This was just mentioned by manysigns in the comment section of the last post, and it's something I think we've all noticed since the last raid.
The store owners across the street from the CoS bookstore are becoming increasingly agitated with us and our gatherings on their sidewalk. The police have been summoned about it more than once, and although they have always stated that we're doing nothing illegal by being there, the last thing we want is for someone to create a huge problem and try to turn us into the bad guys.
Does anyone have ideas for handling this? Last time we ended up moving down the sidewalk a bit to stand in front of a vacant building, but I'm afraid even if we do this from the start, they're still going to complain.
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Last time those guys actually ran around to other stores to try to encourage more calls to the police. That was just obnoxious on their part. In my opinion very little can be done. That business should not suffer from our protests, hence I think we shoul be more careful to stay by the abandoned venue and keep a distance from that location (the stores on the opposite side of the abandoned location seem to even enjoy our company). Other than that I don't think much will help.
I'll propose that we notify them in advance of the protest, and possibly send them some chocolates thanking them for their understanding. An advanced call might help, but realistically they'll complain anyway.
Actually, anon, if you're referring to the specialty imports store, that had the sunglasses out, the owner was the one who was most aggressive and hostile to us on Saturday. He was ranting on about how he 'kept his mouth shut for three weeks!' and how we cost him $300 every day we protested. Both stores on that side of the street are hostile to us.
As for possible solutions, several ideas were proposed in the post-raid thread over on enturb:
http://forums.enturbulation.org/22-local-miscellaneous-protests/flash-raid-pittsburgh-pa-11309/
Something needs to be done about these Oppressive Storeowners.
Well, they can't do anything about peaceful assembly. As long as we're not blocking the sidewalk to traffic (just as the sunglasses guy can't block things off with his rickety tables) there is nothing that they can do other than waste the police's time.
I agree. We are following all laws by doing so. We have any right to stand outside and protest as we want. If they have an issue, it's theirs, not ours. If they want to start crap, it'll just come back down to them whining about how the right to assemble is bad because it hurts their business.
I sat down on Carson Street right across from the Co$ building and watched how many people went in and out of that store. It was rather busy, people going in and out of that import store, but that one place with the skateboard Paul Revere had four people go in during the course of 90 minutes.
Four.
Yeah, we're hurting their business...
- Roj
let them protest us
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