Originally Posted by aceventura3

Does protective public services have an obligation to intervene when the behavior of citizens is disruptive or unsafe?

Originally Posted by Willravel

That's really not the issue. All of the protests I've ever been involved in have occurred on public property; a closed off street, a sidewalk. Such is the case at the RNC. There is plenty of sidewalk between the free speech zone and the entrance that they should be able to protest on, but can't because the First Amendment has been replaced with heightened security.

Originally Posted by roachboy

but what ace outlines is the way in which this question has been stood on its head in recent times, thanks again to conservative ideology. this because, you see, private property is more important in at least some areas of conservativeland than is the legal apparatus which enables it, than is the consent of a polity implied by it. private property trumps the right to protest every time. this is the central rationale for the creation of these farcical "free speech zones"----and for the "whaddya talking about" from conservatives when it's problematic character is raised.