[wordup] What security issue did they mean?

[Adam Shand]

From: Erica <erica at spack.org>
URL:  http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGAMJK95WNC.html

What security issue did they mean?
MAURICIO ROSAS
Jun 12, 2001

President George W. Bush was in Tampa on June 4 for a public appearance at
the New York Yankees' Legends Field. Some friends and I were excited about
the opportunity to see ``Dubya.'' We had tickets to be directly in front
of his podium and we had our letter-size signs ready to show when he came
on stage.

When I arrived at the stadium, the rest of the group had not arrived. So I
walked across the pedestrian bridge to meet them. It was very hot and
there was little shade, so I stood under a small palm tree and waited for
my friends. I waited quietly on the opposite side of the stadium grounds
near the entrance of the pedestrian bridge. While I waited, a Tampa police
officer said I couldn't stand there holding my sign. I explained I was
merely waiting for some friends. He said I was on private property, and it
was illegal for me to wait there with those signs. At first I just stood
there and ignored him. Again he confronted me. He said that I could not
stand there and that I could not bring those posters into the stadium. I
told him it was a public rally and he could not regulate my speech or my
message. Irritated and angry, the officer left.

Meanwhile, a young mother and child arrived and joined me under the shade.
I gave her a ticket to see the president. As I moved among the groups, I
distributed extra entry tickets.

Finally, my friends arrived and we went onto the pedestrian bridge. As we
moved swiftly through the pedestrian overpass, some guy in a blue suit
started to run behind us, yelling, ``You can't take those posters in
there!'' Yet when we walked through the metal detectors, our bags were
searched, our signs were in plain view and we were allowed in without
incident.

When we entered the stadium, we could see around us that this was an
orchestrated political event that was manipulated and controlled by the
president and his staff. We could see Secret Service agents, Bush
operatives and police handing out pro-Bush signs. In some instances they
were replacing dissenting signs with pro-Bush signs.

The president cannot use the police or Secret Service to suppress
political ideas.

Once we arrived at our spot in front of the podium, we saw other people
holding up signs, so my friend, Suni, began showing her sign that read
``Investigate Florida Votergate.'' Then I took out my ``June is Gay Pride
Month'' sign and began holding it high above my head for everyone to see.

It was then that Bush operatives, Secret Service and police began
demanding that we put away the signs. In particular, they wanted me to
lose my gay-pride sign. The Secret Service, police and other Bush
operatives tried to forcibly rip the sign out of my hands. They hollered,
``Lose the `gay' sign and you can stay.'' Some people hollered, ``This is
not a gay rally!'' ``You don't belong here!'' yelled a group wearing
Idlewild Baptist Church shirts. Some man even took a lunge at me. The
police, Secret Service and the people around were demanding I take down my
``gay'' sign. They were also demanding that my friends put down their
``Boo'' and ``Investigate Florida Electiongate!'' signs.

They were hired to hand out pro-Bush flyers.

When I was asked to exchange my sign, I said, ``No!'' They demanded I drop
the ``gay'' sign. I was asked if I would prefer to be arrested rather than
to get rid of the sign. They kept trying to tear it away from me. I then
fell to the ground. They said again, ``If you give up the sign, you can
stay!'' I said, ``If you intend to take my sign, then you will have to
carry me out.'' I asked, ``Why?'' They said the signs are a security
issue! We told them our signs went through the official check-in point.

I had a letter-size piece of paper that had on it ``June is Gay Pride
Month'' in bold letters. What type of security issue does the word ``gay''
have? What harm did I pose to the president?

I was holding up a sign that expressed my views. While we were in view of
the podium, Bush's operatives called one another on their walkie-talkies
to bring more pro-Bush signs to the podium area. These same operatives
allowed the crowd around us to become unruly, offensive and violent.
Simultaneously, several other officers and operatives were trying to rip
the sign from my hands. His operatives used the occasion to demonstrate
how they handle dissent. They arrested us, we were dragged out and the mob
cheered. This was a rally for the intolerant.