Power abuse

November 29, 2011 | Filed under #Occupy,Occupy Protest,Politics,Tea Party Movement | Posted by Rick Rice

A month ago I put up a post detailing the Richmond Tea Party’s attempt to recover money they were charged by the city to hold a rally, this in light of the Occupy protest being able to do what they did months later without being charged similarly.

Yesterday I was contacted by Colleen Owens about a new twist to the story, a twist that suggests some in Richmond have it in for the Tea Party in a most nasty way.

Her piece at Big Government tells us more:

Two weeks after the Richmond Tea Party delivered an invoice to Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones for costs incurred for previous rallies, we received a letter from the City of Richmond formally stating that the city is auditing our Tea Party. Coincidence? This audit is an obvious attempt to intimidate and harass us for standing up against the unfair treatment and discrimination against our Tea Party.
…
Here is the City Audit Letter Notification (click on image for larger version):

Read the entire piece.

If this isn’t abuse of power, nothing is.

Shortlink:

Posted by Rick Rice on November 29, 2011.
Filed under #Occupy, Occupy Protest, Politics, Tea Party Movement.
I blog more regularly at my own place where plain thoughts are delivered roughly. My about page gives you more on who I am.

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retired.military
Hey just becuase the city council met with the Occupy folks and wouldnt meet with the Tea Party. Just because the council let the tea party use the park for free and charged the Tea party.
WHy that isnt abuse of power that is the Chicago way.
They should sue the city in Federal court to recover the money. And use the settlement to buy air time against the council members.
Anonymous
It is suspicious, the timing is suspect. But it’s suspicious from multiple angles.
From the letters, it’s not clear if they are incorporated as a for-profit or non-profit company. If for profit, why is it being run as a business? Also, if they’re for profit, they have to do their filings as required.
The “About” tab on the website is not clear on what kind of entity they are:
http://www.richmondteaparty.com/about-2/charter/
They have a donations tab and merchandise store “now under maintenance.”
From my point of view, there was no need for them to incorporate or register as a business at all, unless they’re a business. Freedom of association is not subject to a license. If someone’s using the organization to make money, that’s another matter, the tax issues apply under the law. If they’re taking in lots of donations not-for-profit, they should be a non-profit.
http://www.tax.virginia.gov/site.cfm?alias=SUTExemption

Anonymous
They incorporated to protect the individuals, it’s very common. I have a very small band we make almost no money however we do play in bars and other places like that and have electrical equipment none of us care to have our assess sued off because some drunk kills himself falling over a sound system.

Anonymous
It’s not a question of incorporating for questions of liability and legal status, it’s a question of whether it’s a non-profit or for-profit. If it’s a for-profit, it means the officers and directors can split up the “profits” without the scrutiny non-profits have.

Anonymous
Richmond Tea Party is a 501(C)(4) non-profit.
Anonymous
Quote Chico ” From my point of view, there was no need for them to incorporate or register as a business at all”
No matter if they are profit or not the individuals would look for protection, if for no other reason than this particular situation who the hell needs a city government exercising political pay back on them.
retired.military
“It’s not a question of incorporating for questions of liability and legal status, it’s a question of whether it’s a non-profit or for-profit. ‘
Gee Chico. I thought it was GASP a question of First Amendment rights. You stated in another thread that the tea party shouldnt have had to pay.
Nice flip flop there Chico. Just like your buddy Romeny (at least until he is running against Obama and then you will be touting his flip flops).

retired.military
Chico
You are quoting law now?
Since when does the law matter when it is in ref to the Occupy crowd? You have repeatedly stood up for the lawbreaking of the occupy crowd.
Look up the word HYPOCRIT in the dictionary. It has your picture by it.
jim_m
That’s nice Chica. Blame the victim.
Not too long ago you were blaming them for being stupid or complying with the law. Now you are suggesting that they are somehow an illegal organization.
The dem government is showing favoritism to the leftist goons. It must be the fault of conservatives! Brilliant logic.

Anonymous
I’m not saying they’re illegal at all.
They appear to be a duly registered for-profit corporation, taking donations and selling merchandise on-line.

Anonymous
So what?
jim_m
Oh. SO your other post was just another, “OH look a squirrel!” post meant to take everything off topic.
Thanks for the admission.

Anonymous
So I wish the owners the best of luck, hope they make a lot of cash.
This audit will probably help them, send donors flocking to their website.
Anonymous
It should, it should get people like you supporting them but that would require you to be something your not.

Anonymous
Again:
Richmond Tea Party is a 501(C)(4) non-profit.
You keep trying to claim they’re a for-profit group, and you’re still wrong.
retired.military
Which PER YOUR STATEMENTS ON THE OCCUPY CROWD SHOULDNT HAVE TO PAY A RED CENT!!!!!.

Anonymous
>>From my point of view,
How much can you see with your head up there anyway?

herddog505
Sunlight is the best disinfectant; I hope that this issue gets A LOT of coverage.
In the blogosphere, of course: MiniTru won’t touch this with a ten-foot pole, being too busy signing paens to the IOWS losers.
Anonymous
I thought about covering this, but I couldn’t add anything more than Glenn Reynolds said:
I’d at least do a state FOIA request on all communications relating to
this action. Also, the local Tea Party should drop by the Mayor’s
house, since the ACORN and Occupy people have established that as a
perfectly acceptable protest tactic.
J.

Anonymous
FOIA has reportedly been filed. I need more popcorn.

Anonymous
I’d suggest that she send a letter back, simply stating STUFF IT!

http://www.rustedsky.net Anonymous
I think we’re close to a tipping point where that becomes an option. When government bureaucrats are totally invested in controlling the people through denial of rights, the frustration builds and builds. How long will it be before (for example) Boeing says ‘Stuff it!’ to the NLRB, and opens up their shop in SC? And just HOW would the government stop them? Threaten to fine them? Threaten to shut them down?
Control through denial only works when people are willing to accept ‘no’ for an answer. And the patience for that is getting close to an end.

jim_m
Indeed. The government can only tell people that they cannot work for so long. There is work to be done. People need jobs. The only thing that stands between people and employment is the actions of the obama administration.
2000 jobs at Boeing, 20,000 jobs for the pipeline from Canada now and tens of thousands for decades later. The admin wants people out of work. Time to educate the left on what real civil disobedience is and go to work against the orders of the government.

Anonymous
Go to Hell! Is a good enough answer to this department and the Obama crime regime..
Anonymous
“Stuff it?”
“Go to hell?”
What the hell is wrong with you people!!?!???!
Stick to the classics: “NUTS!”
J.

Anonymous
Um, I thought the real words were a little more expressive and R rated.

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran
The City of Richmond, the very Armpit of the Confederacy, drove out anyone with any sense decades ago. All that remains is the corrupt and decadent, which is to say Democratic, core.
People in the part of Chesterfield annexed over 30 years ago still refer to themselves as “the occupied area.”
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OEL6MKIDWFC7LIUHOFEFTKLXQA Stephen
Sounds like the City council is just following the law. No harm in that – in fact, I”d be mad if they weren’t.

jim_m
So you are mad that they did not charge the OWS people the same rate as the TEA Party?
Just trying to clarify because they treated the TEA Party according to the law and the TEA Party complained that they did not receive equal protection under the law and now they are being audited. One might assume that you are saying that they are right for charging the TEA party and that they are wrong for auditing them in retaliation for complaining, but I guessing that the opposite was your original meaning.
http://www.brutallyhonest.org Rick Rice
You. Are. Mad.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OEL6MKIDWFC7LIUHOFEFTKLXQA Stephen
You’re not in favor of following the law? You want some groups to receive special treatment?
The cure you suggest is illegal. The City Council is just following the law. and you call following the law “mad”…?
Do all Tea Party members feel that way – they they should receive special treatment above and beyond (and against) the law? I bet they don’t. I know I don’t.

jim_m
In what way is the city council following the law. You are not being clear.
Did the city council follow the law when they charged the TEA Party to demonstrate?
Did the city follow the law when they decided not to charge the OWS protestors for demonstrating?
Did the city follow the law by allowing the OWS people to demonstrate without obtaining a permit?
Was forcing the TEA Party to obtain a permit that was later shown to be unnecessary legal? or was it a failure to give the TEA Party equal protection?
Was the city following the law when they initiated a retaliatory audit of the TEA Party for daring to raise these issues?
Do you agree with the city using its police powers to restrain freedom of speech in this manner? Or do you only approve of it when they use that power against conservatives?

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OEL6MKIDWFC7LIUHOFEFTKLXQA Stephen
The Richmond City Council charged the Tea Party for their permit. As required by law.
If the city council now refunds that permit charge, they’ll have to refund everyone’s permit charge.
That ain’t gonna happen.
So the demand that the Tea Party get their permit fees refunded is “special treatment” — and I don’t see why the Tea Party should receive special treatment above and beyond the law just because they feel special.
The Tea Party followed the law and were charged accordingly. The fact that other groups didn’t and weren’t charged is not the issue – the Tea Party is not demanding that the OWS people get charged – they are demanding a refund.
They are demanding special treatment because … well, there’s no good reason to refund their permit fees.
If a tax evader somehow manages to pay no income taxes, does that mean that everyone who paid their taxes should get a refund?
Only if you’re “special”….
————
And the richmond Tea Party is in a special class after all.
“Fox News has reported that the government of Richmond disputes the allegations of targeted auditing, saying that the Richmond Tea Party was just one of 700 groups and businesses that hadn’t paid their excise taxes for 2010.”
The Richmond Tea Party, it turns out, are tax evaders – and they want a refund of their permit fees. I’m very impressed.
jim_m
No. They want to be treated fairly and given the subsequent special treatment of the OWS protests they have a very good case. It was not just the permit fees, but Richmond required them to go out and get liability insurance and to pay for other city services.
When you force one group to pay extra for accessing its rights you are not providing them equal protection under the Constitution. The city has not afforded the TEA Party equal protection and has forced them to pay more for the opportunity to access their civil rights than other groups such as the OWS protests.
I’m not surprised the another ignorant leftists cannot see where other people’s rights are being violated. They only care about their own.
I’ll note that you ignore the part about unequal enforcement of the law. It only goes to show that you really don’t care about equality and justice. The fact is that equal enforcement is the issue. If the law is not enforced equally then it abridges the rights of those who are forced to comply to their detriment.
Of course the dems put in the Jim Crow laws, it isn’t surprising to get a leftist suggesting the enforcing the law on some people and giving others a pass is OK. That is what the Jim Crow laws were about. Make people take a test to get the right to vote, but if they are the right color they don’t have to take that test. Substitute Ideology for race and you get to where the dems and the left are today.
retired.military
“The Richmond City Council charged the Tea Party for their permit. As required by law.”
Why havent they charged the occupy crowd as is required by law? As has been explicitly stated the Occupy RIchmond crowd is breaking the law.
“So the demand that the Tea Party get their permit fees refunded is “special treatment” — and I don’t see why the Tea Party should receive special treatment above and beyond the law just because they feel special.
”
But you apparantly have absolutely no problem with the Occupy crowd being shown special treatment.
Anonymous
So given your law and order stance here the OWS protesters should all be in jail right?
retired.military
“If the city council now refunds that permit charge, they’ll have to refund everyone’s permit charge.’
Or they could charge the OWS crowd for the million or so that they city has had to spend on them. Gee there is an idea.

retired.military
“Sounds like the City council is just following the law. No harm in that – in fact, I”d be mad if they weren’t. ”
So how do you respond to Chico (your bud) who thinks that breaking the law is fine and dandy especially where it invovles freedom of speech and who has stated on this blog that the tea party shouldnt have had to pay anything.

Anonymous
Wow. I take a vacation and a new sock escaped from the drawer.

Anonymous
If they were following the law, wouldn’t they have treated the “Occupy” folks the same way?
From what I know, they have not.
Seems like retaliation to me because the TEA party people complained about the different way the Occupy people were treated. That made the City government look bad.

Power abuse

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