Civil Disobediance Sledding in DC

[Anti Federalist]

Despite ban in place, Capitol Hill can't shut down sledding

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/05/politi...ed-in-protest/

Washington (CNN)No, D.C.'s children will not get off your lawn, America.

That was the message they delivered Thursday with an impromptu "sled-in" on the grounds of the Capitol, defying a sledding ban that the chairman of the Capitol Police board had said Wednesday night he couldn't lift.

Board Chairman Frank Larkin said "unfortunately, the board cannot grant exceptions to the Traffic Regulations for the United States Capitol Grounds," which bans sledding, and other forms of fun, on the grassy knoll surrounding the building.

READ: Capitol Grounds sledding ban upheld

But fun prevailed.

Dozens of young sledders and their parents hit the suddenly snowy slopes of the Capitol grounds Thursday as the white stuff piled up across the city.

Remarkably, none of the tiny fun-havers were arrested, hassled or otherwise deterred from their ultimate goal: To hurtle down one of the city's best hills on bright plastic discs, at speeds that would worry even the most careless of parents.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton had pushed, unsuccessfully, for the ban to be lifted for a day. On Thursday, she thanked the Capitol Police for looking the other way while the sledders had their day, and cheered the protest on, though she said she avoided it to make it clear the protest resulted from "spontaneous organizing by parents for their kids."

"There could have been no better showing of the strong community support for overturning—or not enforcing—the sledding ban," she said. "Neither the waiver that I requested nor old fashioned commonsense policing about when to use the heavy hand of the law matter to kids. All kids know that D.C. is not Massachusetts and we rarely get enough snow to make having a sled seem worth it."

And the message for Larkin, the police board chairman who refused to have a heart and lift the ban?

"That's insane," a group of young protesters said, when confronted with the fact that some would bar them from their fun.

Insane, Mr. Larkin, indeed.

[Suzanimal]

From sledding to snowball fights, dozens of children and their parents took to Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon to protest a controversial sledding ban.

Capitol Police have refused to lift the sledding ban, but some parents organized a “sled in” on the west lawn of the Capitol to put a spotlight on the unpopular rule.

The snow day provided ample opportunity for the children and their parents to challenge the sledding ban.

“This is a great day for sledding and democracy,” said Tim Krepp, a parent who helped organize the event.

Krepp said the sledding ban is a “silly problem” that points to the larger issue of dysfunction in Washington.

Among those calling to lift the sledding ban is Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), who wrote to U.S. Capitol Police Board Chairman Frank Larkin Wednesday.

Capitol Police pointed out that more than 20,000 sledding injuries occur in the U.S. each year. They denied her request to lift the ban, but officers on the ground also refused to enforce it.

“No enforcement of #sledding ban on Capitol Hill today,” Holmes-Norton tweeted. “Thank you Capitol Police!”

It’s turning into a public relations nightmare for those who oppose sledding and support the ban.

“No member of Congress wants to go on the record saying, ‘Yeah, I hate children. Let’s ban this,’ ” Krepp said.

In the backyard of Congress, the children were not only sledding but also climbing trees, building snowmen and throwing snowballs at one another. Mostly oblivious to the protest, they were just there for fun.

“We come here every snow day,” said Kat Cummins, one of the parents. “This is our neighborhood and we want to sled.”

“There are not many other hills in the Capitol Hill area that are that great for sledding,” added Jason Petty, another parent.

The sled-in was also an escape for the many parents, who didn’t want to be cooped up with their children at home.

“We don’t want to be trapped in the house all day with the kids,” Krepp joked.

http://thehill.com/regulation/234799...n-capitol-lawn

[Suzanimal]

Sled free or die!

[donnay]

[JK/SEA]

he wants that kids name.

[CaptainAmerica]

those kids better watch out , there are some serial killers out there ready to enforce the law

[Slave Mentality]

FREEDOM!!!

[Anti Federalist]

///

[georgiaboy]

C'mon, Rand - get out there and sled with the kids on the Capitol Lawn!

[Christian Liberty]

Sledding is just another variation of evil according to the stupid standard conservative Christian interpretation of Romans 13

[twomp]

Sledding leads to terrorism.

[Weston White]

First it's sledding; next it's marijuana, teenage pregnancies, D-averages, latchkey kids, and dropouts. This is exactly why we need a military police state.