Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Open Mike Night at Charlotte City Council


Chris Bokis is all wrapped up.

Last night Charlotte's City Council turned on the mike, set up the 3 minute timer and converted council chambers into the Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina.

Mainly a collection of freaks, misfits and outcasts stepped up to demand that council not approve the Gestapo like crowd-control ordinances formulated to prepare the city for September's Democratic National Convention.

The Charlotte Observer reports:

Nearly 30 Occupy protesters spoke at the council meeting, all in opposition to the proposed ordinances. A handful of speakers and audience members gagged themselves with yellow "Do Not Cross" crime-scene tape to show their disapproval.

Police escorted two speakers out of the meeting after they repeatedly violated the three-minute speaker time limit.

"I have more to say," Occupy protester Scottie Wingfield said as she was being escorted out.

"So do I," replied Mayor Anthony Foxx. While the government isn't allowed to limit the content of free speech, he said, it is allowed to restrict the manner of the speech.

"You are citizens and do have the right to speak to your government," said Foxx. "The purpose of the ordinances is to protect you, protect the general public and balance those protections with the freedom of speech."

Charlotte City Attorney Bob Hagemann has said the city will probably have a designated "protest zone," with amplification equipment for groups wishing to be heard during the convention. It will also probably have a designated route for people or groups to march.

"What is this about 'free-speech zones?' " asked Beth Henry, who spoke in opposition. "I thought our whole country was a free-speech zone."

Missed on the MSM where a couple of voices in support of ending the Occupy Charlotte Camping trip. Matthew Ridenhour offered "Free speech is not being banned, just camping overnight on city property. Pack up at night and come back the next morning".

Susan Stabley with the Business Journal was so bored she started tweeting what council members were eating: "James Smuggie Mitch is eating as apple. It looks like the most delicious apple ever" and the well timed "David Howard is eating chips, maybe Fritos".

But her zinger of the night: "I'm going to call it, this audience from occupyclt is rowdier than the pygmy goat supporters".

Cedar's Take: The "whole" mess is brought to you by the same people who gave you the DNC Convention and it is only going to get worse.

Most of Charlotte, the people you don't see at the Mos Eisley Cantina work hard, pay taxes, spends a weekend at the beach and takes a drive in the mountains in the fall.

We have simple lives and enjoy simple things. A Panther's game when a friend scores a couple of extra tickets, a run along tree lined streets in the spring. March Madness, Dogs Days, NASCAR, Sweet Tea and Cheerwine.

But come September all hell is going to break out and we would just as soon the DNC was being held in St. Louis.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am with you on the DNC being held ANYWHERE but here!

I am also appalled at the fact that Dulin DID try to bring up the "email" thingy and was promptly shut down.

So Foxx says he wants to be open and honest to deal with things then shuts declares they are off topic?

HOW transparent is HE about keeping corruption under wraps? I cannot believe people go for this and think he is so great! Wait until the tables are turned on them BY their own party....and they will be!

"There are none so blind as those who refuse to see"

Anonymous said...

Dulin is just a mouth, in this case his point was made but he doesn't have a relationship with any other member not even Cooksey. That fat slob voted against Dulin's request to review emailgate.

Just wrong.