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Atascadero woman attacks Obama protesters

July 9, 2014
Rosemary Bem

Rosemarie Bem

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Claiming she was defending President Barack Obama from an unwarranted attack, an Atascadero woman pepper sprayed a group of peaceful protestors on Monday afternoon. Atascadero police then charged the woman with two counts of battery.

During the late afternoon, a group of five protesters were holding a demonstration at the Highway 101 overpass on Curbaril Avenue. The demonstrators were holding a sign calling for the impeachment of Obama.

At about 5 p.m., Rosemarie Bem, 67, pulled up beside the protesters in her car, doused demonstrators with pepper spray and then fled the scene, witnesses said. Even though police charged Bem with battery, she defends her actions.

“I’m a veteran, and I was protecting the president from what I perceived as an unwarranted attack,” Bem said when contacted by CalCoastNews. She did not offer any further explanation.

Atascadero Police Sergeant Jason Carr said the demonstrators did nothing to provoke the attack.

“The police report indicates that it was a peaceful protest,” Carr said. “They were merely holding signs on the freeway overpass. There were no words that were exchanged.”

Bem’s pepper spray hit two of the demonstrators, causing them burning and redness, police said. At the scene, paramedics washed chemicals off the victims’ skin.

Fred Starbuck, who was sprayed in the face and eyes, said the pepper spray also hit a third member of the group.

“She got me dead center,” Starbuck said. “I find it sad that someone would feel it’s okay to attack individuals because they disagree with your point of view.”

Shortly after the incident, officers located Bem. She then admitted to pepper spraying the protesters, Carr said.

Officers cited Bem for battery and battery with a chemical agent, and then released her.


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Could she have worked for the Post Office?


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OMG, someone is wound a bit tight, no?


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… or something about her pension?


http://transparentcalifornia.com/pensions/2012/calpers/rosemarie-l-bem/


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Anonymous commentators doxing/stalking people by name can stop right now, side of the issue matters not.

The mgt


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The pepper spray carried, shipped, sold or used in California should also be labeled with a warning stating that the product is only intended for self-defense. In general, most state laws (California included) enforce that pepper spray should only be used in self defense situations where you fear your life or safety is in danger. Illegal use of pepper spray products (perhaps dispensing them out of anger or as non self defense violence against another person) can bring fines of $1000 and up and/or three years in prison.


In Legal Jargon:

What the official California state law says

“Penal Code Title 2: Control of Deadly Weapons Chapter 4: Tear Gas Weapons Article 1: General Provisions Section 12403.7


Notwithstanding any other law, any person may purchase, possess, or use tear gas and tear gas weapons for the projection or release of tear gas if the tear gas and tear gas weapons are used solely for self-defense purposes, subject to the following requirements:


(a) No person convicted of a felony or any crime involving an assault under the laws of the United States, the State of California, or any other state, government, or country or convicted of misuse of tear gas under subdivision (g) shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or tear gas weapons.


(b) No person who is addicted to any narcotic drug shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or tear gas weapons.


(c) No person shall sell or furnish any tear gas or tear gas weapon to a minor.


(d) No person who is a minor shall purchase, possess, or use tear gas or tear gas weapons.


(e) (1) No person shall purchase, possess, or use any tear gas weapon that expels a projectile, or that expels the tear gas by any method other than an aerosol spray, or that contains more than 2.5 ounces net weight of aerosol spray.”


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Lock that wing nut up!As far as UC Davis the officers had people in custody which the protesters wanted freed and they(the officers) did what they had to do, then had to pay for doing their duty in a situation they never should have been in.I never heard of any happening to the head of UC Davis who should have had a good share of the blame.


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how freaking creative. can barely catch my breath.


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Many posters here are sort of out of whack (no surprise with that, CCN brings out all sorts of weirdos). ‘Reprehensible’ to attack those we disagree with? Really, we kill thousands of people we disagree with and if its a repo waving the ol’ stars and stripes its all in a day’s work.

It’s what humans do, with regularity and impunity much of the time.

The conversation here is typical of overreaction and a partisan position.


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Wow can you paint with a wider brush? O.k. so who are these thousands of people we are disagreeing with? Hmm Germany from WWII? Yea I know you probably think Hitler was misunderstood?? Who else? Korea? Yea U.N. asked us. Vietnam? Yea hindsight we should never have gone in.


Again you are generalizing everything that more than PROVES how partisan blind you really are. This is about freedom of speech plan and simple. Nothing else. Spin how you can because you like that it worked out in your favor. Ignore and keep giving away rights and then maybe one day you won’t even be able to express an opinion here, as it is forbidden. That’s fine we get it (your denial) and luckily most here I think get the point you miss majorly.


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All will be well when the Democrats in Congress re-write the First Amendment to eliminate things like this.


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More evidence of the willful division of the American people. We have a leftist ideology that has adopted the divide and conquer approach to winning elections. A phony war on women has obviously made an impression on this lady. She is fit to be tied. Is this what you want? people hating each other so much that the ruling class of our nation can get away with anything? I sure don’t. We supposedly elected a leader that would unite the American people, but instead we elected a divider.


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@ Rambunctious,


Well said! This TOTUS [Traitor Of The United States] said that he would be a uniter. He is a dismal failure and an outright liar. So many lies, so little time [left]. But wait! We ain’t seen nothing yet.


This man is of satan. He will not be leaving office. I predict that because of his alliances with islam and CAIR, something big is going to happen close to the 2016 elections that will compel him to announce martial law in this country. Thereby allowing him to keep himself seated in the chair that he believes has become his throne.


But he is not the antichrist. Maybe just the false prophet.


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some are misinformed and some are dangerously malinformed dropout Governor Sarah Palin calling him a traitor calling for impeaches tonight on the TV we have seen this before

reheated venom is still deadly


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@ zaph,


Misinformed you are. You, I, and missmuffet, are entitled to our opinions. However, if mine disagrees with yours/muffets, I’m labeled some kind of tag name. Pick whichever.


You will have 7 years to come to repentance. The time is at hand.


The first 3-1/2 years will be the massaging period.


The 2nd 3-1/2 years will be the most horrendous time that the world has ever seen.


At the very least, Obama is the masseuse. At least to those such as yourself are concerned.


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the virgin mary gave you and Sarah Palin the same dream! probiotics before bedtime from now on.


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Sarah’s dream prey palingenesis


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You make my point of the twisted logic and the right wing. Nothing substinative. Just throw your nonsensical BS against the wall and see what sticks. Such thinking destroys this nation


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ToHellinaHandBasket says: “This man is of satan. He will not be leaving office. I predict that because of his alliances with islam and CAIR, something big is going to happen close to the 2016 elections that will compel him to announce martial law in this country. Thereby allowing him to keep himself seated in the chair ”


I will bet $10,000 that the above will not happen. I bet if we asked Roger would hold our bets/chits till 11/7/16.


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No thanks kettle.


As we will never meet due to the fact that we hide behind pseudonyms which makes it impossible to make a gentlemans/womans bet, I’ll take what you might otherwise garner [if I’m wrong], and continue to give monthly to my favorite Christian charities.


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Completely unacceptable and she should be jailed if convicted …HOWEVER …. I don’t have any symphathy for those clowns who stand on the overpass with their foolish protest signs and hate filled hearts. They are void of sensibility just like the other clowns who parade sickening anti abortion signs near the schools. Same twisted logic. I have engaged them in short debate in the past and they spew rhetoric against Obama that lacks coherent thinking. It becomes obvious that they dont like Obama primarily because he is part black. I think RACISTS fits the bill.


They have the same mindset as that bimbo Sara Palin.


Keep in mind I am independant in my political affiliation, with a dash of libertarian but these clowns frighten me.


Next time lady dont use pepper spray just flip them a single digit and keep driving.


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“Keep in mind I am independant in my political affiliation”.


Sure you are muffet. Sure you are.


Your comment reads like an Obama teleprompter.


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She said she is independent in her political affiliation, not her political affiliations.


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Missmuffet:


If this is the Lyndon Larouche group holding the signs to impeach Obama, please remember that they also held signs to impeach Cheney and Bush during the Bush administration. Their motive is not racial , it’s purely political. http://www.apfn.net/messageboard/07-10-05/discussion.cgi.53.html


And Missmuffet, if this is a Lyndon Larouche group, and you claim they “don’t like Obama because he’s black”, then I have to challenge you on that statement. Being racial is not in their “script”. Your story is made up and bogus, Missmuffet, and you should be embarrassed to be inciting racism and possible retaliation by other people against this group.


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Kinda funny how three years ago, everyone was up in arms about PEACEFUL protests being pepper sprayed at U.C. Davis by the cops. Now here we are today. From the information I have seen and read so far, the group with banners was peaceful and pepper sprayed by someone formally of the military that should know better IMHO. All you who defended the protesters three years ago, I would hope are doing the same here???? If not mark yourself down as partisan.


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Big difference, when the cops violate the public trust or break the law it is a totally different thing. The cops are supposed to protect people, none of us ‘put here’ have that mandate.

She did do wrong but the uproar from many here is partisan, they hate Obama and therefore like the silly protest (legal and by me allowable) and so heap abuse on this overly passionate woman

She will get her day in court, and probably lose..


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Agreed on public trust but this is someone ATTACKING another because they disagree with their opinion. There is a lot of discourse here at CCN usually but I don’t think most would think to resorting to what she did. Most we say lets agree to disagree.


Her behavior is and was reprehensible. And again I don’t give a flying f….. cops no cops whatever, you don’t attack someone because they have a different opinion, no matter if it is right or wrong. That is their opinion and they are entitled to it. So again spin it this way or that way but if you either agree this is in same vain as Davis or we might as well give up on free speech and rewrite the constitution.


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Oh and one more on Davis. They asked them to disperse so not saying it was right but there was a warning. No warning here. ATTACK…………Attack……………attack.


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It is not about hating Obama. We do not. We expect elected officials to obey the very same laws we abide by. The current administration appears to have disdain for the law, for the Constitution, and for the citizens of this great nation. We don’t hate them but do hate how they are conducting themselves. We stand on the sidewalk with our flags and signs to exercise our Constitutional Rights to Peaceably Assemble in public and Speak Freely with fellow citizens, whether you agree with us or not. Even disagreement is Constitutionally protected as long as you remain lawful. This woman chose to act outside the law. President Obama chooses to act outside the law. We do not accept that. For your information, I am one of the three that was pepper sprayed by this woman who willingly violated the law. As she said, attempting to protect the president who willing violates the law. It is not about hate, it is about abiding by the law.


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“It is not about hating Obama. We do not.


Oh, baloney


“Even disagreement is Constitutionally protected as long as you remain lawful.”


Displaying banners and signs on or near a highway overpass is AGAINST THE LAW !

Be as nutty as you want, on the sidelines away from sane people …but you crossed the line by participating in a public hazard.


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O.k. so do we let vigilantes like Ms. Bem go out and start enforcing law? Why not just call the cops then if it is illegal?


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How is it against the law? If it was the same would apply to bill boards.And the group has done this for a long time with the only things illegal happening being those who call in false reports against them thus violating the law or taking picture of them with their cell phone while driving by.Have seen them checked out by the pd before,they are still there,you don’t know what you are talking about!


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You keep saying that displaying signs on an overpass is against the law. you are not correct.


Putting a banner or sign on an overpass is against the law. Holding a sign is protected free speech.


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If, in response to a peaceful political protest, she used pepper spray against the protesters, she most certainly did wrong.


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I think thus women has mental issue that have nothing to do with her service. We can count our blessings she wasn’t armed or we coulda had a SB incident.


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Remember back when “they” (ANGRY Liberal Democrats) were hanging

President Bush in effigy every Thursday night at the SLO CA Farmers Market.


The Feds NEVER arrested a single person for that…but let a Rodeo Clown say something about “Caesar Obama” and all hell breaks out.


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Reverse the ideology and and guess who would be cooling their butt in jail for a few weeks.


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