Thursday, June 14, 2018

No, Seriously, Don't Fuck With Rev. Barber

He brought down another repug governor who thought he could defy the people without consequence.  Bevin should surrender now before it gets worse.

Just to be clear, no previous Kentucky Governor has ever barred Kentuckians and their out-of-state guests from the Capitol.  That's because no previous Kentucky Governor, even the worst ones, threw temper tantrums of unconstitutional arrogance when anyone dared to disagree with them.

A national leader of the Poor People's Campaign told a group of anti-poverty protesters Wednesday that Kentucky's policy of limiting the group's access to the state Capitol must be challenged in court.

The Rev. William J. Barber, national co-chairman of the campaign, spoke outside the Capitol during his second trip to Frankfort this month to meet with protesters. He said a Kentucky State Police policy of allowing only two members of the group into the statehouse at a time is "an old tactic from civil rights days" and courts in his home state of North Carolina have ruled its Capitol Rotunda is a public place for protesters.

"We believe the same thing will happen here when it is tested under the law," said Barber. "If you let this stand, what is next?"

Pam McMichael, team coordinator for the Kentucky campaign, said the group is exploring "the appropriate legal steps to vindicate our group's right and those of all Kentuckians."

State police recently implemented the two-at-a-time policy when several members of the Poor People's Campaign blocked traffic near the Capitol and entered restricted property around the Governor's Mansion, according to State Police Commissioner Richard W. Sanders. He said the policy would not apply to demonstrators who follow all laws and regulations.

Those regulations include obtaining a state permit to assemble inside the Capitol.

Barber said the Kentucky Constitution says nothing about needing a permit to gather inside the Capitol. He said that policy was "a smokescreen" that Gov. Matt Bevin's administration "has fed to the media."

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