9.13.2015

Video Of Rhome City Council Meeting: Wow!

Here are screenshots of the video for now. I'm trying to convert the video, and I'll update this post once it is done.

This is not about physical abuse. This is about citizens being removed from a public meeting for the slightest of comments.

I know WFAA has the video. I suspect others will quickly be on it. But, as always, I could be wrong. However, if I had to bet, I would put money that the Chief is about to get his 15 (unwanted) minutes of fame.

What's one of my favorite sayings?: "This isn't so fun now that the rabbit has the gun, is it?"








Edit: Video is (or will be eventually) here. (Hey, media: Give Liberally Lean a plug, OK? I'm the hardest working man in show business!)

This is what gets my attention: The long time and respected City Attorney was let go at the beginning of the meeting . He gets up, and says a few words which can best be described as "words of warning." The audience stands up and applauds. You can tell that certain members of the city council are none to pleased with the crowd's expression of free speech.

And then Chief Davis makes an appearance. I have no idea if that was prompted by the crowds obvious opposition to firing the City Attorney.  That would be a response based upon the content of the the crowds as opposed to just being a slightly unruly crowd, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

But then I got to around the five minute mark when things started to heat up. Holy, cow!!!! Now someone in the audience makes a remark (technically inappropriate but not a violation of the law), and Chief Davis jumps in. That is intimidation. It's shocking, quite frankly. And for the Chief to imply that simply failing to comply with his demand to leave is "resisting", is flat out a lie or a complete lack of understanding of Resisting Arrest. I just wished those two people would have simply sat there and refused to leave. Who knows what would have happened.

I don't care about Rhome politics. I don't know anyone involved in this mess.

But this is a classroom study of freedom to assemble, freedom of speech, and freedom from being detained without a reasonable suspicion.

Edit: I've had a couple of inquiries about the other cop in the fourth photo. He looks like just be an innocent bystander in this deal and got sucked into a controversy that wasn't his fault. I don't even know his name.