Ex-Steering Committee Member Defends ICPJ
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Council may ban anti-Israel activist
Anti-Israel activist Blaine Coleman was arrested Monday night after he walked into an ongoing Ann Arbor City Council meeting carrying a sign that read "F--- Israel'' and stood in front of a group of visiting Boy Scouts from Lawton Elementary School. Coleman was quickly approached by Ann Arbor Police Lt. Mike Logghe, and was physically led out after he resisted leaving the meeting. Coleman shouted that the Cohen vs. California Supreme Court case allowed him to carry the sign...
It was the second time in the last five days that Coleman has been arrested for disruptive behavior. He was among three people arrested after police said they ignored warnings to stop disrupting a speaker at the University of Michigan on Thursday evening.
Coleman, who is Jewish, has a history of disrupting council meetings with his criticism of Israel and its treatment of
Palestinians. But his conduct has stepped up recently in the four years he's been speaking before the City Council trying to get the city to pass a resolution urging the United States to divest from Israel.
Logghe said Coleman was arrested and later released. Possible charges will be reviewed by the city attorney, and could include accusations of disorderly conduct and disturbing a public meeting, Logghe said.
"Clearly, he was instructed to leave and refused,'' Logghe said. "I took hold of him and removed him from the council chambers.''
After Coleman was led away, several council members said it may be time to consider banning him from future meetings for a specified period of time. They said the council rules would give them that power.
Council Member Wendy Woods, D-5th Ward, said she would consider such action.
"He's gone past the point of decency,'' Woods said. "They (the public) don't need to see that junk.''
During a break in the meeting, Council Member Bob Johnson said he wouldn't consider banning Coleman, but Mayor John Hieftje said that option should be open.
"I don't know, Bob,'' Hieftje said. "If you have someone disrupt your meeting every time, why not prevent him from coming?''
"That's a reasonable argument,'' Johnson said.
The council made no decision on Coleman on Monday.
Coleman referred to a 1968 case in which Paul Robert Cohen was arrested for disturbing the peace by offensive conduct. He was wearing a jacket that had "F--- the draft'' written on it while he was in the corridor of a Los Angeles courthouse. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the appellate court's ruling upholding the conviction.
But City Attorney Stephen Postema said while having a profane sign in public may be allowed, it wouldn't be inside a courtroom or in a City Council meeting where different standards apply.
When contacted after his release from police custody, Coleman wouldn't comment other than to repeat his accusations against Israel.
"Israel is killing Palestine and Lebanon, and is trying to kill Iran, too. That's why City Council has a duty to divest from that racist state of Israel now. Look, Israel just dropped
1 million cluster bombs on Lebanon last summer.''
Tom Gantert can be reached at tgantert@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6701
1 comment:
I live in Ann Arbor and see Blaine from time to time. He's been doing crazy stuff like this for years, and everyone else who opposes Israel can't stand it. He carries signs like "Zionists = KKK" etc. and will not listen to anyone who tells him to be sensible.
I've flip-flopped from "Blaine is definitely Zionist counterintelligence whose purpose is to embarass other Israel protesters" and "Israel is so downright evil, Blaine is just expressing his outrage at the level it should be," back and forth several times.
In the last week Blaine's been arrested twice and now every time Israel brings speakers to promote its twisted views, they call the police because they're afraid of pro-Palestinians becoming violent.
I must say I choose the former. I think Blaine is working to discredit the other Palestine activists. He just can't be this stupid. THe media trashes him and all of the rest of us by association.
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