[BC] Dealing with Protestors

[Xen Scott]

At 11:22 AM 1/8/06 -0500, Rich Wood wrote:
>------ At 12:22 AM 1/8/2006, Xen Scott wrote: -------
>
>>You might not hire protesters today.  The risk of having the situation 
>>taken over by unknown
>>outsiders and the consequences that could arise is too great.
>
>I remember the "Move" situation. It was bad stuff all around. I'm still 
>not sure burning down a neighborhood to force people out of a building is 
>the best approach. I doubt the Mayor would do the same today.

The City's position was that the police were trying to use a small 
explosive to open up a path
so that they could drop in tear gas.  The miscalculated the size of the 
explosive they used
and didn't allow for the possibility that a fire would result.  The fire 
got out of control
because the fire department was held at a distance by all the gunfire and 
exploding ammunition.
There were suggestions that the City Administration was fundamentally 
incompetent.  What with
the large settlement the city had to pay to people who lost their homes to 
the fire, it is
quite likely no mayor would authorize such police activity again.


>My "protesters" were actors. I wouldn't hire people who actually had an 
>agenda.

My point is that in today's world, with all the sensitivity about 
terrorism, it would
be very risky for a broadcaster to have anything to do with 
protesters.  The protest
could easily be taken over by unknown people and the broadcaster could be 
held liable
for the consequences.

Possibly in earlier decades, broadcasters could stage fake protests and 
other similar
promotional activities.  Now that the lawyers and other terrorists have 
become dominant,
it's a different environment and not nearly as much fun as it was in 
earlier, innocent, times.

Xen Scott