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City ends proposal to limit protests

Following criticism from the community, officials in St. Petersburg reverse field on creating "no protest zones" outside BayWalk and Tropicana Field.

By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published July 29, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG - City officials on Wednesday backed away from a proposal to bar protesters from BayWalk and Tropicana Field, saying the plan generated too much controversy.

A workshop scheduled for next week to discuss creating "no protest zones" outside the popular entertainment complex and the stadium was canceled. In a memo to City Council members, Deputy Mayor Tish Elston said the administration will look for other ways to address pedestrian traffic in those areas.

"It is (our) intent to meet with all concerned parties and to attempt to craft solutions that balance the issues of public safety, access to local businesses and protection of citizens' rights to protest," Elston wrote.

Most members of the City Council expressed relief and satisfaction.

"I think it's the appropriate thing to do," said council member Virginia Littrell, who called the ordinance "stupid" and joined a protest against it Saturday night.

Added council member Earnest Williams: "It didn't make a lot of sense to me. Where is the next one, City Hall? And where after that?"

The proposal was created by members of the administration and BayWalk officials. They say weekly protests by anti-war demonstrators and others were creating a public safety hazard by pushing pedestrians into the streets.

Officially called "pedestrian safety zones," the ordinance would have prohibited demonstrations on the sidewalk near BayWalk on the north side of Second Avenue between Second Street N and First Street NE and the crosswalk that connects to the south side of the avenue.

The east side of 16th Street between First and Fourth avenues S, and the crosswalk that connects to the west side of the street outside Tropicana Field also was designated as a safety zone.

Members of the city's legal staff said the zones wouldn't infringe on constitutional rights because protesters would still have reasonable access to the areas where they wanted to demonstrate.

Also, the zones would only be enforced during periods of high traffic: Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at BayWalk, and 30 minutes before and after events at Tropicana Field.

But First Amendment advocates and others opposed the plan. Saturday's protest at BayWalk drew more than 100 people, chanting "Free speech! Free speech!" Another protest took place Wednesday afternoon outside the Sembler Co., which owns BayWalk.

The Pinellas County American Civil Liberties Union also wrote a memorandum challenging the proposed ordinance.

Craig Sher, president and CEO of the Sembler Co., said he was disappointed by the negative reaction. "We understand that we are a town center and that's fine," he said. "We support the right of assembly. All we want to do is try to ensure that our customers are safe."

Protesters have gathered at BayWalk since it opened in 2000. Sher said he has seen pedestrians forced into the streets to avoid the demonstrations and witnessed a few near misses with cars. Also, he said the protests block access to the stores.

Several council members already have suggested alternative solutions, including closing Second Avenue to cars on Friday and Saturday nights. Sher said he dismissed that as an option.

"It could turn it into a big party zone," he said. "That would be even more dangerous."

The only regularly scheduled protests at BayWalk are held by members of St. Pete for Peace on Saturday nights. About 25 people typically participate.

Last month, the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement decided to stop its weekly demonstrations after BayWalk officials agreed to loosen their code of conduct for those who visit the complex. The group said some of the rules unfairly targeted blacks.

Chimurenga Waller, an Uhuru leader, said members of his group were unhappy that the ordinance was proposed in the first place. He plans to schedule a meeting with BayWalk officials to discuss the situation.

"Our first reaction was that this was a back-door way for BayWalk to violate their agreement with us," Waller said. "We still don't have a clear understanding of how it got to this point."

- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 28, 2004, 23:58:22]