San Diego Judge Puts Unprecedented Gag Order on Sidewalk Chalk Protestor Trial

dollars6 28Buzz Flash – by Mark Karlin

As reported in a Thursday evening, June 27, BuzzFlash at Truthout update to the chilling San Diego (SD) city attorney prosecution of Jeff Olson, an SD Judge placed an unprecedented gag order on a misdemeanor trial — in particular muzzling Olson. But it also apparently included witnesses, the jury and others.

Judge Howard Shore also chastised the Mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner. Filner apparently in the judge’s eyes had the temerity to call the trial of Olson a waste of time and taxpayer money. According to the San Diego Reader, Filner sent out a memorandum on June 20 that read in part:  

This young man is being persecuted for thirteen counts of vandalism stemming from an expression of political protest that involved washable children’s chalk on a City sidewalk. It is alleged that he has no previous criminal record. If these assertions are correct, I believe this is a misuse and waste of taxpayer money. It could also be characterized as an abuse of power that infringes on First Amendment particularly when it is arbitrarily applied to some, but not all, similar speech.

Judge Shore, in essence, warned the mayor of San Diego, who happens to be a Democrat in a traditionally conservative city, to keep his comments to himself, and would likely have issued a gag order on the mayor if Judge Shore were able.

Let’s remember that this is a case in which the SD city attorney’s office (elected separately from the mayor, with an ambitious chief, Jan Goldsmith, who allegedgly takes campaign money from big banks) only chose to prosecute months and months after the alleged “crime”: Olson scrawling anti-big bank messages in front of three SD Bank of America branches.  He did this, according to Olson, with a specifically chosen water soluble chalk (as in easily removed with water or by rain) called “Creatology.”

A vendor describes “Creatology” chalk this way:

Kids love to play with sidewalk chalk! Decorate sidewalks, driveways and more! Perfect for hopscotch and other fun sidewalk games. Choose from three varieties-glitter, marbled and polka-dotted.

That was Olson’s “weapon” of free speech against Bank of America. Olson claims that one of the BOA officials told him it cost $6000 to clean up his chalk messages. If that’s the case, the BOA is as bad at managing sidewalk chalk drawing clean-up as it is the nation’s money.  It should have just used a hose to water down the sidewalks (which are public), not clean them off with $20 dollar bills.

Some may dismiss this entire case as a farce unworthy of serious mention.  But the SD city attorney’s office acquiescence, months after Olson scribbled his chalk protests, to prosecute him at the request of a top local BOA security official is testament to the power of the oligarchy.

After all, no Bank of America top officials were prosecuted for any number of questionable legal activities leading to this nation’s taxpayers bailing out the banks too big to fail.

And, as we noted yesterday, why is the city attorney’s office of San Diego publicly prosecuting Olson? If the bank has a grievance with Olson, let them pursue it as they well.  We would love to see the depositions in such a case.

But, of course the BOA won’t file a suit against Olson, because then they might have to — depending on how the case evolved — prove that Olson’s opinions were wrong, which would mean exposing themselves to accounting for their banking practices.

That’s a can of worms they certainly don’t want to open, which is why the SD city attorney is doing the dirty work for the BOA.  And the case is obviously being tried by a crusty old guard Republican judge who just believes banks deserve respect, and those who don’t show due deference are subject to prosecution.

SD Channel 6 posted a web article in which Olson is quoted as saying two things:

Olson says he believes the trial is about much more than his chalk messages. He accuses City Attorney Jan Goldsmith of receiving campaign money from the big banks.

“Jan Goldsmith has received campaign contributions from Bank Americorp and Merrill Lynch. I think this is mostly about Goldsmith for Mayor 2016,” he said.

And, Olson also identified the crux of the injustice being done here:

“My chalk drawings are clearly free speech and protected by the first amendment,” he told reporters outside the downtown court.

These comments were made, of course, before Judge Shore put a gag order on Olson.

Having prohibited Olson’s defense lawyers from raising the issue of First Amendment rights, free speech, and other constitutional issues, justice now has duct tape over its mouth.

But the Bank of America is open for business and apparently “owns” the public sidewalks.

http://truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/18058-san-diego-judge-puts-unprecedented-gag-order-on-sidewalk-chalk-protestor-trial

13 thoughts on “San Diego Judge Puts Unprecedented Gag Order on Sidewalk Chalk Protestor Trial

  1. No judicial branch, no legislative branch, no executive branch. Hell, we have no government!

    So what are we all waiting for? It’s time to take back our country and restore the Constitution!!! Let’s go kick some ass!

    1. Thanks, NC, I second the motion.

      They have killed the 1st amendment and the constitution. Bank of America saw to it that the former governor of IL is in prison, for daring to stand up to them. They now go after chalk scribblers. They would next go after you and me.

      Have our Founding Fathers never lived? Is not one of them on record preferring death to slavery? Didn’t another say that, at times, the people must rise against tyranny?

      Just curious: Who is the CEO of BofA? Who is the head of security of said bank in SD?

    2. It has to be said that normal attempts at swinging power back into the hands of the people are achieving nothing and I wonder how long before a vigilantism begins when it becomes apparent that wrong doers if they have enough money or power evade justice that is supposed to be applied to all.

      I wonder if they, the people doing the bad things will be so cocksure if there was a chance of retribution that they cannot forestall or predict, certainly if you look to the end of Rome, politicians went about with huge bodyguards fearful of insurgents and angry citizens.

      Time will tell but the people are angry and have remained angry too long and I suspect this is why the US and other governments are arming their agents so heavily realising that sometime that anger will spill over.

      1. Power never gives ground. It must be taken. I see we have learned nothing from even our own history. Most see the Constitution as the Liberating document the articles of Confederation were. Most see Washington as a loyal American when he was a land speculator and in league with judaic plans to subjugate us.

  2. A jewish city attorney prosecuting a non jew for pissing off a jewish bank before a jewish judge.
    So what else is new? This is standard operating procedure for the tribe .

  3. I would throw this out of court. Do we remember Jury Nullification? This is beyond stupid. And getting out of the banks really is a good idea. If the collective had any intelligence, they would have gotten out long ago; but it doesn’t, so we have the messes we do. Imagine life if no one ever got a credit card, or if people actually lived within their means? Or if everyone switched to less abusive credit unions or small local banks?

    Excuse me whilst I now wake up.

    1. Justice is not government. Justice never was. Western government is the now jewish entity used to prevent justice and further the judaic talmudic agenda. It is only at governments inception that governments look like just organizations then begin the process of perversion of language and law. Only when people wake up and act according to the demands of justice, i.e. punish harshly government agents outside of government laws, like at the local hanging tree, that government acquires the persona of justice (to survive) then immediately begins the process of suborning justice which takes generations and always works because WE are slothful and avaricious. In short a populace allows the government they deserve to exist. If we ever grow beyond acceptance of clever lies as truth, poison as medicine, indoctrination as education, any form of money, and avarice as just (all talmudic tenets for goyim) then we will institute the government we will then deserve. After all you are continuing to pay this governmewnt are you not? You are still using the frn’s t.h.e.y.* create from nothing and loan to you at interest are you not? You still see their money as wealth do you not? Want to know how far we are from Liberty and justice? Think of life without any insurance or money. Justice cannot live if either exist and very few can even fathom a life not being protected from ones own folly. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said about insuring against peoples folly? The same applies to accidents. In short a population cannot institute or keep a government that reflects a higher morality than the populace possesses. Or a lower one.
      *T=the H=hebrews E=enslaving Y=you

  4. Justice does not HIDE It’s face. Justice quivering in a cave or dungeon, afraid of being exposed to the view of the People is not Justice, it is TYRANNY. Justice is not afraid of examination and questions.
    Secret “courts” are not Courts of Law. Secret detention, secret prisons, are the tool of Cowards, Liars, and the Corrupt.

  5. In a corrupt system…is it within the judge’s power to order people not to speak and to defend themselves in public? What price does one pay for exercising their first ammendment rights…within that same corrupt system? I think I’d challenge any Judge who is still sitting on the corrupt bench..and especially if they have been on the bench since before 911? If so…and they have taken no action to address the obvious treason involving the US Government and it’s allies…with regard to the obvious blowing up of those buildings, and starting illegal wars around the world…if the judge still sits on the bench amongst such corruption…are they really impartial jurists to begin with? Or, have they kept their mouths shut to cover up the murderous, vile, unconstitutional acts of their own government? And if they have been appointed since 911, they are probably traitorous shills to begin with? What bought and paid for shills…all of them….the prosecuter and the judge…they sound corrupt as hell?

    Regards,

    RJ O’Guillory
    Author-
    Webster Groves-The Life of an Insane Family

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