Private security dragged out a woman who had been interrupting a Kootenai County Republican Central Committee legislative town hall in Idaho Saturday as Sheriff Robert Norris stood by, spurring a disagreement between the sheriff and Coeur d’Alene’s police chief over the First Amendment implications of the incident.
Update:
So this took place in a public high school. This woman was threatened, detained and assaulted by private security personnel who didn’t identify themselves, didn’t say she was trespassing – which they don’t seem to have the authority to do anyway – , and the sheriff just watched and let it happen.
This seems like a pretty clear first-amendment violation, as well as a criminal assault charge by the security personnel. I hope she sues everyone involved for all they’re worth.
From my reading, it seems that the local police department may amazingly be on the right side of this incident, in opposition to the sheriff’s department.