More On Assaulted Canvasser

The offending gentleman, a Mr. Goetsch, regrets his actions, although he and wife tell a different story from Nancy Takehara's. He claims to have asked Takehara to leave several times before escorting her away by the scruff of the neck.

Police said the incident remains under investigation and a report, upon completion, will be forwarded to the Racine County District Attorney's office for consideration of possible charges. Goetsch had not been arrested as of Sunday.

The police report on the case was not available Sunday afternoon.

That from an article in The Journal Times

Here is a woman who had been doing this for days without incident and reportedly been greeted civilly by Republicans and Democrats alike. The only time I've ever seen a canvasser engage in an argument was when he'd already spent hours being verbally assaulted. And even in that peculiar situation the canvassers were paid employees, not volunteers, so to add to their grumpiness they weren't getting anything beyond their measly hourly wage. That is, the hostility of the people in the neighborhood and their refusal to answer a few questions was costing them money. This is of course not the case with volunteers.

In any case, it seems implausible to me that at midday she'd be aggravated enough to want to argue with anyone, particularly someone on whose doorstep she's an uninvited guest, as it were.

It seems to me, though, that standing in the way of any prosecution is the fact that the incident occurred on the suspect's property. There are certain rights one has on one's own land that might slant differently than were they exercised on a public thoroughfare. I'm just talking out my ass on this, of course. Please feel free to straighten me out.

As I reported earlier, this particular group of canvassers had been traveling to this part of Wisconsin for a few weeks now and by all accounts had been welcomed without hostility.

Comments

[blaqntelligence]

The classic difference between an Obama supporter and a mcpalin supporter.

[RumiSouth]

Property has nothing to do with it. Mr. Goetsch had the simple option of Closing. The. Door. There was no need to strike anyone, much less grab them "by the scruff of the neck" and lead them away.