McGovern said something to the guards about the Bill of Rights giving him the right to be at the event. He had a ticket too. The guards would not let him in and soon New York police officers surrounded him.
The guards seemed to know the names of people the event organizers or the venue operators did not want attending the event, even if they had bought tickets. One activist, Richard Marini, said he "had a ticket as well." Like the guards did with McGovern, they recognized him, called him by his first name and seemed to know who people were.
All of this happened before the event was scheduled to start at 7:30 pm.
McGovern explained later that he had wanted to ask Petraeus about the Iraqi troops, which he has claimed were trained so well. He wanted to know why they fled northern Iraq once they caught a whiff of nearby Islamic State militants. But he was confronted with another example of what he called the "growing hostility toward dissent" in the United States.
92nd Street Y bills itself as a world-class community center. It has had multiple events featuring Petraeus. However, it brings in security and the NYPD to effectively protect him from people who would dare oppose him in public.
Previously, McGovern was placed on the State Department's Diplomatic Security "Be On the Look Out" (BOLO) list. He turned his back on Hillary Clinton at event at George Washington University in 2011.
"University cops grabbed McGovern in a headlock and by his arms and dragged him out of the auditorium by force, their actions directed from the side by a man whose name is redacted from public records," according to Peter Van Buren. "Photos of the then-71 year old McGovern taken at the time of his arrest show the multiple bruises and contusions he suffered while being arrested. He was secured to a metal chair with two sets of handcuffs. McGovern was at first refused medical care for the bleeding caused by the handcuffs."
Like this time around, charges he faced were eventually dropped. McGovern later obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act that showed he had been investigated by the State Department, which was interested in his "political beliefs, activities, statements and associations." He sued the State Department for violating his First Amendment rights and won an injunction against the State Department in September to halt the "Be On the Look Out" alerts for McGovern.
McGovern chose to go to trial and force prosecutors to defend charging him. It does not appear prosecutors wanted to press a case. The judge tossed out the charges and said he must be a "law abiding citizen" for the next six months, as if he had not been obeying the law when police swarmed him and caused him immense pain.
EDITOR'S COMMENT:
Meanwhile, back in NY Criminal Court on Feb. 4, the Manhattan DA offered Ray an ACD (Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal), meaning the charges against him of illegal trespass and resisting arrest will disappear after six months, IF Ray behaves as a "law-abiding citizen."
Ably advised by Moira Meltzer-Cohen, his pro bono attorney, Ray accepted the offer. The Judge then asked him if he understood that he had to be a "law-abiding citizen" for the next six months. The defendant overcame the temptation to comment at some length and replied simply, "I do." (On learning this, Rita labeled it Ray's shortest speech ever.)
The Judge said nothing about the First Amendment, so Ray is assuming it is still in effect. After his short "speech," Ray was interviewed for two minutes in front of the Criminal Court by RT:
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