Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Arrested for dancing to celebrate freedom

A group of about twenty people went to the Jefferson Memorial at midnight (it's open 24/7) on Thomas Jefferson's birthday to dance silently (with iPods) in celebration of freedom, only to be forced to leave by the Park Police. This exchange then occurred between participant Brooke Oberwetter and a member of the security force:
GUARD: Exit, exit, exit. Lady, I'm not going to tell you again.

OBERWETTER: I'm just...what did we do?

GUARD: Exit. Exit, now...

OBERWETTER: What rule are we breaking? It's against the rules to dance?

GUARD: Yes it is. Read the sign inside the memorial. It says quiet.

OBERWETTER: I'm standing here being very quiet.

GUARD: You're dancing in here. That's disorderly.

At that point, Oberwetter allegedly asked "Why?" and was arrested. She was taken to jail for the next five hours and charged with "interfering with an agency function."

(Via Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Blog and The Agitator. The Agitator has further coverage here, here, and here.)

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