LF: Texas Showdown: Olmos Park Police Rebel Against State Open Carry Law; Arrest Citizens [WATCH]

Title: Texas Showdown: Olmos Park Police Rebel Against State Open Carry Law; Arrest Citizens [WATCH]
Source: USSANews/Joe For America
URL Source: http://ussanews.com/News1/2018/03/2 ... rry-law-arrest-citizens-watch/
Published: Mar 28, 2018
Author: Scott Osborn
Post Date: 2018-03-29 12:34:27 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 1747
Comments: 3

Liberal Olmos Park Police Chief Rene Valenciano has a reputation of usurping Texas’ Open Carry law and it came to a head when 2nd Amendment activist CJ Grisham was illegally arrested Tuesday for legally carrying a firearm.

Grisham and some of his crew were legally open carrying pistols and long guns. It was done in response to an incident last week when an Olmos Park police officer drew guns on and detained a person with a protest sign solely for the reason of open carrying a pistol, which turned out to be a training fake.

Open Carry Texas sent out a press release saying that Grisham was tasered and suffered an injury during his arrest. The press release also said he was arrested by the Olmos Park Police Chief Rene Valenciano.

Video of the arrest:

Grisham is a retired First Sergeant and Counterintelligence special agent, Fort Hood soldier and the founder and president of Open Carry Texas, a Texas organization that fights for the 2nd Amendment. Open Carry was in the forefront of getting the recent open carry bill passed to allow concealed handgun permit holders to begin carrying handguns openly.

The bill was signed into law on June 13, 2015, and took effect on January 1, 2016.

Despite the new law, the Olmos Park police department has had a number of recent incidents where it has harassed and even arrested citizens for open carry.

The Texas Rangers, Texas Attorneys’ office, and Governor Abbott are all three aware of the situation. The Texas Rangers have jurisdiction in Texas to investigate local police departments.

Grisham had a a previous phone conversation with the Valenciano about their policies. The chief seemed entirely unconcerned with his officers illegally detaining people for a perfectly legal activity.

Here’s audio of the phone call with Olmos Park Police Chief Rene Valenciano a day or two before the arrest.

Grisham was charged with assault of a peace officer, according to Bexar County records. Video of the incident shows that no assault took place.

The Killeen Daily Herald reports:

This charge is a second degree felony. Additionally, Grisham was charged with interfering with the duties of a public servant and obstruction of a passageway, both of which are Class B misdemeanors, as well as resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor.
The Temple resident had a total $13,000 bond. Self Defense Fund Executive Director Larry Keilberg told the Telegram Tuesday evening the group had posted Grisham’s bond. Self Defense Fund is a gun rights legal defense group.
Grisham, who came under fire for anti-cop Facebook posts during his run for District 55, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Olmos Park, an enclave city in San Antonio.
The arrest occurred after Grisham and Open Carry Texas members were holding a demonstration in Olmos Park. The group’s described the event on Twitter as the “Olmos Park Forced Education and Compliance Rally.”
A screen recording of a Facebook Live stream by Grisham showed officers rushing toward Grisham.
Open Carry Texas tweeted that Grisham was bleeding from his head. Keilberg said Grisham was taken to a San Antonio hospital to treat his head injury.
Grisham was in Killeen on Saturday leading a group of counter-protesters to the March for Our Lives rally, which drew more than 200 people calling for stricter gun laws.

There are many videos of the arrest.

There was no articulated probable cause for the arrest. The police showed up, including Chief Valenciano and ordered Grisham and his crew to the ground. Grisham lawfully refused. It was Valenciano that personally tazed and arrested Grisham. He had full knowledge who Grisham was and why he was there. The officers continued to refuse to state why they were arresting him.

The department is also refusing to process open records requests.

Valenciano and the Olmos Park PD are in some serious trouble. This is insubordination on behalf of a local municipality against Texas state law. The Texas grassroots is on this. I am convinced that Valenciano has never seen the power of the Texas Grassroots! Phones at the Governors office, the AG office, the Texas Rangers and other elected Texas officials are ringing off the hook. A lawsuit is on the way.

“Chief Valenciano believes the Olmos Park Police Department is above the law and appears to enjoy terrorizing lawful gun owners,” Open Carry Texas Vice President David Amad said in a statement. “Open Carry Texas will not allow such outrageous abuse by government officials against law abiding Texans. We will fight until Olmos Park respects the constitutional rights of citizens and the laws of the State of Texas.”

A message for the Olmos Park Police Department was not immediately returned. Imagine that!

Sounds like a citizen sting operation against the police department, except unlike the usual sting operations, there was nothing done in secret whatsoever save the fact that at least one of the guns was not real, and probably none of them were.

I know how unpopular my opinion will be on this subject, but open carry of a rifle to incite a reaction is just wrong. Open carry while walking to and from a vehicle is what would be considered normal. Someone carrying a rifle just to get a reaction? Childish and dangerous. There is no legitimate need to carry a rifle on the streets today. These kinds of stunts are straight out of the lefts playbook, and has as its main consequence, alienating NRA and GOA type of folks. When it is time to carry rifles openly on city streets, arrest or harassment will be the least of our worries.

THIS IS A TAG LINE...Exercising rights is only radical to two people, Tyrants and Slaves. Which are YOU? Our ignorance has driven us into slavery and we do not recognize it.

I doubt the GOA types are offended at all. They're a lot more ideological than the "safe" NRA members.

I do think these Texas open-carry radicals are going a bit far with their activism but I don't really have a good reason other than thinking that it needlessly antagonizes the Lefties.

However, we don't know ultimately whether their protest style helps our cause or hurts it. And we do believe in gun rights and free speech. So I might prefer they don't do it but I wouldn't tell them they have no right to. It's a question of tactics, not that I disagree with them in any principle.