DNC is opening to Police State

[Blakenzy]

Check out these insane "rules" they are enacting for "extraordinary events", such as the DNC. I thought the security at the RNC was over the top, but this takes the cake. If they so choose, you can get pinched for carrying a smart phone in a protest 

The special rules that went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday could also bar anyone other than government employees from carrying handbags and backpacks or possessing soda cans, drink coolers, scarves, bike helmets, baby strollers or pets not specifically permitted as service animals.

A section banning "a container or object of sufficient weight to be used as a projectile" could be interpreted to include almost anything, from an apple to an iPhone.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57504782/dnc-security-rules-trigger-free-speech-worries/

[Jamie B]

The Repub convention was an extreme expense to Tampa.

My brother lives there, and the cops literally turned Tampa into a police state.

There were hundreds of cops in cars, on foot, on bicycles, and on horses with armor.

They installed thousands of new cameras, and would swarm cops to any location where they saw more than a handful of folks outside.

He stayed in his place on the beach, laughing at the mess in Tamps.

There were only a handful of arrests, but hundreds of thousands of dollars spent.

He was still laughing this morning when I called.

[dogmush]

I worked out a way to be TDY last week. My wife, who works at Tampa General Hospital, took the week off. A bunch of us locals avoided downtown like the plague last week.

I'll have to dig up the article, but apparently the protesters were very thin on the ground. At one point TPD brought some food to some protesters because the food trucks that were feeding them packed up and headed to NOLA.

[Blakenzy]

At one point TPD brought some food to some protesters because the food trucks that were feeding them packed up and headed to NOLA.

You mean to say things were so boring that the cops felt the need to lay out some bait to get people to congregate? You know, so they actually had a 'crowd' to "control"... 

One has to wonder, at what point is the citizen going to decide he will not pay for the Circus anymore?

[MechAg94]

Without the hurricane, would there have been more paid protesters?

[dogmush]

Without the hurricane, would there have been more paid protesters?

Maybe. The storm was a dud here, and all the locals pretty much new it was not going to be bad by Fri-Sat. Dunno how scary the media made it seem up north.