St. Petersburg to consider no protest zones - DU this poll!

[carols]

Hi all!
At the suggestion of one of the Florida DU'ers,I am cross-referencing a post I made over in the Florida forum regarding a proposal in St. Petersburg, FL to create a no-protest zone in order to displace the weekly peace vigil held by St Pete for Peace. They have been holding this vigil for over a year and now, in their infinite wisdom, the City Council has decided that they are a public safety hazard. Contrary to the misperceptions put forth in this article, the event is a quiet affair that involves lining a curb and passing out leaflets. No one blocks the crosswalk - no one blocks the sidewalk. And in well over a year of holding this vigil, there has not been one single public safety incident related to the demonstration. Pedestrians stand a far better chance of being careened into by a yuppie drunk - and I HAVE seen that happen - than they do of being injured by a demonstrator. Here's the cross-reference link for the entire action (includes the a link to the article about the proposal). There is a poll in the St. Pete Times that needs a good DU'ing (although we are already handily beating the nay-sayers, it would be nice to see a landslide!) and also a link for writing a letter to the editor.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=145x1000
Below is a letter I wrote them and there is also a sample letter attached to the action:

Re: St. Petersburg considers no-protest zones
July 20, 2004

As a home-owner whose taxes pay for the public sidewalks upon which the weekly peace vigils are held, I am appalled that the City Council would even consider abrogating the First Amendment rights of the public to use those sidewalks to exercise their freedom of speech.

Additionally, the “public safety” spin placed on this measure is disingenuous at best. In the first place, contrary to what Council member, Bob Foster, seems to think, demonstrators do not protest directly in front of the pedestrian crosswalk. They always stand on the curb, either one side or the other, but they block neither the crosswalk nor the sidewalk itself. And in the second place, in well over a year of conducting their vigil in the exact same location, there has not been one single protester-related accident – not so much as a spilled latte, let alone a life-threatening collision with a leaflet or protest sign.

I will be extremely disappointed in our City Council should they choose to adopt this measure. I will also make sure that I am very aware, next time they run for re-election, exactly where they are standing when they hand out their campaign literature. After all, the next First Amendment rights they violate may just be their own.
Thanks in advance for everyone's help!
Carol

[Cha]

1. St Pete seems like one of the best Democratic places

in Florida..and The St Pete Times has some really great editorials.

I hope this gets resovled in a way to let those who have that energy for Peace to be able to continue on their vigil.

[carols]

2. The SP Times is great and so are the people here, but the Mayor...

Rick Baker was one of the Bush campaign staff in 2000, so we wind up being well behind Tampa, for example, when it comes to respecting the civil liberties of our citizens. Baker is like a Racicot wannabe - not a big enough fish to have been part of the infamous recount coup, but still he fancies himself a minor party luminary. The most dangerous combination - little fish with big ego...
Carol

[Cha]

3. Oh, that's just sad. I love St Pete ..having

some time(too short)there two summers ago and I had no idea you had a freeper mayor...too bad you can't get rid of him ..like in another election.

ON EDIT~ I took the poll ..thanks. 185 to 47! 80% to 20% want freedom of speech.

That was great..I love the internet!