The Colorado Springs Gazette was not amused. Nor was the Denverite about my testimony yesterday in US district court, seeking an injunction against the Denver International Airport's free speech permit. The city attorney tried to discredit me by forcing me to recite for the federal judge the full unabridge text of the sign I held at DIA. It was a riff on anti-Nazi cleric Martin Niemöller's oft-paraphrased parable: "First they came for the Socialists, but I said nothing, etc", this time foreshortened as a visceral response to Trump's Muslim Ban: "-and we said NOT TODAY [strong expletive]!" We argued about whether my message was "welcoming". I assured her that it was very warmly received and could not be interpreted as anything but uniquivocal solidarity. So I read it forcefully, resisting the inclination to lean into the microphone on the last word. Afterward my attorneys assured me it's a good day in their line of work when you get to say MOTHERFUCKER in court! Judge William Martinez restricted hearing testimony to the single day (Wednesday) and promised to rule on the preliminary injunction by Friday, February 17.
Tag: injunction
Occupy v. Martinez (Plaza Protest Ban) 2016 US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Decision AFFIRMING Prelim Injunction
Yesterday I published the federal judge's order to grant the 2015 preliminary injunction against the Lindsey Flanigan Courthouse. Since that time the city motioned to dismiss, there were show cause hearings, and depositions, and an appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. On April 8, 2016 the appeals court AFFIRMED the preliminary injunction. As a result this legal action is on the road to becoming a permanent injunction, to be decided at trial this April. The prospects look promising, based on how the appelate judges schooled our First Amendment adversaries. I'm reprinting their full decision below. 49060
Court forces Colorado Springs to delay trying to implement anti-Free Speech/ anti-Panhandling Ordinance
Mayor Bach and his Right Winger cohorts on the city council of Colorado Springs had their first taste of reality in their efforts to suppress all of us in our own rights to enjoy Free Speech in this city. See ACLU challenge forces delay- Colorado Springs backs off on enforcement timetable --- Also notice this recent case in Denver, Colorado where... 37863