Arrested for Speaking Out at School Board Meeting - Video

Someone call police... I mean moderator and escort this OT generator from this topic, please!

On the other hand, I would not be surprised if that was Mr. Baer himself with his cameras and natural obstruction of any form of order...

a reply to: Daedalus

give me a break, links to Elmo & Barney.

The sex scene is pretty graphic, albeit short, but graphic.

I did not know they guy brought the cameras with him?? I just thought it was on the local channel, my town in NH shows these type of town hall meetings and such on TV. But if he did bring the cameras, it would definitely factor into the equation....negatively for him.

I think they issued the apology after this meeting though, not that it matters when they apologized really though..

He was arrested for disorderly conduct...and if going over your 2 minutes and being rude are disorderly conduct then...wow. If he didnt leave i thought it would be some kind of trespassing, but i am no legal eagle.

But i do respect his opinion on the matter but can definitely say he did not handle it properly...no one really did...

**ENOUGH**

Let's get back on topic shall we? Feel free to discuss the topic at hand, but the back and forth, and the wandering off topic stops immediately.

I think if I was in his position, I would speak out as well. At the end of the day he wants what's best for his daughter. I'm not sure if the outcome would be the same in my country, the UK.
We all have to challenge authority when we can, show the world what's really going on. Not what the media puts out.

a reply to: Daedalus

So why did you call out the one person on this thread who actually complained about the entire subject matter of the book for "focusing on one page"? I seem to recall being the only one that voice a reasonable complaint about the book in its entirety. And discussing the book content is absolutely pivotal in deciding, as a group, as to whether this parent had a right to complain about what the school was having his child read because that distinguishes him from being "just another book burning nutter" and somebody who may have cause to complain. I see him as the latter and I'm definitely not a book burning nutter.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

I think the general consensus is that he had every right to complain, it's the manner in which he complained that got him in trouble.

originally posted by: Cosmocow
give me a break, links to Elmo & Barney.

well, i mean, those are COMPLETELY safe options....no sex, no violence, no provocative or intellectually engaging themes, nothing thought provoking....

The sex scene is pretty graphic, albeit short, but graphic.

still, without knowing the context of it, and what(if any) role it plays in the greater narrative, i couldn't rightly comment on it, except to say that i have seen the text in question, and while graphic, it may indeed play an important part in the narrative, as an expressive device..

I did not know they guy brought the cameras with him?? I just thought it was on the local channel, my town in NH shows these type of town hall meetings and such on TV. But if he did bring the cameras, it would definitely factor into the equation....negatively for him.

yup...his daughter was with him, and his friend was behind the camera, on the larger 10 minute video...in the clip here, you can see him..he's the dope with the tripod, who follows him out after he's escorted out of the room..

he walked in there, planning to make a stink...

He was arrested for disorderly conduct...and if going over your 2 minutes and being rude are disorderly conduct then...wow. If he didnt leave i thought it would be some kind of trespassing, but i am no legal eagle.

that's the thing, it had nothing to do with the two minute rule...it also had nothing to do with him "speaking up" about the content of the book...

i'll quote from my earlier post, because i don't feel like typing it all up again..

"the rules were explained at the beginning of the meeting, so he understood that he had 2 minutes to make a statement to the board, and he understood that it wasn't a Q&A session, yet he still chose to try and make it one...instead of making his point, he wasted time trying to get them to change the rules just for him...

and after his time was up, he decided to interrupt another parent, and rant, and disrupt the meeting.

THAT is why he was arrested...because he was rude, disruptive, refused to comply with the established rules of decorum, as stated and explained at the start of the meeting, and then refusing to leave when asked....oh, and then telling the officer to arrest him....actually, if you watch the video, you see him going on and on about a "civics lesson", and he's actually the first person to mention arresting in his rant "why don't you arrest me", i believe is what he said... "

But i do respect his opinion on the matter but can definitely say he did not handle it properly...no one really did...

i respect that he has an opinion, i respect that he has reservations about the content of that one page, and that's fine, and there are ways to address those concerns...what he did was not even close to the right way..

he acted inappropriately...rudely, disruptively, and confrontative...and he got what was appropriate...

i mean, if the school board had called the cop over, while he was using his allotted two minutes, and had him arrested, because they didn't like his opinion, i'd be all over this, for being wrong, and slimy, and calling the school board every kind of scumbag there is...and i'd be criticizing the hell out of the cop for complying with it....but this is not what happened...he chose poorly, and acted improperly, and got thumped for it...

a reply to: WhiteAlice

because the thread isn't about the book, the thread is about the dad's behavior, which was rude, disruptive, and inappropriate.

i'm not saying it's a great book, and that he's a retard for having a problem with it...i'm saying that his behavior in the video was not cool, and his clear intent was to make a scene...he didn't do this the right way.

there were other ways to address the issue, making an ass of himself at an official public function was not the thing to do..

a reply to: Daedalus

Considering the content of the book and as a parent myself, I think he had a very valid reason to be upset and was actually quite restrained all things considered. Eye of the beholder, I suppose. The content of the book is very important to make that distinction in terms of estimating the father's behavior in relation to the book in question.

On a related note, I checked and the book isn't on my local school district's required reading list or even their suggested book database. I'm glad. On the other hand, Picoult lives in New Hampshire so is it any great surprise that her book would be on the required reading list in New Hampshire?

PS. considering the active presence of the mods on this thread, the fact that my complaints about the subject matter of the book along with many other posters' remarks on it have not been removed, I guess it means that it is still applicable. You cannot divest one from the other.

originally posted by: WhiteAlice
a reply to: Daedalus

Considering the content of the book and as a parent myself, I think he had a very valid reason to be upset and was actually quite restrained all things considered.

Set the content aside a moment and take a real good look at the process...check the links provided and think about who is saying what, and how. There is a bigger picture here, and it may not be what you expect!

a reply to: Daedalus

He did not bring the cameras. WMUR filmed this. He did let them know about the issue before...but to say he brought the cameraman is false...WMUR made their own decision to be there..

www.laconiadailysun.com...

originally posted by: Cosmocow
a reply to: Daedalus

He did not bring the cameras. WMUR filmed this. He did let them know about the issue before...but to say he brought the cameraman is false...WMUR made their own decision to be there..

www.laconiadailysun.com...

There are two videos...one is much longer, and follows him out into the lot, where they ask where the press is. Like I said, follow the links on this thread and they show you a biggest picture. WMUR stayed in the meeting.
You've been played.

a reply to: JohnnyCanuck


I have only seen WMURs...how have I been played? Please just tell me instead of being cryptic