Our good friend and longtime researcher Robert Groden, who has sold his excellent books and films in Dealey Plaza for decades, in opposition to the official story being perpetrated by the Sixth Floor Museum, was arrested in this most recent raid, following dozens of other wrongful arrests for the same “crime” that were consistently thrown out of court. This time, he was kept in jail for nine hours. Many things are sold inside Dealey Plaza, including misleading books at the Museum, food and parking spaces. Only the truth about the Kennedy assassination seems to be disallowed for sale or permanent exhibition – John Judge
Dallas police crack down on Dealey Plaza vendors who peddle maps, conspiracy theories
11:43 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Dallas News
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA-TV
No visit to Dealey Plaza is complete without a run-in with vendors selling maps, newspapers and conspiracy theories.
That may soon change as Dallas police crack down on the street peddlers, who can be ticketed and arrested if they lack the proper permits.
“When a visitor is coming to … Dallas, and the first thing they are being cussed at or spit on or harassed, that’s not the image we want portrayed,” Deputy Police Chief Vince Golbeck said.
Michael Brownlow talks about conspiracy theories and gives tours at the downtown plaza alongside the spot where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Even Brownlow acknowledges that sometimes the vendors get out of hand.
“They walk up and say, ‘Would you like a tour?’ and you say no and they continue on and continue on and they actually intimidate people, and some people are scared,” he said.
But Brownlow says not all vendors are like that. He says some, like him, simply want to spread the word about different theories on the assassination.
He said he believes that police are heavy-handed when dealing with vendors, and he watched a good friend arrested last weekend.
“I feel like his civil rights were violated and his constitutional rights,” he said.
Dallas police say the vendors can give papers away or sell them on public sidewalks, but once they enter Dealey Plaza, which is considered a park, they are committing a crime.
“It is giving another perspective of that important piece of history,” Golbeck said, “and that is fine if they are doing so on public property.”
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A similar situation exists in Beijing, China. Vendors are wanting to make money from what they sell to passersby. This is understandable, however, there does come a point where a vendor may push too far for a sale to an unwilling tourist. This is especially true if the vendor is not so clean and manicured in appearance. Then a tourist complains to the police. The police are required to act, but how far should they go to protect someone from too many words spoken to disinterested guest of the City. This IS a perplexing situation. And it is easy to see both sides. Requiring a license or permit, etc. is just about the only solution between give and take. However, the “Rules” should be posted somewhere in the park, so both the vendors and the tourists know what is allowed, and what’s not.