2nd Citizen Arrested For Speaking At Town Meeting

Small Arizona Town In Furor After 2nd Citizen Arrested For Speaking...



By Ben Popken on July 15, 2011 10:00 AM 




The town of Quartzsite, AZ, population 3,466, is in disarray after a video showing police hauling away a citizen for speaking at the town meeting podium went viral. The woman was saying that the town council had been violating open meeting laws.

 

 

It was the second citizen arrested at a Quartzsite town meeting in two weeks (here's the first). Tensions have been simmering in the town ever since the council raised sewage and water rates in order to help meet budget shortfalls. Citizens got upset after there was a disagreement over whether the town council meetings were being held in full accordance with open meeting rules. For instance, whether all all the meetings were accessible by the public and whether there was sufficient public notice given as to their dates and times.

 

 

 

After butting heads repeatedly, the council fired the mayor and declared a state of emergency. The council put the police chief in charge of everything and decreed that open meeting laws were suspended.

 

 

Allegations of corruption have swirled through the small town over the past few years (here's one from 2009) as various parties have accused the town of overpaying contractors. Vice Mayor Barbara Cowell told the Arizona Republic that the town is not corrupt and that it gets audited every year. "Our people work so hard," she said. "We've had to cut back on staff ... just to keep us solvent."

 

This video explains some of the backstory from the perspective of the activists.

 

One of the townsfolk has taken to documenting the meetings as well as confronting various council members with his video camera (here's his YouTube channel). He was the one who captured the footage of the woman being taken away by police, over the objections of the mayor. The mayor would later refrain from participating in the town council meetings, calling them "illegal."

 

In a town meeting a week after she was arrested, the activist returned to remind the town council what the Arizona rules regarding public meetings were.

 

"You work for us. You shouldn't be telling us what to do - we should be telling YOU what to do. That's your job."

 

This time all were silent and she finished her statement without interruption.

 


Arizona town in disarray; mayor alleges corruption [AP]

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Comment by windy windlan on July 16, 2011 at 6:12am
I think the people are rising to the occasion. Good job!
Comment by ghostmaster on July 15, 2011 at 9:16pm

Quartzsite, Arizona, has up to $250,000 in checks disappear mysteriously per year… only to reappear in the pockets of allegedly corrupt council members. After a council meeting in which a woman was arrested for speaking out against corrupt council and police activities during her allotted floor time. The woman, Jennifer Jones, is arrested despite protests from the mayor, who is also being persecuted for trying to uncover the truth about the missing money and illegal scandals that may be happening behind closed doors.

After the event, the town inappropriately declared a state of emergency during which Foster was basically stripped of his title as mayor, and council meetings were held without public comment/notice/viewing. Although a recording of the impromptu meetings were set to be released on Monday, no such documentation has surfaced.

Comment by Karen Quinn-Tostado on July 15, 2011 at 7:04pm

Who is paying Jennifer's bills for her arm, which was damaged by a member of the police? How is she being compensated for her inability to work? Shouldn't the city be responsible, financially, as well as the individual who caused this? And shouldn't the individual who did hurt her, be fired? As well as the police chief and the whole damn council, with the exception of the mayor?????

Comment by Mike the Watchman on July 15, 2011 at 5:39pm
I stumbled on to this video where this event is presented as being staged. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tmVF-zb6kU&feature=player_embedded What do you think?

Also, he has many more videos relating to other high profile cases here: http://wellaware1.com/

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