Miami Seeks to Silence Free Speech - ACTION ALERT

[HFishbine]

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

This THURSDAY, SEPT. 25, the Miami City Commission will most likely pass an
ordinance banning the use and possession of a variety of items related to
peaceful protests, demonstrations and protest marches. This includes
puppets and other props; street theater masks; signs on sticks; cameras
(still and video; used to record the actions of overzealous police); padded
clothing (for protection against police truncheons and dogs); bullhorns;
gas masks of any kind, including bandannas (used for protection against
tear-gas and other dangerous chemical agents often used indiscriminately
and recklessly by police), and much more.

The ordinance, which will take effect when passed and expire on Thursday,
Nov. 27, is clearly aimed at stifling the voices of the tens of thousands
of people - students, union members, activists, peasant farmers and many
other types of individuals - from around the Americas and the world who
will be coming to South Florida to protest at the FTAA (Free Trade Area of
the Americas) meeting to be held from Nov. 17-21 in Miami.

This ordinance is an outrageous abridgment of democratic rights and civil
liberties, including the right of free speech, the right to protest and the
right to assemble. The ACLU and protest leaders have pointed out that the
"proposed ordinance ... is so broadly written that it may allow police to
clamp down on constitutionally protected, peaceful protest activities."
(The Miami Daily Business Review, "As Miami plans to prevent disruptions
during trade talks, protest groups warn of First Amendment breaches," Sept.
19, 2003)

The undemocratic nature of this ordinance is in keeping with the
undemocratic nature of the FTAA itself. If the treaty creating it,
eventually is ratified by the 34 nations participating in the Miami
meeting, each country's sovereignty and that of its people will be
seriously compromised. Under the rules that would be imposed by the FTAA,
decision-making power on economic, social and cultural policies, as well as
national development plans will be transferred to transnational
corporations and investors located in North America.

It's important that concerned citizens immediately contact Miami city
officials to voice their opposition to this draconian, unconstitutional
measure. Although the ordinance seems destined for approval, these
officials need to know that the eyes of the world are upon them and that
their action will be protested rather than allowed to happen quietly.
Please take a moment to e-mail them, or if you can afford to, call them.
Tell them you're contacting them to express your opposition to this
ordinance which strips away free speech rights - refer to it the parades
and demonstrations ordinance; if they ask what you mean, tell them it's
item J-O3-772 on the Sept. 25 City Commission agenda, which would add
section 6.1 to Chapter 54 of the City of Miami municipal code. Be succint
and polite, but make sure they understand how you feel.

MIAMI CITY OFFICIALS CONTACT INFORMATION

(below this is an article on this issue and the FTAA, along with a list of
web resources on the FTAA)

Mayor Manuel A. Diaz:
[e-mail]
[phone]

District 1 Commissioner Angel Gonzalez:
[e-mail]
[phone]

District 2 Commissioner Johnny L. Winton:
[e-mail]
[phone]

District 3 Commissioner Joe M. Sanchez:
[e-mail]
[phone]

District 4 Commissioner Tomas P. Regalado:
[e-mail]
[phone]

District 5 Commissioner Arthur Teele Jr.:
[e-mail]
[phone]

City Manager Joe Arriola:
[e-mail]
[phone]

City Attorney Alejandro Vilarello:
[e-mail]
[phone]

***

Civil Rights
Law and order
As Miami plans to prevent disruptions during trade talks, protest groups
warn of First Amendment breaches

September 19, 2003 By: Steve Ellman
Miami Daily Business Review

Miami hopes to be more successful than Washington, D.C., was in 1998 at
preventing violence

Two months before thousands of demonstrators are expected to descend on
Miami to protest high-level international trade talks, civil liberties
activists and anti-globalization groups say police are interfering with free
speech rights.

Protesters and their attorneys claim police officials are stalling the
issuing of permits that would allow rallies and parades in the downtown area
to oppose a planning conference for the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

"Permit requests have languished with the Police Department for two months,"
said Miami ACLU leader Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, who has been counseling a
coalition of environmental and peace groups that plan to protest. "We're
getting the runaround."

The ACLU and protest leaders say that a proposed ordinance aimed at
preventing violent protests is so broadly written that it may allow police
to clamp down on constitutionally protected, peaceful protest activities.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

***

Action for Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central America
http://www.asej.org/ACERCA/ftaa
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American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
http://www.aflcio.org/stopftaa
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Citizens Trade Campaign
http://www.citizenstrade.org/ftaa.php
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Communications Workers of America
http://www.cwa-union.org/international/ftaa
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Convergence of Movements of the Peoples of the Americas
http://www.sitiocompa.org/English/focusareas/1.htm
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First Hemispheric Meeting Against Militarization
http://www.antimil.org
------------------------------------------------------------------
Florida Fair Trade Coalition
http://www.flfairtrade.org
------------------------------------------------------------------
Global Exchange
http://www.globalexchange.org/ftaa
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Hemispheric Campaign Against the FTAA
http://www.movimientos.org/noalca
------------------------------------------------------------------
John F. Henning Center for International Labor Relations
http://henningcenter.berkeley.edu/gateway/ftaa.html
------------------------------------------------------------------
Latin America Solidarity Coalition
http://www.lasolidarity.org
------------------------------------------------------------------
National Campaign to Stop CAFTA
http://www.cispes.org/english/Campaign_Against_CAFTA_FTAA
------------------------------------------------------------------
Network Opposed to the Plan Puebla Panama (NoPPP)
http://www.asej.org/ACERCA/ppp/ppp.html
------------------------------------------------------------------
People's Consultation on the FTAA
http://www.peoplesconsultation.org
------------------------------------------------------------------
Peoples´ Global Action
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/ftaa
------------------------------------------------------------------
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
http://www.citizen.org/trade/ftaa
------------------------------------------------------------------
Stop the FTAA!
http://www.stopftaa.org
------------------------------------------------------------------
Witness for Peace
http://www.witnessforpeace.org/tools/tradetools.html

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

[Noordam]

1. Just sent this thread to some Florida Dems

and cc the mayor and others. :evilgrin:

[HFishbine]

2. Sinking a little too fast

One shameless kick.

[Mairead]

3. bump

This is so incredibly undemocratic that it should be sufficient evidence for recall of everyone involved. This crap would never hold up in court.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

4. We need to limit freedom to have "free trade"

Things like this should open the eyes of the people who think "free trade" is really great. We are witnessing the beginning of the new global government, and it's anything by democratic.

I can't support ANY Democrat who is in favor of FTAA.

[HFishbine]

5. My e-mail

to the county commissioners:
---------

Dear Honorable Commissioners,

The eyes of the world are on you. Will you be true patriots and defenders of the United States Constitution which you have sworn to uphold, or is your oath subservient to other interests?

[Noordam]

6. Got an email from a south florida

organizer, who I emailed this to this morning. She is getting all her Democrats emailing the county commissioners.

BUT I do not feel this will do any good, because of

"State and local leaders want to bolster efforts to have Miami selected as the site of the FTAA's headquarters. They claim that would bring as many as 90,000 jobs and an additional $14 billion annually to the state's economy."

All they will see is the 90,000 jobs BS.

[soup]

7. UPDATE

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/6858752.htm
Posted on Thu, Sep. 25, 2003

Activists protest Miami decision to postpone vote on trade talk demonstrations
By CHARLES RABIN
[e-mail]

A small group of civic activists rallied outside Miami City Hall Thursday, upset with the city commission's decision to defer a vote on protest regulations for November's international trade talks.

The commission voted 3-1 in favor of delaying a final vote on the rules until Oct. 23, only weeks before the gathering -- a move that would leave civil rights groups like the ACLU little time to take legal action against the ordinance should it pass.


insert images of barnyard fowl droppings.