The Jefferson Area Tea Party has been officially banned from the area around Congressman Tom Perriello’s office. The landlord of the building where Perriello’s office is located, Lisa Murphy, has convince the local officials that recent protests outside the office is negatively affecting the other tenants in the building.
Originally the tea party was told that as long as they did not interfere with the flow of traffic in the parking lot and obstruct business, because the lot was open to the general public, they would be allowed to protest in the parking lot. However, Ms. Murphy who donated $1000 to Perreillo’s campaign and held a fund raiser for him, was not happy with this situation. She complained long enough and loud enough to the local officials so that as of this week protesters are banned from parking area around the congressman’s office.
As a person who was at every event that took place at this location we were always respectful of the other businesses in the vicinity and did not block or obstruct traffic. This however made no difference to the landlord. The only event that took place at this location in which the police were not contacted was when Organizing for America held an event in the parking lot. OFA decided to hold a rally to show their support for government run health care on September 1st, the JATP was also there to counter their effort. The pro-Perriello group even set up a table in the parking lot to gather signatures and distribute printed signs to their participants. OFA must of had about 50 or more people and there with an equal number from the tea party. The debate continued for about 30 minutes or so with both sides chanting and loudly debating, but for some reason Ms. Murphy did not deem it a disturbance to her tenants and the police were not called. Rob Schilling has pictures of this rally on his blog.
This past Friday the Jefferson Area Tea Party showed up with about 50 people stood right in front of Perriello’s office. Before everyone arrived for the protest the police had been called. It is obvious that Murphy will put up with” inconvenience” to her tenants as long as it coincides with her political agenda in support of Tom. It really isn’t a matter of how it is affecting her tenants it is all about her beliefs.
20 Comments
Well, it’s her property and we should respect her wishes. The upside is that it Makes Tom look bad whether he agrees or disagrees with Murphy’s policy. Hey Tom, why don’t you show us some love and move to a different location so we can protest in peace (ha!). Also, I second BRG’s claim that we didn’t block traffic and were respectful to others.
I saw the video on the news and I don’t know how you can say everyone was respectful of the businesses in the area. The parking lot was jammed with people. The salon owner was completely valid in her concerns that her clients couldn’t get into the salon. Someone who was part of the protest the other day decided that the appropriate action was for her to ask Perriello to move his office. That’s a pretty nasty way to respond to a woman just trying to earn a living.
Regarding the first comment with the great grammar: this doesn’t make Perriello look bad. It makes the tea baggers look like jerks to people like me, who don’t feel passionately about the guy. I just came here after seeing the blog post on CvilleBlogs.
Where was her concern for the businesses in the building when Organizing for America came and set up a table in the parking lot and brought 50 + people with all their signs, which by the way could be found littered in the corners by the building after the event. Friday afternoon I found several “health care now”signs tossed behind a planter left there by the pro-Perriello crowd from Tuesday. She is not concerned about her business when it comes to people who agree with her agenda.
At least I used “it’s” correctly (I was worried about that one). TU raises a good point that bad grammar can distract from the argument being presented. Thanks TU for your tough love. Y’all come back now, hear!
The fact that some other group protested in the same way doesn’t negate the fact that your group’s protest blocked access to her business.
This is the reasoning of children, but the way. Jamie shouldn’t get in trouble for hitting because Timmy didn’t get in trouble for hitting. Come on. Be adults.
Well dear, you seem to miss the point,must be selective reasoning. We did not block access to any businesses, it was a false claim made by the landlord, who I repeat, helped fund Perriello’s campaign. As for the video on the news you probably saw the one from last Tuesday when there were as many counter protesters there who were never approached by the people from the salon and were the ones who were directly in front of their business. If you can’t understand the fact that these people are selectively imposing their “no trespassing” rules then you are blind.
Again, it doesn’t matter if they are selectively applying the no trespassing rule. The fact is that you trespassed. Some other group trespassed. You were asked not to.
Just because someone didn’t talk to that other group doesn’t mean you can keep trespassing.
The grammar here is as sound as the reasoning. I’ll leave you all to bicker and mangle the English language without me as a witness.
“I’ll leave you all to bicker and mangle the English language without me as a witness.” Typical elitist liberal comment.
Quick, call the ACLU! If they protect the “rights” of terrorists, certainly they’d be interested in protecting the 1st Amendment rights of US Citizens.
It is outrageous that a member of Congress would pick a location where citizens no longer have the right to peacefully petition their government for redress. Disabled veterans should protest and dare anyone to detain them for petitioning the congressman. If the vets were arrested, it would be a spineless Perriello who would take the hit.
Since we are discussing the Congressman’s office space. You know, something is bothering me about the entrance to Tom’s office (I’m looking at a tea party interview on the Shilling Show blog). It doesn’t appear to be handicap accessible. Is Tom’s office ADA compliant? Is there another, handicap-accessible, entrance somewhere else? Surely there must be and I just haven’t seen it. (Admittedly,I haven’t been there for a couple of months.)
Somebody help me out here.
Thanks in advance.
I believe there is an entrance on the back side of the office. It is not very convenient but it looks handicap accessible.
Thanks BRG!
How do I join the Tea Party?
It’s stunningly hypocritical to see ostensible conservatives insisting that they have a right to trespass on private property. Somehow you’re to the left of me on private property rights. If I were a landlord, and a bunch of angry old men claimed a right to fill up my parking lot and shout, I’d tell ‘em all to go to hell, and I suspect I’d be carrying one of my guns, just to make the point stick.
Er…you do still support the right to bear arms, don’t you? What with abandoning property rights, I just can’t be sure.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble anywhere they want in any number at any time and blaring amplified sounds regardless of the effect it has on anyone else. And forget peaceably.
Except for a swmall megaphone the tea party has never had amplified sound. The JATP is not part of AFA and has nothing to do with the bus that showed up in the parking lot. That was not a JATP event, get your facts straight.
So just be sure to not have an offically sanctioned tea party event! Everyone can just show up as individuals.
So this metrosexual needs a woman to defend him? This is so funny.
The Tea Party protest are moving to mailboxes everywhere. Just watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZDZzbUxrnM
It shouldn’t inconvenience anyone in the PRODUCTIVE SECTOR.
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[...] Tea party Banned From Perriello’s Office By blueridgeguy The Jefferson Area Tea Party has been officially banned from the area around Congressman Tom Perriello’s office. The landlord of the building where Perriello’s office is located, Lisa Murphy, has convince the local officials that recent protests outside the office is negatively affecting the other tenants in the building. continued [...]
[...] the (majority) public outcry, some legislators have gone so far as to ban tea party members from their offices under penalty of arrest. Most of the MSM, excluding Fox, has carried the [...]
[...] the (majority) public outcry, some legislators have gone so far as to ban tea party members from their offices under penalty of arrest. Most of the MSM, excluding Fox, has carried the [...]