Miami commissioners repeal protest law

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Thu, Mar. 11, 2004

Miami commissioners repeal protest law

Associated Press


MIAMI - City commissioners repealed a law Thursday that critics said gave police too much power during protests, three months after a global trade summit prompted officials to revisit the rules governing demonstrations.

Commissioners voted 4-0 to repeal the rally ordinance, which civil libertarians said chilled free speech and unfairly targeted a specific group because of its anti-free trade message.

"This was a necessary thing to do so we can go back to normal in the city of Miami," Commissioner Tomas Regalado, who made the push to repeal his own ordinance, told The Miami Herald. "It's dangerous to give police all the power to decide what people can take to rallies."
(snip)

Organized labor and civil liberty groups roundly criticized police conduct during the meeting.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8165570.htm

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Here's the other shoe of this pathetic exercise in stupidity:

Timoney Pushes For Limits On Anti-Trade Protests
Free Trade Conference To Be Held In Miami In November
NBC 6 News Team

POSTED: 5:39 p.m. EDT September 11, 2003

(snip)......And another said the new ordinance sends the city "down a slippery slope."

But Commissioner Johnny Winton said he worries about police safety during anti-trade protests. Winton suggested making the curbs on what protesters can carry a temporary measure.

That proposal was enough to create unanimous support for the ordinace, which will automatically expire about two weeks after the trade meetings in Miami.

But some legal experts said making the ordnance temporary could put it on shakier legal ground.

"I think the commission would have been safer to apply this across the board rather than single out a group of protesters," Marshall said.

Privately, even some in the city conceded that implementing a law only during free-trade protests may not be constitutional, especially when commissioners were so frank in stating that the temporary ordinance was intended to send a message.

"We did tailor a law especially for them, so don't mess with us," Commissioner Tomas Regalado said. (snip/)

Tomas Regalado

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As you see, Miami passed a potentionally illegal law to control protestors who whould be in town during the FTAA meetings, fully intending to lift them, so they would NOT apply to Cuban-American protestors, the very MOMENT the FTAA protestors left town.

Cuban-American protests have been known to run the gamut from bombs to crowds throwing D-Cell batteries, rocks, bottles, baggies filled with human excrement at people trying to attend concerts, etc. showcasing Cuban artists. They were quick to reinstate their own protest rights, the moment FTAA protestors left. Is that actually a good idea? Seems damned dirty to me.

[Melodybe]

1. Sounds iffy, but come on they almost beat up a fucking 60 year old judge,

fuck them. They can't just reinstate the law all willy nilly, so we win.

[murielm99]

2. What is the status of some of the groups suing them?

These comments will only add merit to their lawsuits. They could bankrupt the place!

[geomon666]

3. Too late

This place is already bankrupt. All the crooked city officials have raped it repeatedly for years and years, there's nothing left.

[UpInArms]

4. the money to terrorize the citizens lawfully protesting

came from the $87 Billion funding for Iraq -

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/special_packages/ftaa/7344278.htm

`REPRESSIVE PRESENCE'

''The obvious purpose of the repressive police presence in Miami was, at a minimum, to intimidate us and limit the exercise of our rights,'' the letter said. ``Phalanxes of police in riot gear stretched for blocks, as did police cars buttressed bumper to bumper.''

The letter also condemned the use of federal money for Miami's security costs, calling it money for ''homeland repression.'' The money -- $8.5 million -- was tacked onto an $87 billion spending bill for Iraq.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Yep, that's true.

I hope the union presence in the protest, and the many seasoned adult witnesses will cause the Miami mayor and police force and city commissioners some BIG problems.

They weren't running over a bunch of goofy college kids this time.

Thank you for pointing out their substantial piggy bank funding for the excessive police presence.