Had enough? Citizens, take back your government!
 
 

At Aug. 2 Court Appearance: Parker supporters show up in force - completely upstage gay activists who came to intimidate.

Arrogant Lexington city officials continue to ban Parker from all school property, as son about to enter 1st grade.

At hearing, jury trial scheduled for Sept. 21; Parker's lawyers give press conference.  Photos below.

View from the court.  Judge Robert McKenna talks to Parker's lawyers Jeffrey Denner (r), Neil Tassel (middle), and lawyer from district attorney's office.

David Parker stands while his case is being discussed.

CONCORD, MA. AUGUST 2, 2005. At today's hearing, Judge Robert McKenna, the district attorney, and David Parker's lawyers could not agree on a resolution on a number of issues, including access to documents and the town of Lexington's continuing to ban David Parker from all school property.

(See excerpts from press conference below.)

Read press release for hearing here.

Thus, a jury trial is now scheduled to begin on September 21. According to Parker's lawyers, Jeffrey Denner and Neil Tassel of the Boston firm Denner O'Malley, discovery will be expanded "to subpoena documents from the school, school committee, and a variety of other municipal entities."

TV evening news coverage of today's hearing & demonstrations:

     New England Cable News

     WCVB-Boston Ch. 5

Parker was arrested on April 27, 2005 and spent the night in jail over parental notification about teaching homosexuality in his son’s kindergarten class. Parker is being charged with criminal trespassing after refusing to leave a scheduled meeting with school officials, who had indicated they would agree to a notification policy then suddenly refused. Parker is adamant that he has not done anything wrong and is willing to contest the charge rather than give in to pressure to plea-bargain.

Although it seemed clear at the June 1 hearing that Judge Robert McKenna wanted to find a way to end this, the state insists that David Parker accept probation and other restrictions.

As Parker's son prepares to enter first grade this fall, the town of Lexington refuses to relent on their ban of Parker from all school property.

Outside the courtroom, Parker's supporters were everywhere!

A David Parker supporter from Western Massachusetts!

At the side of the street.

More supporters.

Dour faces of gay activists.  Gay activists showed up, but this time they were tremendously outnumbered, and people generally ignored them.  Note the sign in middle: "All children deserve a safe classroom" as if parental notification of homosexuality makes a school unsafe -- common gay activst propaganda.

Parker (left) and his lawyer, Jeffrey Denner, address the press after the hearing.

From the press conference after the hearing -
David Parker and his lawyer, Jeffrey Denner

Denner: The expectation is that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will comply with the discovery laws. There are laws in place that control the flow of information to children and the classroom protects the rights of parents who are essentially guardians of what their children learn. And we're assuming Lexington, as all other towns in Massachusetts, will comply with that.

Reporter: What is this trial all about?

Denner: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has decided to charge my client with trespassing. We don't believe he in fact trespassed. We believe that what he was doing was an exercise of what any parent would do under these kinds of circumstances, that he was invited in to have a discussion; then the session got scuttled, and the result is the Commonwealth has decided that what actually happened was trespassing. We actually consider that something far worse happened. They [the Parkers] were more the victims than the perpetrators.

Reporter: The School Board maintains that he deliberately set out to be arrested, to make national headlines.

Denner: That is simply untrue. I don't speak for the school, but that is simply untrue. He was invited to come in, he came in, there was a dialogue going back and forth, there were faxes sent back and forth, from the school to the school committee. His intent was absolutely not to be arrested. His intent was to establish a dialogue to protect his own children and other children as well.

Reporter: What laws were violated?

Denner: There is a law in Massachusetts that basically allows parents to know that certain categories of information are being taught to their children. If they know that, they can opt out of class that day, or at least they can give a more balanced, parent's perspective, more parental guidance, to their child…

Reporter: Wasn't the book that's at the core of this issue, "Who's in a Family" just a voluntary thing?

Denner: There are many problems here. I think there's been a systematic failure to comply with the laws of Massachusetts. There's a larger issue here both locally, nationally, and internationally of the role of families vis-à-vis the government, and what kind of incursions the government can make into people's lives, and that's one battlefield.

Reporter: So ultimately, you see this as a test case for all of those laws, principles…?

Denner: Every case … is a test case for something. I think that justice generally is a very hard test to reach...

Reporter: Nonetheless, you see a possibility of a compromise here?...

Denner: In the criminal matter, there could be a resolution to this case if it's dismissed without any allegation of wrongdoing against Mr. Parker.

Reporter: Can we ask Mr. Parker and his wife about how this is affecting you and your family?

David Parker: We're very displeased the School Administration continues to bar my presence from all schools in Lexington. This includes meeting places to vote, school committee meetings, parent-teacher meetings…

Tonia Parker: Picking up his son at school, participating in our son's events at the school as well.

David Parker: And my son is very cognizant of the fact that his daddy can't enter school.

Reporter: And what do you explain to him? What have you told him? He's six years old?

David Parker: He was five at the time, six now. I told him his daddy's in charge. And he smiled.

Reporter: So where do you drop him off? In front of the school? Is that right, Mrs. Parker?

David Parker: My wife is allowed to pick him up and drop him off. Only I am banned from all schools.

Reporter: Isn't the discovery process a little unusual in this situation?

Denner: I don't think it's unusual to assert anyone's Constitutional rights …once they're charged. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts made a decision to charge David Parker. We would be remiss in not zealously protecting him, defending him, to the absolute extent that the Constitution and the law provides…

Reporter: How close are you to reaching some sort of agreement?

Denner: I have no idea how to measure that.

Reporter: You've got a lot of supporters here today. Did that give you confidence?

David Parker: I think it speaks to what the issue is, the support that we're getting.

Yes, this is John Adams!  He showed up and weighed in.  He was particularly upset that the court proceedings were done in whispers, so the spectators couldn't hear what they were saying.  We agree.

Carol Rose, executive director of the state ACLU showed up. She told Article 8 / MassResistance that they're not involved at this time in this issue, but that the schools have done nothing wrong.  She added that the Massachusetts courts have ruled that homosexuality is legally equivalent to heterosexuality.  We reminded her that a court cannot repeal the laws of nature.  She didn't have an answer to that.

People came from all over to suport David Parker.

Of course, liberal media couldn't leave without giving gay activists at least some TV air time.

Typical of Boston Globe - photographer shows up an hour and a half late, takes a few pictures of gay activists with signs, then just wanders around.