I participated in Casino Free Philadelphia‘s Operation Transparency today.
The day started with a rally on the capitol mall (across from Strawberry Square Mall) asking the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PCGB) to release documents that were not made available for public inspection and we asked for a one year moratorium on further casino licensing. There were probably 75 people in attendance plus members of the print and television media. We then moved as a group to the building that houses the PCGB and asked to be let in to view the documents.
14 of us lined up in groups of two and forcibly but peacefully read the citizen’s search warrant provided by the folks at Casino Free Philadelphia. We read the document over and over one after the other. They asked us to leave, we affirmed that it was our right to see the documents. The police arrived, accused us of trespassing and told us we would be arrested if we did not leave. At this point the 50-75 supporters crowded in the lobby of the building retreated to the public area outside. 14 of us remained. The Harrisburg police arrested each of us one after the other and led us out.
We were treated with the utmost respect by the Harrisburg police. They absolutely know what they are doing.
Some of us were handcuffed with metal cuffs. They tighten when you squirm and become quite uncomfortable.
The police paddy wagon is not very comfortable. It is exacerbated by your hands cuffed behind your back.
I want to thank Casino Free Philadelphia for planning this event. They did a good job of preparing us and planning thoroughly for the event. I think it made a difference.
Congrats on standing up for something you believe in. I’m curious about the logistics around the arrest, did you have to pay a fine and is there a court date for a trial?
Hey Bill,
We received a non-traffic citation for Disorderly Conduct. An example is posted here on Casino Free Phila\’s website.
We do not have a court date yet. We got together a few days after the arrest and agreed we would plead not guilty on the grounds that we were within our rights. We are not lawyers but we do have a lawyer in Harrisburg who is willing to defend us pro bono.
On the subject of the citation, you\\\\\\\’ll notice that we were cited for disorderly conduct, section 5503 (look at box #24 on the citation. ). A lawyer friend of mine pointed me to a reference on 5503. It\\\\\\\’s part of a bigger web site on PA statutes.
It is likely the judge will throw the case out of court. Ultimately the arrested us to get us out of the building. I do understand that the disorderly conduct statue does allow for jail time.
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