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Three Arrested Protesters at Bush Speech

Suit Threatened: Says Police Violated First Amendment Rights

Oral Majority to Tampa Officials: 'Get Ready to Write a Check!'

By Jack Nichols

Tampa, Florida-As Mr. George W. Bush was preparing to speak here last week at Legends Field, protesters carrying anti-Bush signs were deprived of their First Amendment rights by local police. The law enforcement officers were captured on a video acting, a report indicates, on the instructions of indignant GOP volunteer-ushers.

Oral Majority Founder Bob Kunst is holding up Jeb Bush's stained dress at a rally in New York last May
Photo: Lon Coleman, www.standup4democracy.org

While pro-Bush signs had been allowed inside Legends Field, the anti-Bush protesters were told they must give up their placards. Christopher Goffard writes in the St. Petersburg Times that "video footage obtained by the Times appears to show the (no signs) rule was selectively enforced."

Republican volunteers, say Tampa Police reports, played a major part in crafting the fate of the anti-Bush Tampa Three. One of the protesters, Mauricio Rosas, carried a sign proclaiming-as President Clinton had done, but as Mr. Bush has refused to do- that June is Gay Pride Month. Mr. Rosas stood in solidarity with two members of the Oral Majority, Ms. Sonja Haught and Ms. Janis Lentz, who, according to testimony given by a GOP volunteer to police, were chanting "Hail to the Thief' in anticipation of Mr. Bush's arrival at the podium.

When a Republican volunteer usher approached the trio, a conversation ensued in which Ms. Haught asked him why he thought it necessary for her to relinquish her anti-Bush sign when, in fact, pro-Bush signs on Legends Field were obviously plentiful. When she refused to give up her sign, the GOP volunteer called an officer to further impose upon her what she saw as violations of her First Amendment Free Speech Rights.

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"Summoned to the scene," says the St. Petersburg Times, "police charged the protesters with trespassing when they refused to give up the signs or to leave."

Ms. Haught and the officer were taped as she asked him why it should be necessary for her to surrender an anti-Bush sign with so many Republicans waving their pro-Bush signs unremarked.

The police report quotes one of the GOP usher-volunteers saying: "the individuals were not complying with the event rules and would not relinquish their signs." The report also tells how the usher "repeatedly ordered the individuals to comply with the event staff personnel or face being ejected from the event."

The Times says: "police reports show it was the volunteers who first demanded that the three protesters surrender their small signs, which derided George W. Bush and brought attention to Gay Pride Month."

The Tampa Tribune noted that the three protesters were clearly no threat to Bush security.

As the drama of their arrests unfolded before a hostile Republican crowd, Mauricio Rosas was dragged away amid thunderous shouts and applause after refusing to give up his sign. The two women also bore the brunt of the bloodthristy crowd's anger. An 84-year old companion to one of the women was knocked to the ground by a policewoman and suffered both a sprain and a cut. Still, the Tampa Three refused to put down their signs, those calling attention to the theft by Florida GOP officials of Election 2000.

Bob Kunst, Oral Majority chair, told GayToday: "This is a whole new ball game. Tampa is fully guilty now of effecting a total travesty of justice." Kunst, quoted in the Times, said: "Tampa, get ready to write a check--we're going after you."

The Tampa Tribune noted that:

"Kunst has contacted a Philadelphia lawyer, Philip Berg, who was involved in litigation disputing the outcome of the Florida presidential election and is considering taking the case as a lawsuit against the city."