Man Arrested For Counter-Protesting A Tea Party Without A Permit

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A minister who screamed at tea partiers protesting health care reform in Brunswick, Ga., was arrested Wednesday for not having a permit to demonstrate.

In video of the protest, Zack Lyde was loudly arguing with protesters when a police officer approached him and asked if he had a permit to protest.

“I’m not gonna move and you’re not gonna arrest me!” Lyde yelled. Backup officers arrived and ordered Lyde to leave.

When he refused, two officers pointed Tasers at him.

“Put your hands behind your back or I’ll shoot you with a Taser!” one yelled. Lyde got onto his knees and put his hands behind his back, and the officers pushed him to the ground.

He was charged with disorderly conduct and released on his own recognizance.

About 25 protesters with the Golden Isle Tea Party had gathered outside a federal building that houses the post office and a district office of Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA). (Kingston reportedly wasn’t there at the time.) The protesters held up signs with slogans such as, “Obama lies, Granny dies,” and some were dressed in colonial garb.

Some of the demonstrators were upset police arrested Lyde.

“That is the wrong thing to do,” one woman told officers as they handcuffed Lyde. Later, she said Lyde should have been allowed to stay. “We’re about liberty.”

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