3/18/2009 9:00:00 AM Republicans protest at transit meeting
Larry Carter holds a sign promoting the First Amendment shortly before Tuesday’s Jefferson Transit Authority board meeting. Photo by Melanie Lockhart
By Melanie Lockhart of The Leader
Signs placed on Jefferson County Transit buses are raising more controversy than the transit authority board expected - including an announcement that the Jefferson County Republican Party planned to picket the March 17 board meeting.
About a dozen people, including Larry Carter, showed up before the meeting to protest possible transit board action.
"It's not a political thing for me. These people have taken away so many of our rights. What they're doing is dumb," Carter said of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and efforts to put public service signs on buses that explain rights of riders in the event of a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.
He and fellow protestors held American flags and double-sided signs promoting the First Amendment before filling the meeting room.
The board voted 5-0 early in the meeting to move a proposed moratorium on public service signs off the agenda, and public comment was postponed until the end of the meeting.
In response to increased Border Patrol security on the Olympic Peninsula that began last year, the transit board - made up of Jefferson County commissioners and Port Townsend city councilors - in November directed General Manager Dave Turissini and his staff to research the rights of riders in the event of a Border Patrol check and to draft a "safe haven policy" for the buses.
That prompted the board to seek legal options and settle on posting ACLU-sponsored public service announcements inside 18 of the county's buses. The signs, titled "Your Rights with Border Patrol Agents on this bus," contain the following:
If you're a U.S. citizen, you don't have to prove it.
If you're not a U.S. citizen and are age 18 or older, you must show your immigration papers to federal agents.
Everyone has the right to remain silent.
The signs advise people to contact the ACLU of Washington at 206-624-2180 or www.aclu-wa.org.
"We had been looking for opportunities to educate the community about their rights," said Jennifer Shaw, ACLU of Washington's deputy director. "We talked to many people in the area who are concerned with Border Patrol boarding buses."
The signs were posted last week free of charge, as with any other public service announcement permitted on the buses.
"We have always had space available on the inside of our buses for public service announcements, and we see this as nothing more than a public service announcement," Turissini said after the board viewed the ACLU signs.
The signs didn't require board approval, though the board did concur, Turissini said.
"We did encourage this sort of message," he added.
In response, the GOP announced that it wanted to sponsor its own signs.
"If it meets our standards for public service announcements, they can put it up," Turissini said after hearing of their initial plans.
Those signs were scheduled for review by the transit board at the March 17 meeting.
But the announcement of the protest prompted Turissini to request a hold on all public service signs until the board can create a more specific policy.
Board member and City Councilor George Randels spoke against the request for a moratorium.
"Free speech is free speech, and we shouldn't be taking that away from anybody," Randels said.
He stated that he feels the board does have a policy in place, but if changes or specifications are needed, those could be addressed later. However, he felt that the board shouldn't discontinue signs in the meantime.
Ron Gregory, Jefferson County GOP chairman, later addressed the board about First Amendment rights. He questioned a statement made by County Commissioner David Sullivan outside the meeting about free signs on the buses being too much trouble.
"The Republican Party has never demanded or suggested that the ACLU signs not be posted," Gregory said. "Our request was for an opposing position to be posted."
The GOP's proposed signs - which were half of the double-sided signs held by protestors - say: "Please cooperate if a Border Patrol agent questions you on this bus! Agents are doing their job. If you are questioned, be courteous. If you are not a U.S. citizen, always carry your immigration papers and please show them. Cooperation is always better than confrontation."
Carter called the ACLU signs silly and said that when anyone expresses constitutional rights in this community, "The town just wants to get right in their knickers. This town and city are against it."
The board took no further action in regard to public service signs on Tuesday.
Turissini said Tuesday evening that the ACLU signs remain on the buses and that he sent an email to Gregory immediately following the meeting asking the GOP to send over its signs to be posted on the buses as well.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, March 30, 2009
Article comment by:
Charlie
Ben I'm sorry you are mis-informed. You should assert your rights everytime you go through one of these checkpoints. Google "Checkpointusa" and watch the videos. This guy has 15-20 videos where he constantly asserts his rights, even to the point where he was retaliated againsts, and now he has a civil rights lawsuit against the BP.
Posted: Monday, March 23, 2009
Article comment by:
Mike Mahoney
"The GOP's bigotry and hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me. Where were they when Bush was walking all over the 5th amendment over the past 8 years?"
I don't know. Where were the democrats the last two years of Bush's presidency? After all, they did control the congress but I guess they have forgotten that part.
Posted: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Ben Thomas
First off, this article is such a jumble of facts and quotations, that it wasn't until the end of the piece before I could get a true sense of the conflict. This method of journalism encourages people to latch onto surface prejudices: "Ah, those nasty Republicans are protesting, therefore I must be for what they're protesting against," or "There goes that ACLU again whatever they're promoting is surely uppity and un-American."
I don't think there's any sin in explaining to the reader the dynamics of a situation rather than solely relying on a series of facts and quotes. I know reporters and editors rightly avoid editorializing in a news article, but that's not the same as judiciously portraying the dynamics of a situation. I don't mean to pick on the reporter, more so the style of journalism. Maybe I've reading too much New York Times.
Personally, I think Jefferson Transit should (though I'm not familiar with their legal restraints) steal some thunder from both sides and create their own sign that both informs riders of their rights and helps keep the peace.
As much as I loathe these checkpoints, it's not at these checkpoints where the issue will be solved. Antagonizing the agent won't change the situation for the better.
Posted: Saturday, March 21, 2009
Article comment by:
Don Exelby
We have a Democrat President, a Democrat Congress, a Democrat Governor, and a Democrat State Legislature. If you are unhappy with the Border Patrol you are unhappy with the Democrats because they are in charge of the Border Patrol and could change this immediately. Also, I didn't know there were more than a dozen Republicans in Jefferson County. Isn't there some kind of ordinance against that?
Posted: Friday, March 20, 2009
Article comment by:
Gabriel Maranos
The accuracy of the constitution and real difference in outlook between these political parties is in question today. Whether Obama or McCain is our "chief in office", at the end of the day they will answer to the military-industrial complex whos agenda of world government leaves us all on dubious ground at best.
Posted: Thursday, March 19, 2009
Article comment by:
David J. Langum
The Republican Party sponsored a war of aggression, torture, wiretaps, and secret imprisionments. It has no moral authority to protest a sign accurately describing constitutional rights.
Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Article comment by:
Mike Phillips
The GOP's bigotry and hypocrisy never ceases to amaze me. Where were they when Bush was walking all over the 5th amendment over the past 8 years?
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