Howard Jones,

"leaving constitutional issues aside"

That's exactly what this event has done. They've tossed our constitutional rights in the trash for the sake of exercising their control over our rights.

"surely at any large event a bit of give and take is required to avoid performers infringing on each other or obstructing the public.'

My point exactly, no one was infringing on anyone else, in my case. Nor was anyone obstructing the public in my case. I understand that you weren't there and witness to what happened. You only have my words as evidence. I, however, have witnesses to exactly what went down.

My point is, that their security was entirely uninterested in give and take and apparently felt like bullying someone. NW Folklife's rules should not condone such behavior but they, nevertheless, allowed him to act with impunity by threatening me, intimidating me, and trying his best to trump up charges against me. Until finally, he just plain lied about me to justify police intervention.

But my concern goes beyond what happened to me at this event last year. It was about three weeks after Memorial Day 2009 that the court case was won, in favor of street performing being a protected First Amendment right on public property. That is my point.

You seem to have the opinion that, adults engaging in a time honored performance tradition, are somehow incapable of doing so responsibly without the malevolent oversight of a compassionless corporation enacting illegal legislation to restrict us in that endeavor. I'm of the mind that grownups playing folk music know how to behave themselves.

How is it that we can proudly uphold our Second Amendment right to bear arms in public spaces but somehow NW Folklife seems to think that dangerously unsafe folksingers have to be placed under their control for the safety of the public?