced Reverend Billy could end up with 15 days in jail.
Photo via Zodak's Flickr.
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Funny how the DA did not want to mention "First Ammendment".... So how difficult would it be to prosecute this assinine case when nobody but you boss wants it? I mean is your name in the paper worth it? Just drop the case and hope he doesn't sue the city for civil rights violations, the police have already cost us too much on that front.
while some of things he protests i agree with, i was there that night and he was being a douche bag.
Who cares if we agree with him or not! He was protesting verbally at a protest. Can he really get put away for something like this in this day and age?!
yeah i never really "got" this guy but being arrested for reciting the first amendment of the constitution is ironic at best, completely sad at worst.
Ed, but is he Constitutionally protected by being a Douche?
;)
#3, Yep.
Getting arrested for reciting the first amendment. you couldn't make up a better story..
i guess he should consider himself lucky that he wasn't tasered.
Ed I agree, but being a douche is still legal..... until they repeal the constitution.
rev. billy was on c-span booknotes.
he's everywhere now, way to go.
i know being a douche is legal... my main question is, did he have a permit to protest? he was with a large group of people in a public space.
are megaphones and step-ladders protected under permit laws?
was he outside of the designated protest area?
Where the hell does the Reverend think he is? ...in a free country?. Send him to Guantanamo along with the other terrorists & anyone with else who dares exercise the illusion known as "free speech".
F'ing American Nazi assholes .....
Speaking of permits to protest....did all of those people up at Columbia have permits to protest the President of Iran? Were they confined to "free speech zones"...? Were any of them tazered?
What a country!. Hey, why don't you American assholes define "the designated protest area" as existing only in people's private LIVING ROOMS.
That way you'll keep protesters off the streets and thereby you nazi bastards won't have to listen to any criticisms of your glorious REICH.
the idea that you need a permit to protest, while currently supported by city regulations, directly contradicts the freedoms that this country used to value.
in nyc, the city may think protest requires permits, but the constitution states otherwise.
Ed, I'm uncomfortable Asking the Gov't for permission to protest against it.
Designated protest areas are often, especially with the current administration, merely means to stifle public dissent under the guise of "Law And Order".
#11 and #13: One overreaction deserves another?
Douche or not, that is your opinion and you get to express it, and that's brought to you by your friendly neighborhood First Amendment!
And I quote "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES!"
You gotta love it.
OMG. I love Reverend Billy. LOVE him. He once saved my dog! Let me explain. I was at bloomingdales, and my pooch, Little Miss Tuffet, decides she wants to poop right in the middle of the ladies foundation garments section. Holeee crap. Literally. I don't have anything to pick it up with! At that moment, Rev Billy swoops in yelling at people to stop shopping. WTF?? I'm thinking, but right as he's about to approach Ladies Panties, he whips out a hankerchief, picks up my little poochie's turd and hands it to me. "You've got to save yourself from the Pantychrist, Little Miss Tuffet," he cries. And then security came and took him away. He was my hero that day. AND. I did not by the butt lifting undergarment either. Thank you, Rev Billy!
The limits of public space and free speech have been constrictng in this country ever since Sept. 2001. In the guise of "protection from terrorists" we are increasingly prevented from activities that were considered normal prior to 9/11: enter a building without a photo id, ride a subway without having your bag searched, going to view the fireworks on the 4th of July without being searched by the police, etc., etc.
The first amendment should be shouted from the rooftops if that is what it takes we, the complacent masses, to open our eyes and see what is happening. What we have always taken for granted is fast disappearing.
Also with regards to permits.... He was not with a large group of people. It was him and one woman protesting. The large group was people listening. And evn then the woman did not get arrested so it was not a permits issue (whcih she would have been in violation of it it were). It's simply cops not wanting to be lectured on our rights when they think they know better. Cops in general are good, but stupid arrogant cops are the worst possible thing, unless you like facism.
Based on the current police brass direction we'll soon need a permit to listen to a protest, or have a conversation on the street. Ahh nice to live in a so called liberal city.
Don't tase him, bro!
There has never been a constitutional right to protest whenever, whereever and however you please. Supreme Court decisions have found that time, place and manner limitations on speech are all consititional. Marching down the middle of a busy street at rush hour, making loud noises late at night and protesting too close to an abortion clinic are all illegal, even though they involve speech. Pointing a megaphone in a cops face and ranting at him is going to get you arrested.
Yeah, but you gotta have a little sense of humor, a little sense of political theater. I wish the worst the PD had to deal with was Rev. Bill. He's a little bitta spice in a Disneyfied Whole Foods NYU'd Union Square. The guys who busted him probably weren't even a gleam in their Dad's teenage eye in the 70's, and commute in from LI.
Let's get back a little bit of NYC flavor.
Dadoc
21 that might be true, but does no apply here. First, he was not in the middle of the street, near and prohibied zones, nor was it late. He was using a megaphone, butit was not powered and not very loud. Finally the only time it got anywhere near a cop is when they approached him to harass him. So I fail to see why he was arrested other then to harass and taunt him, so does that make the cops guilty of what they arrested him for?
edex #10 , cardboard megaphone is allowed without a permit, only electronic amplifies megaphones need permits.
this is America no permit is required to demonstrate or protest.
union squarer park has a long history of being the place to air your grievances with the city.
the police could have backed away to he perimeter,
th protester had a reason to be there , the police just got in the eway , it is a park