Concerning BART Protests
There’s been a lot of hoopla about the BART police disabling the cell phone system in the BART stations in order to disrupt a planned civic action inside stations against BART. BART said from the beginning that they would allow protests outside the paid fare area but not inside due to safety concerns. I think the formula goes like so: crowded station + angry protesters + platform edges + moving trains + 3rd rails = danger.
After the busted civil action, protesters claimed a violation of first amendment rights. Let’s take a look at that:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
![ap_bart_demonstration_ll_110815_wg](http://lee.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ap_bart_demonstration_ll_110815_wg.jpg)
A man is pulled off a commuter train at the Civic Center BART station in San Francisco after climbing on top of it during a protest against the July 3 shooting by transit police of Charles Blair Hill, in this July 11, 2011 file photo. (Eric Risberg/AP Photo)
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I see that bit about freedom of speech. And I also see that bit about assembling peaceably. What do you see?