Fined for liking something?

‘Liking’ Wheeler Party could mean fine

Source

Students may be subject to a costly ticket if they promote the Wheeler Street Block Party on Facebook or other social media under the new mass gatherings ordinance.

City attorney Kristen Petrie said anyone who encourages or promotes the block party may be considered a sponsor under the mass gatherings ordinance and could be subject to a minimum $500 and a maximum $750 fine.

(visit the link for the full news article)

So, last year we had a topic about the Wheeler st block party at Western Illinois University. The city has decided this year they will not allow it to happen at all. (fat chance. Everyone in town knows the party IS gonna happen.) The city attorney has decided to find a 'novel' way of keeping it from being organized and occurring. Her claim is that anyone who encourages or promotes, (social media included) is then considered a sponsor and likely to receive up to a $750 fine.

Seriously? So if I go on farcebook and say "hey, I think those kids should be allowed their party" I can be fined? WTF? What if someone else puts it up and I "like" it? Fined then too? It is made very cclear in the article, that they would go after town residents also.

What do ya'll think?

mods, If this belongs somewhere else could you please move it. This is my first post so I'm not sure.
Source

(visit the link for the full news article)

Assuming this is America we are talking about, you are getting fined for your opinions. In most countries it is becoming increasingly dangerous to have opionions that differ from what officials say. Some of these punishments are more welcomed than others, like racist/sexist opinions. Though that was the thin end of the wedge for a whole larger arguement. This is just a little further in the wedge.

You (and us here in Europe too) are screwed.

So, go online. Get some Aussies or brits to help out. Let them do the advertising. Get everyone else to 'like' them. Global communication at work. Easy as!

P

Originally posted by RichardA

So, last year we had a topic about the Wheeler st block party at Western Illinois University. The city has decided this year they will not allow it to happen at all. (fat chance. Everyone in town knows the party IS gonna happen.) The city attorney has decided to find a 'novel' way of keeping it from being organized and occurring. Her claim is that anyone who encourages or promotes, (social media included) is then considered a sponsor and likely to receive up to a $750 fine.

Seriously? So if I go on farcebook and say "hey, I think those kids should be allowed their party" I can be fined? WTF? What if someone else puts it up and I "like" it? Fined then too? It is made very cclear in the article, that they would go after town residents also.

What do ya'll think?

mods, If this belongs somewhere else could you please move it. This is my first post so I'm not sure.

[url=http://www.westerncourier.com/news/liking-wheeler-party-could-mean-fine/article_5dd7c1e6-78f8-11e1-8cd2-001a4bcf6878.html]www.westerncourier.com[ /url]
(visit the link for the full news article)

Let me be the one to give you your first Star & Flag. (Looks like I'm too late -- someone beat me to it.)

This is actually an important topic. The noose is tightening.

Isn't Western Illinois University block party the same one that was shut down by riot police last year?

My understanding was that the partiers (college kids) were not doing anything unusual or unlawful, but the riot police came out in full force with all kinds of new crowd control equipment.

I got the distinct impression the police just wanted an excuse to try out their new equipment.

Originally posted by pheonix358
So, go online. Get some Aussies or brits to help out. Let them do the advertising. Get everyone else to 'like' them. Global communication at work. Easy as!

P

Brilliant!

I'm sure there are some Aussies, Brits and others that would be happy to oblige. Then let the dimwit attorney figure out how to fine them.

reply to post by AuranVector


Yep, The very same. I live on the next block over and I can tell you the "official" story was officially BS!

Any ideas on how I can fight this. I really can't afford an attorney or the fine, but someone HAS to draw that line in the sand somewhere.


Awesome!! Stars on my first thread! thanks

peace (I'm sure some genius that goes to school out here will 'think' of this before too long)

Am I the only one who thinks that this could be a 1st Amendment issue or not? It seems to me that they are attempting to use sponsor laws to broadly deny the right of free speech. If I say I like something and they call that 'sponsorship' what is to stop them from doing that when it comes to anything else?

I don't give a damn if they have the party. As long as they leave my home alone, have fun! But now I can't even voice my opinion without being a 'sponsor' and thereby subject to quite possibly multiple penalties.

When I read the article, I wasn't pleased, especially after last years fiasco at the hands of the local government and PD. So I called my wife. Bad move that was. She couldn't understand why this was so irksome to me. Then she said, and this totally stopped me in my tracks, "leave it alone, we can't afford the fine."


That is the exact moment I realized that you really can't wake anyone up. So I'll be polite and meek in public, and I'll prepare for what I KNOW is coming. Hope you don't expect that personality when the SHTF.

peace

Not just the toys AV. It is BUDGET time after all.

I also think this is a first amendment issue (freedom of speech). In-fact I think all censorship should be stopped, but that is a topic for another thread.

What I think is that every single person on facebook, (even better would be every single person online) worldwide should go ahead and like them.

Facebook has 845 million monthly active users. The world had over 2.2 Billion internet users, let the authorities try to figure out how to fine 845 million to 2.2 Billion people spread all over the world.

Add in another who seems to think this goes against the first amendment.

I'd contact the ACLU and see what they have to say about it. This is the kind of stuff they love to get involved in.

I don't see the problem, if you are using facebook you are already 1/2 lobotomized, a fool and his money are soon parted.

How Ironic these kids are getting a taste of there own doing....meaning I thought most college kids we're all for Obama and Change...What this change ain't working out for you...You were warned to beware of Team Obama but you didn't listen now did you? Are you going to let it happen again? I hope not. I hope your ready to fire them all in Congress and the Senate as well as the Media. I think it would be a great way to create jobs for our children since they will be the ones inheriting the repsonsiblity of cleaning up this mess unless they don't care and let the old people pass it on to some more old greedy people that can be controlled.

Also just because they all get fired doesn't mean that the ones that really deserve to be given a chance can't be rehired if the people so choose for real not by the voter fraud going on now.

It is surely unenforceable, as there is no way to prove intent and would result in a disaster. The bigger issue is the "threat" thing. As a poster above pointed out, the threat is enough to discourage his wife.

Why must we all be threatened like slaves? What is the difference between this and a slave owner threatening to beat the slave if he dances to music, or fails to pick enough crop? Why the endless "we'll just threaten them to make them comply?"

Why do we tolerate this? We'll fine you, we'll jail you, we'll take away your house, we'll take your child, we'll force you to work for us.... This is your leadership, first response seems to be the best and biggest threat, then work down...........

The party didn't happen and the students went on with their ho hum lives. I want to add that the Wheeler Street party is the only place the SWAT team was ever used. All the money put into the equipment sits molding. I also want to add that Macomb is beefing up its police force due to the increase of crime which seems to be related to WIU lowering their standards to draw Chicagoland students.

reply to post by relocator


Right or left, conservative or liberal, I just really don't see much difference when we're all on the same boat ride. We're arguing against eacher other while we all collectively slip down the drain. The illusion of choice is an effective opiate, and the two party system is like a menu at the same restraunt. Obama, Bush, Frank Zappa... it doesn't matter who is in the house or what color they wear, the agenda is steady and unwavering for the last 10 thousand years or so regardless.

I'd love to see how they'd fine someone in another state or country for 'liking' something, doesn't that overstep their bounds?

reply to post by RichardA

Originally posted by tebyen
Add in another who seems to think this goes against the first amendment.

I'd contact the ACLU and see what they have to say about it. This is the kind of stuff they love to get involved in.

I was going to say the same thing.

I'd go ahead and like it. If i get slapped with i fine, i would go to court to fight it, but i would also contact the ACLU, university newspaper (if you have one), the local and national media (and try to make them see that the larger issue is censorship & free speech), and also contact some very powerful local attorneys (just to bring awareness).

While the city might have the $ for legal defense (which is why i recommended the above), something like this *could* easily bring a unity of legal professionals and media who will help fight such encroaching injustice. Write letters. Make phone calls. To powerful people who care and *can* actually do something.

An awareness campaign before AND after the fact (especially if you or any individual get fined for "liking" it), but one that is larger in scope than a thread on ATS.

Originally posted by kaleshchand
I also think this is a first amendment issue (freedom of speech). In-fact I think all censorship should be stopped, but that is a topic for another thread.

What I think is that every single person on facebook, (even better would be every single person online) worldwide should go ahead and like them.

Facebook has 845 million monthly active users. The world had over 2.2 Billion internet users, let the authorities try to figure out how to fine 845 million to 2.2 Billion people spread all over the world.

Wonderful post!!!

Even if say 1 million people were fined, it would make a GREAT class action suit against the city for oppressing freedom of speech. It would also be great if Facebook lost 2.1 billion internet accounts.

reply to post by RichardA


Do they have the jurisdiction to fine people who don't live in that city or that state? Because, then everyone outside of the danger zone could participate. It's funny they included Facebook but omitted Twitter, IM's and emails. Can you imagine if our founding fathers followed the rules?