Late this morning in Jefferson City around one hundred fifty supporters of Medicaid expansion in Missouri rallied in front the Governor’s Mansion. If the right wingnut controlled General Assembly had honored the wishes of voters and the explicit language they approved for inclusion in the Missouri Constitution access to health care for hundreds of thousands of Missourians would have started today.
“Honor our vote, fund Medicaid expansion”
“Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me”
“Medicaid expansion is the law of the land”
“1.1 billion for Missouri”
“The people voted for Medicaid”
“We voted”
“Governor Parson – Shame on You”
“Listen to the people” “Medicaid expansion is good for Missouri’s health”
“275,000”
The rally organizers were aware of a press event at the Missouri Department of Transportation building with Governor Mike Parson (r). The supporters of Medicaid expansion marched on the sidewalk the short distance to the building and continued the rally there, waiting for the governor to exit the building.
“Save Rural Hospitals”
“Shut It Down”
The rally and march was sponsored by Missouri Health Care for All, Missouri Jobs with Justice, and Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri.
“…Apparently a few people staged a die in on the street next to the Governor’s Mansion. In the afternoon in July in Jefferson City. Really? It’s not like they were blocking rush hour traffic…”
We continue to get comments:
Are you trying to justify that no law was broken because there was not “rush hour traffic”? That is pitiful. Protesters have the right to assemble, but they have no need to block the streets and expect nothing to happen. Also, please work on your grammar and sentence structure. I got a headache from reading this.
A hand wringing concern troll. Heh.
You’re here, aren’t you?
“…I got a headache from reading this.”
Then don’t read us. Or, I dunno, start your own blog and do better?
On July 4, 2020 in Warrensburg:
Interesting. People in the street. Police are present. No escalation. Peaceful protest. No pepper spray or tear gas.
“…Apparently [yesterday] a few people staged a die in on the street next to the Governor’s Mansion. In the afternoon in July in Jefferson City. Really? It’s not like they were blocking rush hour traffic…”
Jefferson City Police overreacted.
Michael Bersin @MBersin
Replying to @MO_HouseDems and @SharkFu
The nerve. Blocking a street and hindering traffic in Jefferson City during the busiest time of day. In July. I feel sorry for the tour groups waiting to get into the Governor’s Mansion who had to see this. Oh, wait… 5:18 AM · Jul 31, 2020
We get comments, directed at Show Me Progress:
They have no right to be in the street and they were told so. Look what they did in Columbia. You give you protesters an inch and you take a mile. Peaceful is not blocking streets and other taxpayers rights to drive down the streets. The protesters need to learn the definition of peaceful
This crap of protests needs to be squashed before it turns in Seattle. Protesting on the sidewalks, bullhorns, signs are fine, but when you move into the public thruway, stop it.
Hand wringing concern trolls. They try to post comments here. We usually let them languish in comment moderation for eternity (or until we stop paying the hosting bill).
There was no street traffic. And if there was, knowing that area of Jefferson City, approaching from the Capitol, all a driver would have to do is turn right to detour, drive up a block, and then turn left and then right to return to the same street. How inconvenient. A freakin’ block. Maybe our concern trolls consider this a slippery slope of some sort.
How do other towns in Missouri handle such outrageous behavior?
In Warrensburg, at the end of May:
Interesting. People in the street. Police are present. No escalation. Peaceful protest. No pepper spray or tear gas.
Breaking: Statement regarding unconstitutional use of chemical agents and arrests outside of the Governor’s Mansion.
“The brutality inflicted on peaceful protesters and journalists by the rogue police force in front of the governor’s mansion today was reprehensible. Under the First Amendment, protestors have the right to assemble and demand accountability from their government. Journalists have the right and duty to report those demands. This especially rings true in front of the taxpayer-funded Governor’s mansion and down the street from the Missouri State Capitol building.
Police have no right to pretend that a law has been violated to justify arrests. But even when protestors can be arrested shooting chemical agents at protestors who were in the process of complying with officer orders is a callous and inappropriate response to dissent. This is another shameful example of police officers unable to accept criticism who then demonstrates that criticism is valid by resorting to the gratuitous use of force. No official who fails to denounce these tactics can be taken seriously if they claim in the future that care about our constitutional rights. Missouri must reevaluate its priorities and recognize that true public safety starts with police reform.”
And:
Kaitlyn Schallhorn @K_Schallhorn
I identified myself as a reporter multiple times and followed instructions the police gave as to where to stand. I had one officer yell at me multiple times to move, I did as instructed. He threatened to arrest me several times. 2:04 PM · Jul 30, 2020
Apparently a few people staged a die in on the street next to the Governor’s Mansion. In the afternoon in July in Jefferson City. Really? It’s not like they were blocking rush hour traffic.
Escalation is not a smart strategery. Not now. Not during a leadership crisis. Not during a pandemic.
This morning in Jefferson City several hundred individuals showed up at the capitol building (in rainy weather) to protest the radical anti-choice policies and legislation of the republican controlled Missouri General Assembly and Governor Mike Parson (r) and his administration. The rally portion was scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. on the south lawn, but rainy weather moved that portion of the event indoors under the dome.
“We aren’t ovary-acting”
Individuals with their signs started showing up under the dome after going through security shortly after 8:30 a.m.
“I am not your incubator”
The rally and subsequent march to the Governor’s Mansion was initiated by one grassroots individual via social media. The idea snowballed and a permit to demonstrate on the capitol grounds was secured.
“Queen of my own uterus, thank you very much”
The rally under the dome allowed time for individuals to gather, chant, and speak out before the short march to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Keep your rosaries off my ovaries”
“My body, my choice”
“My uterus has more regulations than your gun”
“If you cut off my reproductive choices can I cut off yours?”
“We will not go back”
“Keep your bans off my body”
Speaking.
“Never again”
“If I wanted government in my womb I’d fuck a senator”
What is it with parades in Jefferson City? Yesterday, a Labor Day parade (think about that for a second).
The evil red t-shirt:
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America – the red t-shirt [2018 file photo].
We received the following account via e-mail:
Members of Jefferson City Moms Demand Action went to the Jefferson City Labor Day parade Saturday, September 8th in our red t-shirts to split up and march with the various candidates for public office who have earned our Gun Sense Candidate of Distinction designation.
I was told by a parade organizer that we were not welcome to wear our t-shirts in the parade. I thought maybe he had misunderstood our presence and thought we were planning to march as a contingent without a permit. I went over and over the distinction with him to no avail; he wasn’t budging. The police were consulted and threatened us with a citation if we wore our shirts without turning them inside out or covering them with a jacket.
We complied because we didn’t want to cause a scene which would reflect poorly on our candidates or our organization.
It is surely unconstitutional for anyone to have to give up their freedom of speech to participate in a parade supported by city funding for police presence and logistics.
As a private citizen (not a Moms Demand official), I have demanded a public apology from the mayor, city council, and chief of police; and a public reprimand of the parade organizers and police department be printed in the newspaper on the editorial page post haste and repeated in the subsequent Sunday edition. I have also submitted my complaint to ACLU Missouri.
Sue Gibson
Jefferson City
Somebody has some explaining to do.
Labor Day, huh? What ever happened to solidarity?
And, well, newspapers never do anything they don’t want to do.
This is a story about a patriot in Jefferson City, Missouri who acted in defense of everything good about America yesterday. She was arrested for her trouble.
Sue Gibson, in her own words:
I got to Jefferson City’s Independence Day parade location early Tuesday evening and walked along High Street looking for TV cameras and anyone I knew who might take pictures of my planned action.
The only news outlet I saw was KRCG, the Sinclair station, and I did not think they would air it.
I found no one to whom I felt comfortable disclosing.
A woman I encountered on the sidewalk complimented my t-shirt (I Stand with Missouri Women) and showed me her tattoo that read LIBERAL.
We chatted about how hard it is to live here as progressives.
I am thinking: This is wild. She might be a police spy, or am I just very lucky to have run onto her? I gave her both my personal contact card and my Indivisible card, and we parted.
The parade started with motorcycle cops in the lead and I let them get over a block away before even considering jumping in. I was right by the judges’ grandstand and after introducing the three judges, the announcer started talking about the parade theme: Diversity and how people come to America’s shores blah blah blah. And I thought: It has to be right now! So I jumped in and stopped the parade holding my sign Babies are in cages above my head.
I remember no sound. My experience was just everyone looking at me with their mouths hanging open. Two parade organizers came along in their golf cart. The woman said, OK. You’ve made your point. Will you let us have our parade now? I stood stationary. They conferred and decided to invite me to march in the parade with my sign so the parade could proceed.
Meanwhile, I see two cops approaching on foot. The first one gets there and agrees that I can join the parade. The second one isn’t having it; orders me out of the street. I don’t move. He snatches my sign, whirls me around and cuffs me. Starts pushing me toward the curb.
The crowd cheers my arrest. All they want is a parade to celebrate America. The organizers are visibly disturbed, shouting at the crowd: “What is wrong with you? Stop it!”
But kids will ask their parents what was that that happened today, and that is what I wanted. And the organizers were conflicted. That tension within individuals is what I hoped for as well.
The cops are taking me to their car on a side street and I see that woman I just met filming or photographing with her phone!!!!! She has my email address, so surely she will send it! How serendipitous is that?
Oh, a thing a cop said before they put me in the car: “She’s one of those.” (I had incurred a charge of failure to obey an officer on two different days recently with the Poor People’s Campaign.) The arresting officer said, “Yeah, I figured it out. I recognize her.” I dare not jaywalk from now on[.]
Then I spent time with two delightful women in the holding cell having great conversation about injustices. A holding cell is a terrific place to organize! I will be taking one of them to vote for her first time ever! She got released first, and by the time I got home, she had friended me on Facebook.
And the bail bondswoman was like-minded and thrilled with what I had done; took a photo of me with my sign to share with her mother and her one like-minded sibling. And gave me a discount!
Court date: August 8.
Charge: Failure to obey.
Sue Gibson’s sign (front and back):
What a badass – civil disobedience, getting arrested, and organizing in a holding cell. Is this a great country, or what?
Someone posted video of Sue Gibson’s arrest on a community social media page.
Some of the comments on the page:
Run her ass over!
Well that’s a little violent. I hope you’re not actually suggesting someone commit voluntary manslaughter.
Stay out of the road.
…when you serve your country, you are preserving not only the rights of your family and friends, but the rights of Americans who don’t always share your beliefs. These individuals are your country, your fellow citizens, not “morons,” and are entitled to express opinions. She harmed no one, she made her statement, and she knew her consequences. You may need someone to stand up like that for you some day.
…when you impede traffic, a parade, or any other flow of moving vehicles you are a moron she could have chosen a better way to show her beliefs/opinion
…although her protest may have stopped a parade celebrating freedom, she is free to make that choice. The fact that you resort to name callling says something about how her behavior affected you, not about her.
Since this is Independence Day, and you are celebrating it in the way you choose, because we are free, I think it’s terrific that this person made a choice to show her concern for immigrant children in a way that harmed none of you, but caused all of you to express your feelings as well. Happy Independence Day. We are free, and we have a duty to make sure we stay free. That means we are free to express our opinions.
