On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a heavily redacted document that gives considerable insight into how the Bush administration has dealt with protestors and potential protests at its events. Perhaps most disturbingly, the document states that the official policy is for event organizers and the Secret Service to “ask the local police department to designate a protest area where demonstrators can be placed, preferably not in view of the event site or motorcade route” and outlines a variety of measures designed to suppress and neutralize dissenting views.
The document, titled “Presidential Advance Manual” was obtained by the ACLU as part of the ACLU’s ongoing work in two incidents in which protestors were denied access to appearances by President Bush. In one case, Jeff and Nicole Rank were arrested at a Fourth of July presidential appearance at West Virginia’s state capitol because they were wearing shirts critical of President Bush. In the other, Alex Young and Leslie Weise of Denver were thrown out of a town hall meeting because they had an antiwar bumper sticker on their car. Last Monday, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Gregory Jenkins, the former Director of the White House Office of Presidential Advance and a Deputy Assistant to President Bush, for his role in setting the policy that has led to the removal, and in some cases, arrest of innocent people attending taxpayer-funded events. The aforementioned events were two of a number cited in the lawsuit, including a person wearing a t-shirt critical of Bush being denied access to an event in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, several dozen people being placed on a “do not admit list” in Fargo, North Dakota for belonging to “a liberal organization,” and a student in Tucson, Arizona being barred from entering a forum on Social Security for wearing a Young Democrats t-shirt. The lawsuit joins three others filed by the ACLU in federal court over the treatment of protestors at presidential visits.
Based on the document, the focus of the Bush administration is on controlling its events, both in terms of minimizing protests and shaping the media’s reaction to protests. The document stresses the importance of a strict ticket distribution process as a means of “deterring potential protestors from attending the event,” with a requirement that events be ticketed or accessed via a name list. The manual goes on to explain that volunteers will collect the tickets and “check for signs or protestors” before people are allowed into the event. This is an essential part of the required “effective plan for dealing with demonstrators,” which is detailed in a paragraph titled “Preventing Demonstrators:”
As mentioned, all Presidential events must be ticketed or accessed by a name list. This is the best method for preventing demonstrators. People who are obviously going to disrupt the event can be denied entrance at least to the VIP area between the stage and the main camera platform… It is important to have your volunteers at a checkpoint before the Magnetometers in order to stop a demonstrator from getting into the event. Look for signs that they may be carrying, and if need be, have volunteers check for folded cloth signs that demonstrators may be bringing to the event.
In the event that a protestor does gain access to the event and attempts to disrupt an event, the manual recommends that event organizers have pre-formed “rally squads” are prepared to counter demonstrators’ messages. According to the manual, “this tactic involves utilizing small groups of volunteers to spread favorable messages using large hand held signs placards, or perhaps a long sheet banner, and placing them in strategic areas around the site.” These “rally squads” are to be engaged in the constant process of looking for demonstrators and–if any are identified–to “use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform.” If protestors are attempting to verbally disrupt the event, “rally squads” are expected to lead “supportive chants to drown out the protestors” with the example chant cited in the manual being “USA! USA! USA!” The manual further recommends that these “rally squads” be made up of college/young republican organizations, local athletic teams, and fraternities/sororities.”
The manual further characterizes demonstrators as wanting “a physical confrontation” and warns organizers not to “fall into their [the protestors] trap.” Organizers are advised to ignore demonstrators “if it is determined that the media will not see or hear them and that they pose no potential disruption to the event,” in all other cases “action needs to be taken immediately to minimize the demonstrator’s effect” according to the manual.
Many of the strategies outlined in the manual have been observed here in Grand Rapids. When Bush visited East Grand Rapids in April, the President’s motorcade took a route that avoided passing by the protest in Collins Park. When events have been open to the public, such as a July 2004 campaign event, those seeking tickets were required to visit the Kent County Republican Party headquarters and give their name and social security number to obtain tickets. Perhaps due to this strategy, there have never been any disruptions of Bush’s appearances in Grand Rapids. However, if the administration recommends that the motorcade be kept away from protests, this goal has largely failed locally. With the exception of his 2005 visit to Calvin, the presidential motorcade has had to pass by protestors either on its way to or away from the scheduled event. Moreover, Bush’s visits to Grand Rapids have been the subject of intelligence gathering on the part of the Grand Rapids Police Department, a fact confirmed by a local ACLU Freedom of Information Act request that showed a number of police reports, internet postings, and other documents pertaining to the protests. This is consistent with recommendations from the Bush administration that event organizers work to identify protestors’ plans before the event.
Another aspect of the strategy was seen at a protest against President Bush in Kalamazoo in 2004, when seven college students were denied access to a Bush campaign rally at Wings Stadium after College Republicans identified them as people unsupportive of the Bush administration’s policies. The group–who “dressed conservatively” and wore no political buttons or statements–was told to leave the event or be arrested by police assisting organizers with security.
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