In the news recently was the story of a man arrested while taking part in the Occupy Easton movement protest. His crime; walking into a bank, where many others were demonstrating, and holding up a sign saying, “You are being robbed”. The liberal press had a field day. Arguments which are fast becoming maxims are dragged out into the public forum again, denouncing abuses by Police, the gradual erosion of rights, etc. While these arguments are often very insightful, in this case, it’s all bullshit; I think they should throw the book at him. David Gorczynski, otherwise known as “Nature Dave” carried two signs with him, the second of which made reference to a gun. Accordingly, he is being charged with public disorder, terroristic threats and attempted robbery.
You just can’t walk into a bank and tell them they’re being robbed. If I worked there, I’d assume the worst and reach for one of the guns Americans keep within arm’s reach at all times. A bank clerk, facing the constant subconscious thought of robbery, has no time or composure to think about the semantics of some idiot’s sign. If anyone reading this article was in the Bank at the time, I’m sure we would have a similar reaction; drop to the floor or drop him.
The man’s defence was laughable. He has said later in a press conference that he protests regularly outside the banks and so the bank staff should have known this was just a witty sign of protest. No. That is not how regular human beings work. The charges against me would stand were I to stand up in a crowded theatre and scream “Fire!”, even if I do go there every Saturday to watch Equs or some other piece of shite.
His prosecutors have subsequently dropped the robbery charges, but the terroristic threat and public disorder ones remain; and rightly so. In similar previous cases, the same prosecutors have dropped charges, but in this instance the public felt threatened. Furthermore, it doesn’t take a genius to realise how easily he could have gotten shot, especially in America, where it’s a real possibility in a Nursery school. It comes to something when you have to be taken into custody because you just can’t help but tempt someone to shoot you.
The Civil Rights campaigners shouldn’t have a leg to stand on. There would only be an abuse of power if he was sentenced to 18 years for armed robbery, but I was confident he wouldn’t; he’d get an appropriate sentence for being a stupid twat and pretending to rob a bank. Indeed, they are seeking jail time. Even his attorney, Phil Lauer, has stated that this is a case of a man with an “annoying way” of protesting; something of an understatement.
Imagine the consequences were I, in retaliation for the treatment of Greece, to follow German President Angela Merkel home, and stand outside her house, waving politely under a street light, holding up a sign saying “You are being raped”. They’d be pretty harsh, and rightly so.
