Get on the Bus

Jacob Sullum | December 8, 2005

Prosecutors have decided to drop federal charges against Deborah Davis for refusing to show her ID while riding a public bus that crosses the Denver Federal Center. The Rocky Mountain News reports that "federal officials said the Davis case was closed because of a technicality involving a problem with a sign at the Federal Center at the time Davis was ticketed. The sign was supposed to inform people that their IDs would be checked." But the policy of demanding IDs from passengers, even those who are not getting off within the federal complex, will continue.

Davis' supporters say they will continue to protest the policy, starting with a "victory ride" on one of the buses following a rally tomorrow morning. "My anticipation is that the victory riders will be fully exercising their constitutional rights to travel freely in their own country on a public bus," said activist Bill Scannell, who suggested a mass show of civil disobedience was in the offing.

"Sign or no sign," said Davis' lawyer, "she and other Colorado citizens continue to have the constitutional right to travel by public bus without being forced to show identification to federal agents....I think if the government is going to insist on continuing to violate the constitutional rights of our citizens, then they're going to find themselves back in court on this one."

[Thanks to Ari Armstrong for the tip.]

Comments

|12.8.05 @ 9:34AM|#

Sissies.

|12.8.05 @ 9:53AM|#

Denver strikes two blows for freedom in five weeks. Kickass, Denver. (And Go Broncos!!)

Have you voted for H&R today? I can't believe Nick is sending out emails to promote this crap, but then again, I can't believe H&R is in third - and getting beat by TPMCafe and RedState, but not by much.

|12.8.05 @ 9:53AM|#

As Lazarus Long noted, when a place gets crowded enough to require IDs, it's time to go elsewhere.

Too bad there's nowhere left to go.

Warren|12.8.05 @ 10:37AM|#

Go get em! Denver freedom lovers.

I can't believe Nick is sending out emails to promote this crap
What!? Where's me personal email Nick? Huh? Where's the love man?

|12.8.05 @ 10:48AM|#

Thanks Adam! Yeah, we kinda have libertarian streak here in Colorado. If we just coulda beaten back Ref C. which weakened our Taxpayers Bill of Rights, the strictest restraint on state spending in the nation. Damn that one still hurts! But as you made reference, in that election Denver voters also decriminalized marijuana use!

I won't be surprised if the Feds modify their unconstitutional ID check for that bus rout- maybe to only requiring a check for people who disembark at the Fed Center. Too many folks here in the Denver area are calling talk radio saying that they're gonna go out of their way to hop on that bus sans ID just to assert their constitutional rights.

Vote for Reason! I'm glad that Nick is promoting it. I imagine that competition is. This stellar blog certainly deserves to win!

|12.8.05 @ 10:59AM|#

...Shoulda been: Vote for Reason! I'm glad that Nick is promoting it. I imagine that *the* competition is. This stellar blog certainly deserves to win!

Sorry-Well, New Year's comein up. I could try another resolution to finally start using the Preview button...

|12.8.05 @ 11:50AM|#

Where's me personal email Nick? Huh? Where's the love man?

Warren, no doubt Nick knows that he can count on you :)

|12.8.05 @ 11:57AM|#

"Sissies."
Does anyone believe there was really a problem with a sign? I don't, so I add "bullshitters" to "sissies."

"There are plenty of lawyers in Denver who would be happy to help people," she said.

Only when the publicity amounts to free advertising.

|12.8.05 @ 11:57AM|#

Rick: ...we kinda have libertarian streak here in Colorado.

Colorado, maybe, but I heard that Denver itself is more like a colony of NY/MA, with almost as sever restrictions on self defense (CCW) as D.C. Or has that changed?

|12.8.05 @ 12:18PM|#

God it's good to be right!. If you read the previous posts on this subject this is exactly what I predicteed would happen!

The Wine Commonsewer|12.8.05 @ 12:23PM|#

Thanks Adam, see, that is exactly what I'm talking about in my post from the other day.

I've already forgotten about the voting and I'm a regular. You guys need to remind us every day.

VM|12.8.05 @ 12:35PM|#

the PIGSKIN BUS?

hey stretch: where is laz posting these days? do you remember the battles he and lefty had back when?

cheers!

|12.8.05 @ 12:45PM|#

Great, so it's a victory that leaves us with a bit of a 'huh' feeling. Sort of like the Korean War.

I feel like we met the enemy on the field of battle, but lousy weather stopped the battle from starting. Meaning it's gonna happen, sooner or later, and ultimately, this is no victory.

Paul

R C Dean|12.8.05 @ 1:30PM|#

we kinda have libertarian streak here in Colorado.

Which would explain why you tossed out the taxpayer bill of rights last month.

|12.8.05 @ 3:32PM|#

Yes RC, I mentioned and lamented that. TABOR wasn't exactly "tossed out". It was tragically modified so that for the next five years taxpayers will forgo their TABOR mandated refunds and then the spending baseline will be set at the highest of those five years where the TABOR formula that spending may increase no more than inflation plus population growth will come into play again. Ref C did not affect the TABOR requirement that any tax increases must have voter approval.

Now that Ref C has passed, we definitely need a more fiscally conservative legislator. The Dems took over in the 2004 elections, making the Ref C debacle possible, along with support from our turncoat Republican governor. Despite being dramatically outspent, we still didn't lose by too much. I think that this is more evidence of the libertarian bias of Colorado voters.

|12.8.05 @ 3:36PM|#

I should mention that despite the treachery of our Republican governor, the great majority of Republicans in the legislator opposed Ref C.

|12.8.05 @ 3:39PM|#

Why can't they just modify the route of the bus so it does not go through federal property?

|12.8.05 @ 3:45PM|#

Sphynx:

Colorado, maybe, but I heard that Denver itself is more like a colony of NY/MA, with almost as sever restrictions on self defense (CCW) as D.C. Or has that changed?

I live in one of Denver's burbs but I wouldn't be surprised if Denver's gun control laws are kinda draconian.

|12.8.05 @ 3:57PM|#

anomdebus,

It's a very big place and some of the federal employees who work there take that bus to get to work.

Perhaps they could downsize the place so that a bus negotiating the periphery could drop the federal employees off without too long of a walk. I imagine that we could eliminate at least 80% of the jobs there and a net good would be the result.

|12.8.05 @ 4:37PM|#

Rick,
Would if it were true. However, I was thinking that the employees complaining would get the feds to reconsider inconveniencing through passengers.

|12.8.05 @ 5:16PM|#

Why can't they just modify the route of the bus so it does not go through federal property?

To paraphrase Ghost Busters, because of millions of dues paying union members.

Yeah, I'm cynical, but hey, after years of U.S. government rule, who would't be?

Paul

|12.8.05 @ 7:23PM|#

I'm happy for Davis, but this is kind of anti-climactic.

I was looking forward to a Million Unidentified Men March.

Viking "Peter Venkman" Moose|12.8.05 @ 7:37PM|#

lenny... you will have saved the lives of mmmmiiiilllllions of registered voters...