Free the Parks

Mike Steindel (CLaw7MAn@webtv.net)
Sun, 23 May 1999 00:46:17 -0700 (PDT) 

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Well isn't this just great. The cops get to permanently bar people from
using a public park based on their judgement. Our society is allowing
these people way to much control over our freedoms. The cops in many
cities get to decide whether or not you keep your car, your home and
your cash. Now in Washington after the have taken all you got they can
toss you out of the park foever on their say so too. This Law is
obviously aimed at the young and homeless people along with activists. 

We as a people should not be trusting a group who has demonstrated their
complete lack of character and professionalism in case after case across
the USA. From indifference to brutality and torture all the way to
murder the police have proven that they ccannot be trusted to render
justice.... mike   


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--WebTV-Mail-1831302553-8536 Content-Disposition: Inline Content-Type: Message/RFC822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit Received: from mailsorter-102-2.iap.bryant.webtv.net (209.240.198.99) by postoffice-152.iap.bryant.webtv.net; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:31 -0700 (PDT) Return-Path: Received: from post1.inre.asu.edu (post1.inre.asu.edu [129.219.13.100]) by mailsorter-102-2.iap.bryant.webtv.net (8.8.8/ms.graham.14Aug97) with ESMTP id AAA25828 for ; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:31 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtp.asu.edu (smtp.asu.edu [129.219.13.92]) by asu.edu (PMDF V5.2-31 #31135) id <0FC600801CUH80@asu.edu> (original mail from hpn-owner@aspin.asu.edu) for CLaw7MAn@webtv.net; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:24 -0700 (MST) Received: from smtp.asu.edu (smtp.asu.edu [129.219.13.92]) by asu.edu (PMDF V5.2-31 #31135) with ESMTP id <0FC6007DUCUGR8@asu.edu>; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:17 -0700 (MST) Received: from aspin.asu.edu (aspin.asu.edu [129.219.3.6]) by smtp.asu.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id AAA27576; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:31:57 -0700 (MST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by aspin.asu.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1 +antirelay (sneak 11/19/98)) id AAA14461 for hpn-outgoing; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:48 -0700 (MST) Received: from grace.speakeasy.org (IDENT:anitra@grace.speakeasy.org [206.191.160.34]) by aspin.asu.edu (8.9.1/8.9.1 +antirelay (sneak 11/19/98)) with ESMTP id AAA14457 for ; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:44 -0700 (MST) Received: from localhost (anitra@localhost) by grace.speakeasy.org (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id AAA26154 for ; Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:11 -0700 Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 00:30:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Anitra Freeman Subject: Free the Parks (fwd) Sender: owner-hpn@aspin.asu.edu To: "Homeless People's Network" Message-id: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Precedence: bulk X-Authentication-warning: aspin.asu.edu: majordom set sender to owner-hpn@aspin.asu.edu using -f Previously posted to Newsgroups: seattle.politics Councilmembers Nick Licata, Richard McIver and Peter Steinbrueck have presented a proposal to amend the Parks Exclusion Ordinance. A public hearing was held Thursday May 20; this was the final public hearing on the Parks Exclusion Ordinance. A previous hearing was so packed that not everyone got a chance to speak, and emotions ran high with a lot of boos and catcalls when audience members disagreed with speakers. This hearing session was packed also, but everyone got to speak and the tone was much more civil. (We got through almost the whole night before the word "fascist" was used, and only one person began her remarks with, "I am not a bigot.") The Parks Exclusion Ordinance allows the Seattle Police to ban people from public parks for 7 days up to permanently, on their own judgement that criminal activity or public danger exists (including drinking alcohol in the park & sleeping in the park) with no court hearing beforehand. The police ticket you and you leave, now. The proposed amendments: -- require that the police write the reason for the ticket, explain it verbally, and provide a language translation line if the ticketed individual does not speak English -- if the ticketed individual indicates a desire to apppeal the ticket, the ticket is suspended until a court hearing is held -- tickets can only be given for felony behavior I'm boiling it down -- for full details you can write to the City Council http://www.pan.ci.seattle.wa.us/leg/Email.htm The defenders of the ordinance, who want to keep it like it is, claim that it has been effective in helping the police to clear the parks of people who spoil them for everyone, and that the amendments will gut its effectiveness. The opponents of the ordinance claim that "effectiveness" is not an adequate defense of a law; our laws must observe Constitutional guidelines, and this doesn't. It completely violates due process. It is used, in practice, just as the opponents (which included Richard McIver) warned in the beginning -- to target poor people and minorities. People are getting ticketed for not doing anything illegal but just sitting in the park looking different. I am opposed to the Parks Exclusion Ordinance, myself. I would like to see it repealed entirely; barring that, these amendments at least improve the situation. You can let the City Council know your own opinion: http://www.pan.ci.seattle.wa.us/leg/Email.htm __________ Write On! Anitra --WebTV-Mail-1831302553-8536--