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08.23.10 - 1:33 PM
Zombie Rights
Minneapolis will pay seven zombies $165,000 in a federal lawsuit the zombies filed after being arrested while protesting mindless consumerism. Police had charged them with carrying simulated "weapons of mass destruction" - aka sound equipment - and dismissed their legal rights with obscenities.
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35 Comments so far
Show AllWhats next? Muslim rights?
Folks, its a slippery slope...
I thought the real zombies were at the mall shopping...
I participate in the local Zombie walk here in Vancouver.
Helluva lot of fun. It shakes the straights up, makes them wonder.
To have the Police stomp all over a PEACEFUL citizens demonstration/good time is just another sign of your Fascist state.
Non Serviam - I will not serve.
"It shakes the straights up, makes them wonder."
No it doesn't, unless you mean, "Makes them wonder what on earth they hallucinate they're accomplishing."
By 'straights' I mean the average person wandering by on the street. Those NOT involved in the Zombie Walk.
Most Z-Walkers are at least *somewhat* counterculture, and see the annual Walk as a way to break the static consumerist mold.
Non Serviam - I will not serve.
That's a rather dated definition of "straight", you old-hippie-fart!
"...you old-hippie-fart!"
And this is a problem how?
Non Serviam - I will not serve.
O.S.s' definition works for this "old hippie fart" . he's in my generation.Another "freak" for
peace
Oh, I knew what you meant!
It IS a generational thing, though. I occasionally remind my twentysomething niece and nephew that before "straight" was limited to sexuality, it was used to denote mundane, conventional, orthodox, conformist persons who either ignored or rejected Sixties counterculture.
As previously noted, when I was in high school, 1969-73, the breakdown was basically (we) "freaks", "jocks", "straights", and a distinct minority of faux-fifties "greasers". If geeks and dweebs and nerds existed, they weren't categorized as such. Oh, and for better or worse "gay" wasn't on the radar beyond a generic use of the term, i.e., there was NO out gay culture or identity then.
That said, I remember once explaining THAT use of "straight" to an older aunt, or perhaps my grandma, back in the day. I knew she'd got it when she said, "Oh, you mean like 'straight ARROW'!"
Go Zombies!!!
What will the Zombies do with the $165,000? Practice mindless consumerism?
What will Zs do with 165K? Buy better sound equipment... hee. Some publicity would be good, too, as some of us had never heard of them. Is it 'Goth want to die' but 'Zombies are already dead'?
Zombies are people too! Well, at least they used to be people with civil rights, which is more than corporations can claim.
Minneapolis? There are even plenty of rught-wingers north of the 49th.
I have no idea how many lawsuits were filed over the behavior of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Imperial Security Forces and Stormtroopers during the RNC, but I hope this payout is but a pebble in a ruinous avalanche of municipal payouts.
I regret that this kind of penalty will be visited on the backs of ordinary citizens and taxpayers in our devolved, prolapsed political system.
But maybe the municipal governments will be forced to "kick up" and in turn sue the federal Homeland Security apparatus for sponsoring and supporting their despicable conduct.
The Minneapolis police must not have spotted any hapless minorities to gun down that night. For those who are not from around here - Minnesota was a reasonably liberal place 20-30 years ago, before far right fascism and Tim Pawlenty became the norm.
Anybody who feeds on brains is going to starve these days.
"Police had ...... dismissed their legal rights with obscenities."
Ah yes, the police. "Officer friendlys" from POLICE ACADEMY where, it is demonstrated time and again, absolutely nothing re constitutional rights are taught. Go to YouTube for some lovely examples.
The last time I got one of those annual calls from some police group asking for money, I reminded the caller that when the police (who are, let's be reminded, paid by taxes) ask citizens for more money, it's a textbook example of EXTORTION. He was not pleased.
So are the cops claiming their brains were munched on by Zombies, therefore leaving them brainless? Should be funnier but these thugs just make up law on the spur of the moment. Why be saddled with having to actually learn what your country is about, you know, the one whose values you are upholding? Same for the city attorney as a tool, excusing the copy by calling them "reasonable." No way she believes what she said.
I do not understand why, if officials commit crimes, they escape punishment while the taxpayers pick up the tab.
It is understandable if they are merely carrying out a policy which is sanctioned by the courts, but when they commit what is clearly a crime...???
If those cops had to pony up $165,000 I bet it would actually do something to discourage future misbehavior.
What this story says is that we should all go out and seek to have our Constitutional rights violated. That way, we all get our money back that we each gave to the Pentagon through taxes.
Come on copper, arrest me! Whoo-hoo!
I have great respect for law enforcement officers, they have a tough job,,,
That said, if the supervisors and community leaders tell the police to ignore constitutional rights, if the the lawyers and judges in this country on a county by county basis , wont protect the constitution, and force each local community law enforcement agencies to protect constitutional rights, then the police will do what ever they need to do with the constraints defined.
I do not find fault with the police, its our elected leaders, judges , lawyers, and leading community leaders that have failed to reinforce the oaths of office to protect the constitution.
Thats from the Supreme court down. The buck stops at the top.
And shit reinforcement of constitutional rights rolls from the top of the hill down.
Supreme court shit = tons of shit at the county levels.
The USA quite possibly doesn't stand out in this department. I think it is about the same in every country in the world. Just as an experiment, try giving the cops a hard time in one of your neighboring countries, e.g. Mexico. (I can only say this, because I know you are wise enough NOT to try such an experiment.)
The position attracts people who want to be able to lord it over others. These will become your worst. But people who start out normal will eventually get drunk on the drug of power.
My wife once worked for a cleaning company. The people at the bottom of the heap all got on with each other just fine. But from time to time someone gets promoted, and in no time at all, that person suddenly thinks she is on her way to becoming one of the elite, suddenly lets you know who are her friends and who are her enemies. That person generally becomes an instant arsehole, and attempts to out nasty the previous person, which is generally not even what the big boss wants. And this is just a reaction to a LITTLE bit of power. Just imagine what they would become if they were made into police.
This is especially true of women. They have been deprived of power that was rightfully theirs for so long they seem determined to make up for lost time, opportunities, fair treatment.
Let's just say that my eyeballs just about did a swan dive out of my skull when I saw this article. As a part of the Minneapolis arts community, I remember this episode well, and one of the zombies that was charged is a friend of mine. This wasn't just a zombie walk, this was maybe 5 or 6 years ago or more, it was one of the first. The "simulated weapon of mass destruction" was their boombox which they had took apart and stuffed with old wires to well, "zombify" it. When this incident happened, all of us in the music and arts community were like, "So this is what they're doing with the patriot act now? Arresting zombies protesting consumerism?" We all had a shock that day, I'm happy to see something come out of it. My friend who's been driving cabs since then, will surely think of creative ways to use the money.
the REAL zombies are the ones protesting mosques in order to stir up some pre-election hate for the GOP
This is a win for all Americans' constitutional rights. If we don't take the time to fight for rights, we lose them, as Jefferson continually reminded people. Ironically, it is exactly this kind of political street theater that is good for the economy ! Something the righties can never really grasp ...
Any police officer who doesn't care about citizens' consitutional rights should be suspended for further professional training. Not to mention the officers' deep oversight of probable cause, along with bizarro fabricated non-existent charges, and their verbal abuse of the demonstrators, and city's deliberate oversight of the disabled demonstrator's medical needs in jail.
I'm scared sometimes when I see some of the real zombies walking down the street. But no one arrests them for me.
$165,000 doesn't go very far these days, especially if it has to be divided among many.
I suspect that most of the money will be used for such consumer goods as food and rent.
Guapo,legal expenses,taxes and maybe enough left over for a head cheese grinder.
peace
Is it dead or alive?
zombies are sort of alive, sort of dead. but america w/out a doubt has become a zombie nation. it's beyond 'coming to a theater near you soon', we're already sitting in the front row seats experiencing zombie nation.
so please, shhhhh let the rest of us appreciate our prozac and enjoy the show, fireworks - opening credits and all.
{CHRIS HEDGES: "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle"}
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2009/12/18/chris_hedges
...peace...
Stupid and vacuous.
Congratulations, Zombies. I sued my city for penning me and a couple of hundred other demonstrators in a "free-speech zone" a quarter mile from the public street where George W. Bush was passing by. Judge didn't think I'd been hurt, threw my case out, and threw in a statement that the security of the President takes precedence over the constitutional right to assemble and petition for redress.