City Attempts to Sabotage Congressional Race!
My name is Gavin Seim, a Constitutional candidate for Congress. I want our liberty and our country back and the establishment hates me because I call out the corruption and I do not stand down. That is my job. You DO NOT need a permit for your rights and I will defend that!
The City of Moses Lake (509-764-3701) is removing our signs, while leaving up those of competition in the same locations. Why? They insist we have to sign a CONTRACT with them to exercise free speech. This is one of the larger cities in the WA04 district. A place that will ticket you if you leave your car running, ticket you if you park on an “unapproved” surface on your own property and ticket you if your kids ride their bicycles without a helmet. It’s a town that does not want to be challenged.
Putting the Crime Together.
Members of the city police, city council, city manager and employes are all implicated in this. We begin putting up signs months ago for our campaign and went out of our way to place them so as to make it easier for city workers. The city however took down signs here and there, even though according to the Constitution and the WA State Supreme Court in Collier v Tacoma, their actions are wrong.
Then we started getting real traction, even on a shoestring campaign budget, our simple message of liberty is unstoppable. Conversations kept spreading as we went head to head with lawless government in incidents like this one in Ephrata. We were even thrown out of the public park in Moses Lake for giving out brochures. But we kept gaining ground and coming out on top in polls.
It’s almost primary time and about a week ago Moses Lake officials decided to ramp up. Without even speaking to us about a code that does not even exist, they swept thru and tore down our signs from public property, leaving up the signs of other candidates in the same places. At first we thought it was vandals. But on a tip from witness, we called the city and they admitted to removing the signs.
There are of course laws against this sort of thing. It appears that city employees are in direct violation of 18 U.S. Code § 241, 18 U.S. Code § 242, 18USC245 and 18 U.S. Code § 595. All under the guise of keeping the city clean and safe. Above you see where I went into the city hall and they confirmed their actions. They assert that if I want to put signs I have to sign a contract with them and have their permission.
The worst is that they dare to require a permit for speech. But there’s more. We agree that everyone must be responsible for their actions. Yet consider the ludicrous nature of a permit saying we must agree to be responsible for any sign we’ve given out with our name on it. It’s the same as saying Chevrolet must be responsible for any damage caused by any vehicle with their name on it. No matter who was using it.
This is not about safety or law or justice. It’s about control. Who would sign this ridiculous permit? Someone unwilling to stand up for the law and our rights. The level of unprofessionalism you’ll see in the video is astounding as these public servants ignore me and finally call police when I keep trying to get simple answers regrading the law they are operating under.
We Will NOT get a permit for free speech!
It’s unclear if anyone else is being targeted, but the targeting against our campaign is clear. If we put out a sign on public property with other signs, city officials rush to tear it down. Sadly most the other candidates went along with this. Makes you wounder. If they won’t stand up to corruption locally, will they do it while in office.
As it turns out, the city of Moses Lake does not even have a law or code stating this permit is legally required – It’s a policy they just made up.
One of our volunteers contacted the Moses Lake on the record. Clair Harden asserted the public property is “private property of the City of Moses Lake” and community Development Director Gilbert Alvarado said the following.
- The “Sign Placement Agreement” is not part of the Municipal Code but a policy directive set forth by the City Council.
- It is internal policy to initiate enforcement action of these policy directives, regardless of whether the directive is adopted as code.
- The only way to find out about any of these policy directives is to ask the City of Moses Lake, find it on the website, or read the minutes of the City Council Meeting. Not by scouring the codes.
The city is acting under color of law, but in violation of law. We see this at the federal level too. Making up rules that have no accountability and no basis in law or the Constitution. Now we are just a few weeks before a primary election for US Congress and Moses Lake thinks they can do whatever they want, regardless of local law, their oath, or the constitution. That my friends is anarchy!
So what’s happening next. We put up signs up, they keep taking them down. We are trying to find accountability and spread the word. We filed a report for destruction of private property with the Grant County Sheriff, but it remains to be seen if they will act on the crimes being committed. People in Moses Lake are rallying however and we are getting lots of emails from folks asking for signs and people have been gathering on the streets of the city waving them in the air.
My message has always been liberty. Conversations like this are the greatest tool in a real plan to inform the public of corruption and take our country back. We must stand now and a Congressman’s job is not just to vote, it’s to support our Constitution, our liberty and our rights. I will continue to do just that and I will not bow to tyranny. Please support of campaign so we can get the message out.
— Gavin Seim
UPDATE 1: They keep stealing signs, but locals are rallying against the city and offering their private property. After going to get signs back this week, it turns out they gave them to someone else but had no idea who. Poor responsibility on their part. We later managed to track the supporter down ourselves. Next I decided to put up a sign on the public property before I left. Watch what happens as I catch the city red handed. We are still waiting to hear from the Sheriff who has done apparently nothing as yet. This is not over however and the city keeps digging a bigger hole.
Other references worth noting:
- Murdock v. Pennsylvania, 1943
- Norton v. Shelby County, 1886.
“An unconstitutional act is not a law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation as inoperative as though it had never been passed.” - Sherar v. Cullen, 1973
“..there be no sanction or penalty imposed upon one because of his exercise of constitutional rights.”
