Our city, Santa Rosa, California, stopped broadcasting the Public Comments portion of the City Council meetings on public television last year. Yes, the screen went dark right as names were called to speak, and an announcement came on the screen saying that the televised portion of the public meeting was now concluded. We protested. We sent letters to the Mayor and council, and to the local newspaper. The response was that the city didn't owe anyone a venue to express their views. They said that if people wanted to hear what other citizens had to say they could come down and listen in person. Since the city had gone to 'action minutes' for all of their meetings in 2005, you could no longer read the minutes and know what had been said. Merely your name was recorded.
We checked the internet to see if other communities have censored their public comments. We were shocked.
This is not the only city restricting its citizens right to speak and be heard. NO. It's happening all over the United States. Everywhere. Town councils and boards of supervisors are not broadcasting public comments on their public television stations any longer. Is this a coincidence? NO.
THIS IS UN AGENDA 21.
Go and demand that your city broadcast your comments on public television with the rest of the council meeting. Bring everyone you can to the meeting and speak for your three minutes--keep your council and supervisors there all night. Every meeting. Until they restore your public comments portion of the meeting to the televised program.
What's the major difference between the US and repressive regimes? Tolerance of dissent. Free speech. Open discourse. Public debate.
Without information we are in the dark. Kept in the dark. Censored. BY UN AGENDA 21/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ICLEI.
Some of the cities that have censored public comment include:
Compton, CA
Hutchinson, MN
Stafford, NJ
Santa Rosa, CA
Bartlesville, OK
Gary, IN
We checked the internet to see if other communities have censored their public comments. We were shocked.
This is not the only city restricting its citizens right to speak and be heard. NO. It's happening all over the United States. Everywhere. Town councils and boards of supervisors are not broadcasting public comments on their public television stations any longer. Is this a coincidence? NO.
THIS IS UN AGENDA 21.
Go and demand that your city broadcast your comments on public television with the rest of the council meeting. Bring everyone you can to the meeting and speak for your three minutes--keep your council and supervisors there all night. Every meeting. Until they restore your public comments portion of the meeting to the televised program.
What's the major difference between the US and repressive regimes? Tolerance of dissent. Free speech. Open discourse. Public debate.
Without information we are in the dark. Kept in the dark. Censored. BY UN AGENDA 21/SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ICLEI.
Some of the cities that have censored public comment include:
Compton, CA
Hutchinson, MN
Stafford, NJ
Santa Rosa, CA
Bartlesville, OK
Gary, IN
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