Apocalyptic Rabbit Speaks

Okay, so it’s not the late morning, it’s the early afternoon, but I had a late night. Sorry. As I mentioned in my previous post, I finally got a response by email from Christy Everson. Here’s the email that I sent to her:

Dear Christy,

My name is Rich Boucher and I’m a poet and patriotic American from the state of Delaware.
I was just reading a news article online at wwww.michaelmoore.com regarding a recent incident
where a young patriot named Rain Burroughs was removed from a 4th of July celebration
at Dogwood Dell area of Byrd Park by Richmond Police simply because she was carrying
a banner which conveyed the depth of her feelings about Vice President Dick Cheney
and, in reference to him, House Resolution 333.

According to the article, which appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in reference to
Rain Burroughs’ protected political speech,you were quoted as saying, “Obviously, you don’t
want that kind of disruption in the middle of a performance at that location”.

I have some questions for you about what you said, and also about what happened to Rain
Burroughs and her 7-year-old daughter.

1. Why is it “obvious” that political expression would be unwanted at a 4th of July celebration?
Wouldn’t a 4th of July celebration be the most appropriate place of all to celebrate
one’s First Amendment right to openly criticize our government?

2. Who is the “you” in this sentence, “Obviously, you don’t
want that kind of disruption in the middle of a performance at that location”?
Can you actually mean to speak for everyone who comes to a public event?
How would you be able to know such a thing? Do you, as a public official,
believe in and support the First Amendment right to openly criticize our government?

3. Does it make any sense at all to throw a young woman and her 7-year-old daughter
into a police cruiser and keep them away from a 4th of July celebration simply
because they wanted to share their feelings about the current administration’s
policies?

4. You said that you were “unsure” of who called the police to ask for Rain Burroughs’
removal – does this mean it was an anonymous phone call? If it was not an
anonymous phone call, what is the name of the individual who called the police
and asked for Rain Burroughs’ removal from the park?

I know that you are very busy, and I want to thank you, in advance,
for your prompt reply.

Yours sincerely,

Rich Boucher
poet and patriot

And now, here is her email response to me:
Mr. Boucher,

Ms. Rain’s protest created a disturbance during the performance, which is why the police were called. To me it seems obvious that if this had happened in a concert hall, the response would have been the same. I consider her behavior rude not only to the audience who were there to enjoy the evening, but also to the performers. The appropriate place for her to protest would have been outside the amphitheater, where it is my understanding that she was allowed to continue her protests.

Thank you for your concerns for our First Amendment rights.

Sincerely,

Christy Everson

Marketing & PR Specialist

Richmond Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities

804-646-5944

So, she emailed me in response, but she really didn’t answer my questions. And Christy, Rain Burroughs’ protest didn’t happen in a concert hall, so that’s a weird comparison to be making. And who in the hell is Christy Everson to be making the determination as to where it would be “appropriate” to protest? She basically ignores questions 2-4 from my email. This woman just reeks of condescension (“I consider her behavior rude”, “Thank you for your concerns for our First Amendment rights”)! And I do not accept the concert hall comparison – it just doesn’t wash. And there is no “inappropriate” place to engage in political speech when we are in the middle of a fucked-up, badly-conceived quagmire of a war!

So, please help. Drop her an email. Or give her a call.

Let’s turn the heat up.