2/28/2010 6:01:00 AM Weapons, politicking policies top Monday's agenda
JC AMBERLYN/Miner Mervin Fried (facing camera) talks to Channel 3-KTVK Producer Jay Crandall and Cameraman Adrian Campa in front of the Mohave County Administration Building Thursday. Fried’s attempt to enter with building with a pitchfork led to a new county policy on deadly weapons that will be discussed at Monday’s supervisors’ meeting.
KINGMAN - With new policies prohibiting deadly weapons and politicking on county property on the agenda, the Board of Supervisors might get earful from residents during their Monday meeting.
County Manager Ron Walker announced the new policies Thursday afternoon in a video on the county's Web site.
The politicking policy is in response to a claim from Golden Valley resident Luca Zanna that his First Amendment rights were infringed on when he was asked to stop passing out flyers during a November town hall meeting for John McCain held at the County Administration Building. The county previously did not have a written policy on the matter.
According to the written policy on politicking on county property, people driving vehicles with bumper stickers or campaign signs will not be asked to leave county property as long as they are at the building to do business with the county, such as pay a tax bill or file paperwork with the elections office.
Walker has said the new gun check policy was in response to recent events around the nation and in Mohave County, where resident Mervin Fried was arrested for trespassing at a protest on Feb. 16 after attempting to enter the county building with a pitchfork.
"It's a shame that this had to come about, especially at a time when people have such little trust in their government," said District I Supervisor Gary Watson, referring to the gun check policy.
Watson said he had spoken with and been working on the problem with Zanna, before he left for knee surgery last week.
Unfortunately, things escalated while Watson was away.
"I'm not happy about it. I anticipate that people will be upset," Watson said. "This is not something that I wanted to see happen."
District III Supervisor Buster Johnson said he is just as unhappy.
"It's sad that we were forced into this," Johnson said. The protest and the pitchfork have caused a situation where county employees and members of the public are afraid. It's also placed the county in a possible legal situation if someone gets hurt.
"I have to agree with him (County Manager Ron Walker) on this one," Johnson said. "It's one thing to carry a gun, but when you display it in a way that intimidates people ..."
"I hate that it's come to this," he said.
"It's the same old story, a few people have ruined it for everyone else," said Board chairman Tom Sockwell, who added that carrying a gun into the building is a privilege. "But now we're at the point where we're getting concerned that someone might do something silly."
He said he understood why Zanna was upset but there was no reason that things needed to get out of hand like they have.
The Board will meet at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the County Administration Building, 700 W. Beale St.
Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Article comment by:
We Can Recall Sockwell
Folks, the recall is really charged up, we are raising money and getting signatures! This county has been under the corrupt thumbs of this BOS for too long, and they have gone too far. We can now remove Sockwell from office. Help us do this. Please go to RecallSockwell.com to help! We meet every week, we need your help, be part of history to clean up this county! RecallSockwell.com for info!
Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010
Article comment by:
Betsy Ross
A.D.G. rambles a lot, doesn't he/she? Makes one think perhaps he is either an elected official or someone being paid to write these long, rambling posts every day on every letter. Suspicious.
Posted: Thursday, March 18, 2010
Article comment by:
Please Step Up and Help with www.RecallSockwell.com
To help with RecallSockwell go to www.RecallSockwell.com or e-mail MohaveFreedom@Yahoo.com The cause is growing stronger every day, but we still need people to circulate petitions and we need donations. Now is the time for change and we can do it.
Posted: Saturday, March 06, 2010
Article comment by:
Mrs. Wilson
I will feel alot safer to know that there will not be weapons allowed at County Buildings, just as they are not allowed at most big city governmental building and Court houses. Times are changing and we need to change with the times. I do fully believe in preserving our constitutional rights to free speech and bear arms BUT there is a time and place for everything!!
Posted: Saturday, March 06, 2010
Article comment by:
fed up
it's pretty obvious that Ron Walker is going to continually make up new ordinances against every evolving tactic which citizens employ at Board of Supervisor meetings. How about if everybody shows up after consumming a large can of chili beans, taking the front seats and holding activated microphones near their posteriors? Can Walker ban from the meetings all who have eaten that morning? So far, he has banned tattoos, bumper stickers, clothing types, etc. Why not just require something akin to school uniforms in order to attend BOS meetings? Something easily removed for those strip searches he will probably mandate for entry to the county Administration building soon. What a (deleted). But what do you expect from a Government which conducts illegal home break-ins and jealously guards their criminal inroads to your privacies and other rights?
Posted: Friday, March 05, 2010
Article comment by:
az mac
ica rus Learn a little history. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYyttEu_NLU&feature=related
Posted: Friday, March 05, 2010
Article comment by:
NO NAME
@Icarus...by about 1804 most of the slavery in the north had already been abolished. It just took the south a little longer. :)
Posted: Friday, March 05, 2010
Article comment by:
ica rus
@No Name: If the US had remained under English control slavery would have been abolished in 1833, when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed in England. So no, the founding fathers did not put in place the freedoms everyone enjoys, they still owned slaves well beyond the tipping point for slavery in England. So if it wasn't for the Revolutionary war the horror of slavery would have ended 31 years earlier than it did in the US.
Posted: Friday, March 05, 2010
Article comment by:
Quit Whining
@Lighten Up
Thank you, that was hillarious and very well timed!
Posted: Friday, March 05, 2010
Article comment by:
lighten up
With all your foolishness in rushing to condem the bos have you taken a minute to think this issue thru? I think the idea of keeping and arming bears I a stupid one and I'm sure the forefathers felt the same. First of all keeping and arming bears is dangerous they don't have well functioning opposable thumbs making it impossible to aim properly second what if one of these pistol packing bears go nuts when the circus comes to town one minute oh sweetie look he is riding a bike the BAM BAM it would horrible the carnage an armed bear could crerate would be unspeakable and haunt our dreams for a long time the cost of counseling would be huge. Now I'm not condeming all bears some are very nice and docil however when you arm a bear they can become very aggressive in the wild like 50s era gangsters they only shoot each other but imagine a few dozen armed bears at the next bos meeting I dare not. So let's use our heads here before its too late and stop the open carry right to keep and arm bears its a dangerous and foolish debate keep your bears but don't arm them please..... Intended as a parody please don't reply I don't know what I'm talking about reread this and you will see its no more follish than the roars of revolt and over throw we have had the displeasure of reading lately at least I'm trying make people smile and think too
Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010
Article comment by:
A.D G
Once again facts are not important to the screams of viva la revolution though it never has been. You take apart an remove facts that don't make your cause rally to your call. This country was founded by rich white men who wanted to be free and didn't want to pay taxes so the took their slaves and less than equal wives and mistresses to a new land to get richer and oppose any tribute to the king including taxes which the did see fit to in time make us pay. As for jefferson freeing anyone well if you maen free from working and sweating in a field to workin in his private chambers then you are correct he was a champion of freedom. You speak of the founding fathers and the bill of rights and constitution but you don't care what we the people want just your sad cries like a child told to clean his room I suspect that the reason your side always resorts to threats and rhetoric to attemped to keep we the people from coming together and to facilitate hate and distrust is because you don't want change or civil resolve you want only to create dissent and discourse or your side would find one of you intelligent enough to run for office and change through the ballot process the founding fathers visioned for good positive change that expresses the will of we the people not just a group of spoiled brats throughing a temper tantrum. I challenge your side to dig deep. Find a leader who can reason with intelligent debate put him or her on a ballot and if they can express why your side is patriotic and in sync with the forward movement of our community and country without this foolishness we have seen here lately I not only will vote for them I will openly and vigorous campaign for them. But not in the manner you have presented your side to we the people lately we are past this type of foolish waste of our time and want to see something more stimulating.
Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010
Article comment by:
NO NAME
@Icarus well, I don't personally remember the civil war but yes, I have read about it. My point was that they wouldn't have those freedoms (none of us would) if not for the founding fathers. Sometimes we have to stand up and fight for our freedom. We have done this several times in history and my guess is we will have to do it again as more and more of our rights are disappearing.
Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010
Article comment by:
Just N Old Biker
To those of you that are taking this issue lightly I would ask if you ever took the oath to "protect and defend the condtitution ....against all enemies foreign and domestic". There are no qualifiers or reservations contained in this oath. There is no time limit stated or implied. The Constituion contains no language that says or implies that the document is 'recommended'. If you took this oath then keep it.
I recall a rather profound statement made by a German General in WW 2 "When they came for them, I was not one of them, so I did not stand up. And when they came for me it was too late."
Do not let it become too late for them because it will be too late for you.
Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010
Article comment by:
David Dunlap
Sounds more and more like the ol' violation of the 2nd amendment to me! Isn't it nice that they want to remove and register the guns of the law abiding, but leaves us unarmed so that the nutcases will have a "gun free zone" to do their dirty work......remind anyone of Ft Hood? You people are nuts! If guns cause crime, then forks cause fat...!!!
Posted: Thursday, March 04, 2010
Article comment by:
ica rus
@No Name: you're kidding, right? Slavery wasn't abolished until 1864, remember the Civil War?
