July 4, 2002

Lloyd K. Marbet, a chief petitioner on the campaign finance reform initiative, is (as of 5:15 pm today, July 4) in the process of being arrested for attempting to enter the City of Estacada's Timber Park for the purpose of collecting signatures on the initiative.

Timber Park is a public park of the City of Estacada.

Mr. Marbet is at this moment surrounded by 4 officers of the Clackamas County Sheriff (officers Napoli, Westerman, Rippe, Zacher) and is being arrested.  They say he will be taken into custody and transported to the county jail in Oregon City.  He is currently sitting in the police vehicle.

"People have the right to collect signatures on public property," said attorney Dan Meek.  "Forbidding someone from entering a public park, simply because he is carrying a petition and openly admits his intention to collect signatures, is a pure content-based restriction on speech and is clearly in direct violation of Article I, Section 8, of the Oregon Constitution and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

The officers are acting on a complaint by Tonya Phillips, who is apparently a representative of the Estacada Chamber of Commerce.

"How ironic that I am being arrested on the 4th of July for exercising the freedoms that this day is supposed to represent," said Marbet.

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LLOYD MARBET IS BEING ARRESTED FOR TRYING TO PETITION IN AN ESTACADA PUBLIC PARK

July 4, 2002

Lloyd K. Marbet, a chief petitioner on the campaign finance reform initiative, is (as of 5:15 pm today, July 4) in the process of being arrested for attempting to enter the City of Estacada's Timber Park for the purpose of collecting signatures on the initiative.

Timber Park is a public park of the City of Estacada.

Mr. Marbet is now in a Clackamas County Sheriff's Office vehicle. He has been handcuffed.  At least 4 sheriff officers (officers Napoli, Westerman, Rippe, Zacher) are at the scene.  They say he will be transported to the county jail in Oregon City.

"People have the right to collect signatures on public property," said attorney Dan Meek.  "Forbidding someone from entering a public park, simply because he is carrying a petition and openly admits his intention to collect signatures, is a pure content-based restriction on speech and is clearly in direct violation of Article I, Section 8, of the Oregon Constitution and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

"A city cannot `lease' a public park to the Chamber of Commerce or to any other private group for a day or a week or a year and then claim that the park is somehow `private property.'  That would be like renting a city park to the Ku Klux Klan and then claiming that only white people are allowed to enter the park."

The officers are acting on a complaint by Tonya Phillips, who is apparently a representative of the Estacada Chamber of Commerce.

"How ironic that I am being arrested on the 4th of July for exercising the freedoms that this day is supposed to represent," said Marbet.