Not everywhere. Just at national monuments dedicated to reminding us how free we are. Oh the irony!
The above video shows a group of activists acting as a flash mob of dancers to protest the arrest of other dancing protesters, who were protesting an even earlier arrest of a dancing protester (lots of protesting and grooving going on here!). Here's how it all started:
In May, an appeals court ruled that the U-S Park Police were right to arrest a woman named Mary Brooke Oberwetter for going to the Jefferson Memorial with a group of friends shortly before midnight on April 12, 2008, and silently dancing to salute Thomas Jefferson's 265th birthday.
The court said that the dancing "distracted from the atmosphere of solemn commemoration" Park Service regulations uphold for all visitors.
Ms. Oberwetter, who has described herself as a libertarian, said dancing is free expression, and that schoolchildren on a field trip create more noise and distraction.
In protest of this decision, a group of activists showed up at the Jefferson Memorial last week with iPods and earbuds and created a bit of a silent disco in the rotunda of the memorial. They were quickly told to stop dancing but neglected to do so. Then they were told they were under arrest but that didn't stop them from dancing either. So, U.S. Park Police began forcing the dancers to the ground with methods like body slamming. Check out this video:
Even in handcuffs, police can't stop these folks from getting down!
What do you think HeadCount readers? Is it perfectly reasonable to ban dancing at a national memorial because it could be distracting to others? Or is this just further erosion of our liberties and proof the federal government is growing increasingly interested in controlling our every (dance) move.