Lawsuit: BLM Being Priced Out by Costs of Defending Themselves

| August 5, 2020

Police action becoming costly to rioters? Demonstrating lawfully and peacefully, and following police instructions as they try to keep the peace, is cheaper. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

Personal protective gear costs money. According to those filing the lawsuit, this is pricing many people out of being able to “peacefully” demonstrate. Given that the police had to use force against rioters, many demonstrators discover a need to have protective gear of their own. The lawsuit also seeks a temporary restraining order preventing the police from using force or other “forceful” methods to get crowds to leave.

From the Seattle Times:

All five — Jessica Benton, Shelby Bryant, Anne Marie Cavanaugh, Alyssa Garrison, and Clare Thomas — say they were the victims of “indiscriminate” police violence during protests on Capitol Hill on June 25. They claim that repeated use of force by SPD during more than six weeks of civil unrest over systemic racism and police brutality against people of color has made it impossible to exercise their right to gather and protest without personal protective gear, which isn’t cheap.

“Because protesters now must purchase expensive equipment to be assured that they will be able to protest safely, the indiscriminate use of weapons by SPD implicates equal protection,” the lawsuit alleges.

“Because the Seattle Police Department has acted above and outside the law in dispensing its unbridled force, and the City has failed to prevent same, the government effect is to establish a de facto protest tax: individual protesters subjected to SPD’s unabated and indiscriminate violence now must purchase cost-prohibitive gear to withstand munitions — even when peacefully protesting — as a condition to exercising their right to free speech and peaceable assembly,” wrote attorney Talitha Hazelton of Renton, who filed the lawsuit Monday.

The Seattle Times has more information on this article.

Category: Politics, Society

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JURRASICHM

Hello, you have reached Seattle’s Helpful, Intervention Team (SHIT). All of our representatives are busy assisting other customers with the rampant increase in crime. Please stay on the line and a woke Antifa member with a degree in gender studies will assist you. Normal wait time for your call to be answered is 90 minutes.

Cameron

Consider that acronym stolen. YOINK!

Andy11M

“the government effect is to establish a de facto protest tax” The mental gymnastics it takes to believe this and then put it on paper and present it to a court are unbelievable.

USAFRetired

Frivolous lawsuit perhaps.

NHSparky

Dan Bernath would have called this a bullshit lawsuit.

ninja

Forgin Frank would probably jump all over this…

That man was the KING of frivolous lawsuits…

😉😎

Hack Stone

Ironic how they never noticed that state and local governments implemented draconian taxes and filing fees for citizens to lawfully purchase firearms and ammunition.

Ret_25X

Funny how they never consider that they have always had the option of staying home and not participating in rioting. Of course they haven’t considered it.

I’m betting that not once in their entire lives were these precious little Karens told “no”.

After all, they are “stunning”, “powerful”, and “brave”.

These Maoists are sickening.

Hack Stone

Not to mention the high cost of ball bearings, sling shots, explosives, and laser pointers. How can someone peacefully protest without these essentials. Maybe the can claim these as business expenses the next time they file their taxes.

UpNorth

Don’t you mean, if they ever file taxes?

Ex-PH2

“the right of the people to peacefully assemble” does not translate into the right to destroy other people’s property, set fire to a city, loot businesses, and throw bottles of frozen water at the cops.

Perhaps someone should translate “peacefully assemble” into ghettoese, so they unnastan’ it mo’ better.

C2Show

Ah god shit the fuck up PH2…come off just ignorant as they are.

Again keep up the work

Cameron

Just who the Hell do you think you are?

C2Show

Someone who has the common sense to tell people when they are being as stupid as BLM. White knight for a batshit old lady who has made stupid comments like this in the past.

Ridiculous, it’s okay today dumb shit like that so you can kiss her ass?

Free pass? No thanks.

Cameron

Where did I imply I was kissing her ass? I’ll take her word over yours. Asshole.

Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH B Woodman

Is that you, Kommissar Seagull?

SFC D

I’m not seeing any common sense in your post, could you perhaps point it out?

RetiredDevilDoc8404

Batshit old lady? Well, 1 for 3 ain’t exactly great numbers there skippy. She is a lady, I’ll give you credit for noticing; she’ll probably hand you your hat with your head still in it before you even figure out something’s going on, so I’d watch what I say and maintain a respectful tone, dingus. Now me? I am certifiable, my Marines thought so (Damn, Doc somthing about you ain’t quite right…) and my EMS partners too. You want to play with batshit crazy, come play dingus. I triple dog dare you…

Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH B Woodman

Don’t forget, Ex has some potent weapons available….an irascible old cat under one arm, and a heavy cast iron skillet in the other hand.

Beware!

Ret_25X

Another intellectual turd layed by another intellectual zero.

She quotes the actual Constitution and you can’t deal with it.

C2Show = Communist Cuck Show?

Ex-PH2

So my objections are noted by C2Show, whose perception of the world is limited to his/her/its tiny room>

What’s the matter, BOY???? Depends full of what you excrete and you have to change them again?

Seriously, try reading for comprehension occasionally. You might learn something… or not. It depends on how REALLY REALLY prejudiced YOU are, y’know.

11B-Mailclerk

Since most of the rioters are pale college-age dipstick LARP-ers, probably none of them are or have ever been “ghetto”, nor would any self-respecting hood rat be seen anywhere near those SoyAbteilung losers.

So wrong choice of wording. Should have used Marxonics.

Ex-PH2

Moarxonic? That’s a new one. Is there a textbook for that at Amazon?
Frankly, I would willingly bet the cost of a McD’s Happy Meal that the paler portions of BLM do speak a certain volume of ghettoese, just to get along with their less pale co-rioters.
Besides, ghettoese and ebonic are recognized as valid forms of English. There is a text on ghettoese, in fact.

A Case for Ghettoese
Carl A. Cato
The Journal of Negro Education
Vol. 43, No. 3, Black English and Black History-Continuing Themes (Summer, 1974), pp. 348-352
Published by: Journal of Negro Education
DOI: 10.2307/2966528
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2966528

So much for dissin’ the other part of our population. Any questions?

26Limabeans

My sister once tried to convince me that ebonics was a
valid dialect of a distinct people. So I checked with
Babble to see if they offer it as one of their languages.
Nope, no such thing.

They do however offer English but that can be had by just
attending a private school. Public schools don’t teach proper
English anymore. Or anything useful for that matter.

Oh and C2Show….show a little class wiil ya?

The Dead Man

Jive was always the superior language anyway. I hear it was sought after on airplanes at least once.

Ex-PH2

A few decades ago, ebonics was developed as a specific language, but nobody ever used it. It has faded away to nothing.

Buckeye Jim

Wasn’t that Esperanto? I think that was developed in late 1800s

11B-Mailclerk

C2Show,

A more civil critique, and thus functional, would have been to say

“I found that last bit about ghetto to be over the line of ‘racist sterotype'”

Just as I find your “white knight” comment below might be seen as racist. “Hero knight” would be neutral for skin-tone, eh?

Oh, you didn’t even notice? Oopsie. Lots of broken glass in that virtue-house when you throw those stones, eh?

If you play that game, others get to bat.

A Proud Infidel®™

Thanks for showing just what an IDIOT you are C2Show, now back to your coloring books.

MI Ranger

Google Translate: English: “the right of the people to peacefully assemble, but this does not include destroying property that is not yours”
Ghetto ease: “Yo bitches be dumpin’ in my yard. You’se can grimace my blunt, when you be slammin’ but don’t touch my truck!”

Ex-PH2

See my comment above on the published text that focuses on ghettoese. 🙂

Mason

They just need to loot more to offset the cost of the rioting.

Ret_25X

MI Ranger

“…Sincere ignorance, and conscientious stupidity”
—MLK

Green Thumb

Great post.

Thanks for sharing.

UpNorth

They don’t get it, they’ll never get it. But their apologists will continue to paint them as the victims.

SFC D

If you have to buy protective gear in order to protest, it only follows that what you’re doing is not a protest. It’s not that difficult to figure out, kids.

Green Thumb

Yeah.

Just sign up with Uncle Sam and you will get it all for free!

E4 Mafia '83-'87

Yeah…remember when MLK had protestors carry shields, batons, and MkV gas masks? Neither do I.
I only see Dr. King in a suit & tie. That’s all you need when you’re actually a peaceful protestor.

A Proud Infidel®™

And not a single business was burned or looted during any of Rev. King’s protests!

TXNorsky

Here’s a thought. Requisition the stuff from BLM. Oh, wait, donations to BLM don’t go to actual support of any BLM type effort.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

It certainly is a creative exercise in litigation, one seemingly doomed to fail ultimately.

Although a sympathetic judge might agree that a “protest tax” represents an unfair burden to the people living with their parents in their twenties and not working to support themselves.

I have noticed that in many of these protests against those of us they label “capitalists” the people who are most opposed to capitalism are really awful at it which is why they want a different system that lets them take shit they didn’t earn and didn’t risk anything to obtain.

I think I’ve made it clear before in my many lengthy posts that I’m okay with my greedy capitalist desires being taxed for the common defense and the general welfare equally. I’ve no qualms if my nation decides my risk is mine alone when I fail and all of ours when I succeed…it’s a small price to pay for living in this wonderful nation. Where I truly disagree with those “protesters” is the notion that a socialist solution is a better one, for all its faults capitalism has done more to lift more people out of abject poverty (including myself) than any other system known to mankind in our entire history.

Socialism on the other hand has done more to place more in abject misery than any other type of ism known to man from my observations and the historical data.

You want better gear ya little bastards? Get a goddamn job and buy some like the big boys and girls do and stop relying on mommy and daddy and coveting all my stuff.

11B-Mailclerk

If people think “socialism is the answer!”, it demonstrates conclusively that they are completely ignorant of the meaning of the question.

A Proud Infidel®™

WELL GEE WHIZ, maybe the dumbass little fleabags ought to take a look and figure out that rioting isn’t “peaceably assembling” and figure it out for themselves, but that’s thinking outside of their cult mentality. Have any of those assworms ever had a real job or any responsibility in this life? There’s what “everyone gets a trophy” along with parents who do all they can to be their kids’ pals!

ninja

VoV, API and Green Thumb NAILED it with their comments:

“You want better gear ya little bastards? Get a goddamn job and buy some like the big boys and girls do and stop relying on mommy and daddy and coveting all my stuff.”

“Have any of those assworms ever had a real job or any responsibility in this life? There’s what “everyone gets a trophy” along with parents who do all they can to be their kids’ pals!”

“Just sign up with Uncle Sam and you will get it all for free!”

😉😎

rgr769

Anyone who can stay up to 2:00 to 4:00 am “protesting” doesn’t have a JOB. Especially when they are out there night after night.

A Proud Infidel®™

And I’m sure that it’s nice and dark in their parents’ basements where they live , thus allowing the snotnosed maggot fleabags plenty of sleep during the day! I’ve started to really enjoy watching videos of the little maggots getting their asses handed to them by Everyday Working Folks who just want to be left alone, it’s happened to them when they tried to infest Suburbs as well as other places in Red State America!

godhelpus

Just leave it to burn to the ground. Who cares? The voters voted for leaders who believe the city should be razed. Give the voters what they want, good and hard.

Hack Stone

Consider it “the price of freedom”.

Hack Stone

Why would they need protective gear? Didn’t Garrett Foster say that those opposing them were pussies? Why would you need protective gear when confronting pussies?

SFC D

When asked for a response, Garrett Foster replied:

Hack Stone

They plan of having a rifle volley at Garrett Foster’s funeral service, which should end up 21 more mostly peaceful protesters getting shot.

The Dead Man

63* Got to do the math for their negligent discharges based on prior cases.

ninja

Hmmm…

Wonder if this is the SAME Clare Thomas. If so, then IMHO, she is another individual who is “lawsuit crazy”.

You Be The Judge.

This occured in November 2019:

“Renowned Seattle Restaurateur Tom Douglas Settles $2.4 Million Lawsuit With Employees”

“The lead plaintiff alleged that Douglas and his company did not properly disclose where service charge fees were going and provided inadequate breaks”

https://seattle.eater.com/2019/11/5/20948929/tom-douglas-settles-lawsuit-employees-service-fees-breaks

“Monday afternoon, a King County court approved a $2.4 million class action settlement against Tom Douglas and his massive restaurant group, Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen, filed on behalf of 1,360 current and former employees. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, Clare Thomas — a former worker for the gastropub Brave Horse Tavern in South Lake Union — alleged that Tom Douglas’ company failed to properly disclose where the money from service charge fees was going after it eliminated tips in early 2016, and did not provide adequate rest and meal breaks.”

“I brought this lawsuit to try to change the culture in restaurants, ensure transparency regarding distribution of service charges, and seek fair pay,” said Thomas.”

NHSparky

former worker…

Says it all right there.

ninja

Hmmm…

Am wondering if this is the SAME Anne Marie Cavanaugh.

You Be The Judge.

https://www.unionfacts.com/local/employee/544112/AFSCME/28/ANNE-MARIE/CAVANAUGH

From 2018:

“UW Community Rallies Against Closure of Consolidated Laundry”

http://www.dailyuw.com/news/article_f2e14aba-3304-11e8-b575-8fdb7783477b.html

“Wednesday afternoon, UW Medicine laundry workers organized a rally to voice their opposition against the university’s potential move to privatizing its laundry services, closing Consolidated Laundry. The workers were supported by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), Service Employees International Union (SEIU Local 925), and UW United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), among other community groups.”

“Consolidated Laundry is a large facility operated by the UW which cleans the patient bed linens and employee uniforms for UW Medicine hospitals and clinics. It employs over 100 unionized workers.”

“UW cited budget shortfalls of $75 million across all of UW Medicine’s operations to explain the decision, according to Rod Palmquist, WFSE higher education strategic coordinator.”

“They’re balancing the budget on the back of some of UW laundry’s longest workers,” Anne-Marie Cavanaugh, WFSE supervisor, said to kick off the workers’ rally.”

5th/77th FA

I looked around for something to give. As I beheld my field, lo it was barren, and I have not a single one to give.

SFC D

I started the day with 25 fucks. As of 1200L, I still have them all.

11B-Mailclerk

Hm.

How about we sue -them- for all the costs their rioting has imposed upon us?

SFC D

Blood. Turnip. None.

Anonymous

Retards. These are the same people who want more welfare because dope is expensive.