Army Veteran Arrested Trying to Petition Rep. Thelma Drake

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Another participant, Lyle Sanders, adds, "It should be noted that the man claiming to own the property, Ernest Hudson, arrived within a couple of minutes after the first of our group. We were planning to meet at noon, and (we) got there about 11:50 am. Mr. Hudson got there about 11:55 am. That was while about 4 or 5 of us were standing on the far side of the parking lot from Drake's office, just talking and getting a couple of signs out. Because Mr. Hudson arrived within minutes, and before the noon meeting time, I think Drake or her staff called him in advance of our arrival. But to answer your question, no one did anything before or after Mr. Hudson's arrival that could reasonably be construed as a verbal or physical threat."

Ann continues: "We did not start 'vocalizing' until we had three speeches to our group, from Tom, William and the mother of the AD Marine, which was well AFTER the landlord arrived and well AFTER we were locked out. So how could we have been "scaring" them by our 'demeanor' and 'vocalizations' before that point? They twist the facts to suit their own agenda and hide the fact they weren't doing their job, which is to be available to their constituents. They forget who pays their salaries. Our Constitutional rights were intentionally violated by their actions and violent responses...."

After the speeches, "Tom sat down quietly on the sidewalk with his sign and back to Thelma's door (actually, as a photo shows, he was several feet from the door-Mac), saying he would wait until Thelma or one of her staff members became available.

"All they had to do was listen to us for five minutes and accept the petitions on Thelma's behalf...But to lock out citizens and disrespect Vets is a despicable and cowardly act on their part."

Tom Palumbo also commented on the incident and his arrest: "In my remarks outside her office, I explained to the assembled group that I met with Thelma on the campaign trail and asked her if we had an economy where there was job security, health care benefits, educational opportunities and retirement plans, how many people would be joining the military? She ignored my question and walked away.

"So to the group gathered Thursday, I said 'It is no wonder she voted against raising the federal minimum wage!'

"I went on to say 'She ran in 2006 and now she is hiding!'. Additionally, I stressed that the debacle at Walter Reed (and most other VA hospitals) happened on her watch! Another 10,000+ soldiers with life long injuries and impairments happened on her watch. 1,000+ American service members killed on her watch! New Orleans left to drown - on her watch! Billions in fraud and waste on her watch!

"I said Ms. Drake should come out and meet with the military family and veterans and tell us just what it was we don't understand about war!

"All of this was for naught. As noted - they locked themselves inside and sent the landlord to send us on our way. The police arrived and we stressed it was a constitutional right to petition members of congress for redress. We were not blocking vehicular or pedestrian traffic, nor being threatening in any way... The bottom line is that when we were directed to leave, I said I intended to wait to speak with those inside, because while these were just letters we wanted to deliver - there were lives hanging in the balance.

"I made the decision to stay and speak to Thelma or any one in the office because their actions to barricade themselves inside was the height of arrogance of power - and they have lost sight of what it means to be part of a representative democracy!

"I maintain I am not guilty of criminal trespass - only a concerned citizen who felt the issue needed to be heard. I will refute the charges in court and I intend to subpoena Ms. Drake and others to appear to account for their actions and charges made against me.

"I truly appreciate and welcome your support. This issue isn't just about me - it's about all of us who care to have a say in our elected government!"

Another veteran who attended, former Navy Lieutenant William Reyes, who served in the Persian Gulf on the USS Nassau in 2003, had this to say: "We behaved like ladies and gentlemen. We read our speeches. No one was vulgar or threatening. We were locked out by our representative's employees who were hiding in the rear of their suite (whether they were physically hiding is speculative- Mac), on our tax dollar. This is taxation without representation. Tom was arrested for refusing to leave until we had spoken with our representative, his constitutional right."

I don't know about you, but it is pretty obvious to me that a little theater transpired here, what with the suddenness of the landlord's arrival, the mysterious locked door and the alleged scare, according to the police spokeswoman, by "vocalizations" that came only after the office's shutdown. All of this smacks of premeditation. If the landlord wants to say the delegation was trespassing, we can argue that the landlord was repressing and obstructing the rights of citizens to petition their government, which I would think is unlawful. Or do we now live in a country where property rights trump our most sacred Constitutional rights?

What is even more distressing is that this is apparently not an isolated incident by Drake's office. To again quote Lyle Sanders, "This is the second time Drake's staff has had someone come and claim to own the property and demand that we leave. On April 11, 2006, a group of people from MoveOn.org went to Drake's office to deliver a petition about the Medicare part D deadline. We assembled in from of her office, talked for what little press was there, then went inside and gave the petition to the staff member behind the desk. Some of us signed the register, I thanked the staff member for their hospitality and we walked out to get in our cars and leave. As we were walking away from Drake's office, a woman came and told us she owned the property and that we had to leave or she would have us arrested. I told her that we had been there to exercise our first amendment right to petition our government for a redress of grievances. Again she threatened to call the police and have us arrested."

The First Amendment implicitly makes it an obligation for the owner and his representatives, knowing full well that he has leased a publicly-financed congressional office to a servant of the people, to ensure that citizens have full access to what is, in effect, their office. If he wants to obstruct this right, then perhaps he should move to Communist China, where they regularly indulge in such practices with great enthusiasm.

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Student of history, religion, exoteric and esoteric, the Humanities in general and advocate for peace, justice and the unity of humankind, not through force, but through self-realization and mutual respect. I have also just come out with my first (more...)

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