Has your child ever written in chalk on the sidewalk? Certainly if you are a kid in America you did it when you were a child in marking up areas to play innocent games with your friends.
If so, little Joey or Janie even you are a criminal.So says the city of Orlando, Florida which recently arrested and jailed a person for writing in chalk on the sidewalk in front of City Hall.
Sometimes I read or hear things that seem to be jokes, absurd stories, that actually turn out to be true facts. The totally bizarre nature of initially recognizing that it can't be real is quickly replaced by anything is possible in the current world as it exists.
When you were a child, think back to the memories of playing in the streets, on your sidewalk. Remember chalk? In Brooklyn where I grew up and in many other cities as kids we used to chalk up the sidewalks to play a game called Hopscotch (Potsy), or we would mark up bases for stick ball, slap ball (triangle), and just drawing messages, hearts of supposed romances between a boy and girl (SWAK-Sealed With A Kiss), all as an expression of our freedom to do so.
After a day or so, the chalk would fade away, or if it rained, snowed, a water truck cleaning the street, a neighbors hose, would quickly make the chalk "art" disappeared. We simply chalked it up again, the next time we went outside.
Let's fast forward to 2011/2012 where technology and progress was supposed to enrich our lives, minds, the way we live, think. Instead it often appears that many of the modern thinking in our Country has gone the way of idiots , morons, and those who spend their time focusing on limiting the slightest freedoms we have, because "they" say so. There is no logic or rational thinking behind the "they say so's" who wield their power indiscriminately with an iron fist.
It's similar to the politicians who close a child's sidewalk lemonade stand that has been set up in front of their own house (since it's too dangerous in today's sicko world to not be in the view of your parents as there are so many pedophiles loose who would kidnap, kill them otherwise), because there is no permit obtained from the local officials for having a lemonade stand.
You get the idea, arrogant, do nothing, public servants who instead of working to solve the really important critical issues facing the survival of every American city, town, citizen, somehow find the time to waste their limited resources on showing how stupid they are.
This is the story of an American citizen, Timothy Michael Osmar that took place in Orlando, Florida (not a surprise to me that it is in Florida, the State of Insanity), which also happens to be the home of Disney World a fantasy land, but the city of Orlando manages to also compete with them for attention. In fairness to Orlando, eerily, others have now been arrested in different American cities for the same exact crime of chalk but Orlando seems to be the most serious about their ability to intimidate the people who use the weapon of chalk.
To be clear I am not talking about the issue of graffiti with paint that permanently defaces, vandalizes our buildings. This is just about old fashioned, easily erasable, chalk.The kind your kids use or their teachers use in writing on school blackboards.
Next it will be illegal to have children draw with chalk in front of a Government building. The possibilities are endless when it comes to the crooked politicians, demagogues who do as they wish.
Just talking about regular chalk.
Mr. Osmar, a resident of South Carolina, which despite going public in "Newtwering" to the world it's own ignorance in last nights GOP primary, is at last look still one of the States that is part of our democracy called America, so is Florida, including Orlando. Osmar is associated with the Occupy Orlando movement and was arrested on December 15th, 2011 for writing on the ground with sidewalk chalk, and has been in jail ever since.
According to an arrest affidavit provided by the Orlando Police Department to CBS Tampa, Timothy Michael Osmar was found by authorities on Dec. 15 writing on the sidewalks with chalk in front of city hall. By the way, he was also charged in his arrest for being a "transient", a polite way to say he is homeless.
Yes, Being homeless is a crime in America, despite my story about the wonderfully inspiring story I wrote about 17 year old Samantha Garvey who is homeless and is one of 300 students in all of America to be selected as a final contestant in the Intel Scholarship for her project.
Forget murderers, armed robbers, rapists, child molesters and thieves. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and police Chief Paul Rooney are using their resources and taxpayers money to go after a 25-year-old who was brandishing a writing utensil. All done to keep you safe and sound while your neighborhood is being trashed, invaded by drug addicts, perverts, burglars, and criminals.
Your children and yourself are in danger of being killed by any number of animal low life sub humans on our streets, in cars, waiting to destroy the lives of those you love.
Chalk is the issue huh, who among us believes that is what our police should be focusing on during these times that animals are preying on us, in a jungle of not a shred of a conscience on the part of real criminals who ignore all laws and have no regard for the value of a human life.
Your children and yourself are in danger of being killed by any number of animal low life sub humans on our streets, in cars, waiting to destroy the lives of those you love.
Chalk is the issue huh, who among us believes that is what our police should be focusing on during these times that animals are preying on us, in a jungle of not a shred of a conscience on the part of real criminals who ignore all laws and have no regard for the value of a human life.
The "crime" that Timothy Osmar committed was writing the words in chalk of slogans such as "Justice Equals Liberty, this is not graffiti, It's democracy." No one had ever been arrested in Orlando for chalk writing and obviously, he had to be stopped to protect the safety of the public.
Brave hero Officers Phil Scaglione and Sgt. Ernest Payne together as a backup team, cautiously approached the "dangerous" chalk criminal Osmar, at which point Payne explained that it is “unlawful for any person to write, print, mark, paint, stamp or paste any sign, notice of writing advertisement upon the surface of any sidewalk or paved street in the city.”
Anyone see a conflict here? Welcome to the America injustice Laws/ Courts, where there are 2 sets of rules, one for us, and the other for the politically connected.
But at least Orlando city's sidewalks are free of pastel slogans about freedom. Dyer's office was unapologetic, saying city codes clearly outlaw chalk writing.
If you're looking for a tool to deal with chalk on city sidewalks, think less about a jail cell and more about a garden hose.
Attorney Dick Wilson, who took Osmar's case for free, had entered a "not guilty" plea on his client's behalf. Wilson said the arrest is a clear violation of Osmar's First Amendment rights. "I am thrilled the crime rate in Orlando is so low the city of Orlando has time to imprison people for drawing on the sidewalk in chalk."I didn't even know it was a violation, he said. "I mean, I can certainly understand if they are talking about graffiti or destroying public property. But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about a guy using chalk to make his voice heard in a public area.
The 25-year-old Occupy Orlando demonstrator then spent 18 days in the Orange County Jail after police arrested him for using pink chalk to write these protest slogans on the sidewalk outside City Hall.
He was finally released from jail on January 11, 2012. City officials dropped the charges as City Attorney Mayanne Downs said that was because they felt Osmar had spent enough time in jail.
Anyone who "defaces" the sidewalk or other property, even with chalk, still could be arrested, she said."They're certainly at risk of being arrested, but we have to apply our ordinances in as consistent a way as possible.Mayor Buddy Dyer, whose City Hall balcony overlooks the chalked sidewalk, echoed in a statement. Bull Shit!
Anyone who "defaces" the sidewalk or other property, even with chalk, still could be arrested, she said."They're certainly at risk of being arrested, but we have to apply our ordinances in as consistent a way as possible.Mayor Buddy Dyer, whose City Hall balcony overlooks the chalked sidewalk, echoed in a statement. Bull Shit!
Here's a line from a chamber of commerce newsletter back in 2009, when the basketball team Magic were in the Eastern Conference finals: "Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer suggested that area business show their support by 'chalking up' their sidewalks and entryways."
Now that's one of the things gone so badly wrong in America. A petty government official decides for we the people, what is free speech, in this case an "important right of freedom for a game of sport where a ball gets put into a hoop by guys that are 7 feet tall vs. a human being peacefully expressing their rights as Americans, spare me the indignation about how sacred our sidewalks are.
Courageous soldiers have given away their lives, died for hundreds of years in defending our freedom and basketball is more important than free speech? A mockery of their sacrifice, truly unamerican, tragic, and not very patriotic on the part of our American flag pin lapel politicians of slime.
Sure, the law technically bans "advertising." (It was created decades ago to prohibit businesses from painting promotions on public property.) But the city has decided to define "advertising" as any writing designed to "portray and communicate a message."Under that definition, if you or your kids have ever scrawled anything from "10-cent lemonade" to "I love mom!" on a public sidewalk, you guys are criminal advertisers who should be locked up.
But, Horray for Timothy!!! A true American patriot who will not back down and be afraid. Within hours of being released from jail on January 11th, he was back at City Hall, writing messages on the sidewalk about freedom and free speech. Then he went to the Orange County Courthouse and did the same thing.
"I am ready and willing, after a bit of a breather, to do it all again," Osmar said shortly after his release. "I would really look forward to challenging this in court, to striking the ordinance down, so people can express themselves with chalk on the sidewalk.
Osmar said he only stopped this time because he ran out of chalk. There were no police around, and he wasn't arrested.The city hoped this story would end by dropping the charges against 25-year-old Timothy Osmar, not so easy when you piss an American off by stomping on their personal freedom.
Instead, Orlando officials decided to double down on foolishness and injustice. First, the city continues to defend the arrest of this protester even though the city produced no evidence that it has ever arrested hopscotchers, Magic fans or anyone else for the same chalk related "crime."
Just as troubling was part of the city's explanation for the release: that 18 days in jail without bond was an appropriate punishment.
Except it wasn't. Osmar's attorney, Dick Wilson, described it as laughable to think that a judge would sentence someone to 2 1/2 weeks in jail for violating a misdemeanor municipal ordinance.
People get convicted of felonies and don't spend a single day in prison. If you were a DUI or DWI driver who had just murdered someone, likely they would have let you out on bail,
More important: Osmar wasn't convicted of anything.
So it's disgusting for the Mayor moron dictator of Orlando or anyone else to declare Osmar as having served his penance, when he wasn't ever declared guilty.
Forget how you feel about Dyer or Occupy Orlando. Imagine what you would think if you read that rulers in Cuba were imprisoning citizens for writing on the sidewalk?
If City Hall which called the cops on Osmar in the first place didn't like what he was writing, this was a problem for a garden hose, not the Orange County Jail.
You may not care for Osmar or Occupy Orlando. But you darn well better care about government selectively or creatively enforcing its laws when "they" want to take your freedom away from you. We are witnessing in America a pervasive, unprecedented, deliberate, policy day after day of violating our rights guaranteed by the constitution. Whether it is our rights of Freedom of Speech, use of the Internet, Privacy, including writing on the sidewalk with chalk.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. Freedom of expression consists of the rights to freedom of speech, press, assembly and to petition the government for a redress of grievances, and the implied rights of association and belief.
The U.S. Constitution Fourth Amendment: Protects the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
"They" are simply selectively targeting, arbitrarily eroding, whimsically ignoring our protected rights and eavesdrop on our privacy, arrest, make up "their" own interpretations of freedom of speech based on their own personal feelings. No different than the abuse of its people by a dictatorship in Russia, China, Libya, Syria or Saudi Arabia.
Your feelings on this blog post may not be completely sympathetic to Osmar, since he seemed to be plenty willing to be arrested, but you must be convinced the arrest was foolish nonetheless, and a violation of our rights as citizens in a supposed democracy that righteously, hypocritically, sanctimoniously spouts aloud against evil countries all over the world who infringe on the rights of their people, but remains silent as our rights to freedom are diluted.
These are extremely scary times in America as in the name of "public security, anti-terrorist strategies, we feel an extreme erosion, abuse that is getting worse, of those who claim to represent us in Government and in the legal circus, selectively and prejudicial in taking our freedom away from us.
We just saw this in attempt by Congress and its Corporate stooges to SOPA/PIPA away our Internet freedom that I wrote about in my previous blog post. By the way SOPA/PIPA is not as dead as it seems, it has been tabled "for further Study", and will be right back in our face during mid February.
Corporations are to be considered people according to the geniuses on the Supreme Court, thereby allowing Corporate America, to influence political elections with their hordes of dirty money. I guess they won't be able to use chalk in doing their corrupt acts of buying our politicians
Remember, writing with chalk on the sidewalk is now illegal in many American cities, with more offenses to be added to the list of "crimes".
Perhaps in the future you will be arrested for talking in "unpatriotic" defined terms as defined by some nitwit like "Newtwit" is going to get you labeled as the enemy.
Many of you voted these idiots into Office, time for change fast, get them all out fast. Part of the answer is below.
Many of you voted these idiots into Office, time for change fast, get them all out fast. Part of the answer is below.
How long before merely writing a blog such as mine, , peacefully protesting, or anyone voicing their opinion in public that some bureaucrat disagrees with, can have the cops arrest us, throw us in jail, or fine us for treason?
Yes, you need to fear for the future of our children, the Country, ourselves, these are dangerous times for all the legitimate reasons we know of in a sick world, but now add to that, the crime of expressing ones personal thoughts about freedom as an American.
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