Zombies Have More Rights than I Do

Yeah, yeah, who doesn't love a bunch of pretend zombies. They were out in force yesterday at the light rail station between Minneapolis City Hall and the Hennepin County Government Center, as the Star Tribune reports today with a series of fun photos.


Photo by Jeff Wheeler

Here's the thing, though: See how that zombie is standing in the area where people wait for the train? Those bricks below her feet indicate the paid-fare zone.

I was in that area a week or so ago to attend a rally in support of Mike Brown's family and the people of Ferguson, and when I returned home (on the train), I was told that only people who were taking the train should go into that area because you can get a citation, or even be arrested, for violating that rule.

That's what happened to the Occupy folks who were encamped for months in the nearby government center plaza when they tried to use the heated shelters during cold weather.

But if you're doing a zombie-in that is completely free of any speech concerns -- or better yet, if you're doing a publicity stunt for the morally bankrupt Minnesota Lottery's newest scratch game with its Walking Dead theme -- it looks like it's fine to break the rule. They even built some kind of structure in the paid-fare zone, according to Occupy Minnesota:



That's the way to encourage speech that actually means something, Minneapolis, Metro Transit, and Hennepin County. You make us all proud. And Star Tribune... maybe you could consider looking into this misuse of public property?