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Six Protesters Arrested At Baywalk
(Including
three teenagers, one aged 13)
Two
St. Pete for Peace members were being arrested without cause, when
instead of just allowing this injustice to happen, a small contingent
of members chose to try to prevent their arrest through nonviolent
civil disobedience.
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August 6, 2005
VIDEO FOOTAGE OF SOME OF THE
ARRESTS
(Courtesy of
Joe Porter, Len Schmiege and Mike O'Neill)
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Six people were arrested
at Baywalk on Saturday night, August 6th, 2005.
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A
13-year old boy was arrested for being on the PUBLIC sidewalk and
“blocking pedestrian traffic.” The young
man was not carrying a sign
nor was he attempting to interfere with anyone. He was just
going from
one end of a public sidewalk to the other.
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Afterwards, another protester was videotaping near where the 13-year
old was arrested. Police then arrested the second protester,
who was
later charged with trespassing.
The remaining demonstrators
made their way down to the police van holding the two
detainees. Some
protesters attempted to stop the van from driving those arrested down
to the police station by locking arms in front of it.
Four of
the protesters were then arrested and charged with blocking a roadway
and disobeying a lawful command. The remaining protesters
returned to
Baywalk and chanted, sang and shouted slogans at the police until after
11pm. The juveniles were released a few hours after they were
arrested. The three adults were brought down to the police
station and
were released on bail early the next morning.
The cops want to
intimidate and harass us. The cops’ use of
barricades is to force
protesters onto Baywalk property where they can proceed to arrest
us.
They are set up in such a way so that people cannot walk down the
public sidewalk without either going out into the street or walking
onto Baywalk property.
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Story Background
Baywalk and the City of St. Petersburg are trying to take away the
rights of protesters to stand on the PUBLIC sidewalk in front of
Baywalk. Click here to read the
St. Pete Times story. Click here to watch
Channel 10's coverage. Click here to see a few photos of
the barricades.
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understanding is that Baywalk and the city of St. Petersburg are
testing barricades on weekends to see if they improve pedestrian
safety. One option being considered is the construction of
permanent
barricades. If this were to happen we would not be allowed to
protest
on the north side of the sidewalk in front of Baywalk. In
addition to the unsubstantiated claim that protesters cause a safety
hazard, Baywalk management says our protests are bad for business. |
"I
was assured that the protesters' right to continue protesting was not
being prevented by the barricades. Now do they have as much
freedom as
they did before those went up? Probably not."
St.
Petersburg Councilmember Richard Kriseman (read) |
According to Sembler CEO Sher:
"Many patrons stay away from Baywalk because of the congestion caused
by the protesters." And Bruce Rabon, owner of Hurricane
Pass and Metropolitan Outfitters claimed, "when
the protesters began, our Saturday night business ceased to
exist."
Tom Silverberg, owner of Jess Jewelers (one of the stores in which we
protest near) recently said: ".[the
protesters]..are abusing the privilege of free speech, [and] are
jeopardizing my freedom to run a small business."
- If
these barricades stay in place, anyone needing to exit Baywalk quickly
in an emergency situation would face a tangle of metal gates that could
prevent their safe escape. This is ironic, particularly in
the context
of the rationale for the barricades: public safety.
This also adds
credence to our assessment that the true motivation behind the
barricades is Baywalk's desire to stop our protests on the public
sidewalk in front of the entertainment complex. Greg Sembler, Vice Chairman of the Sembler Company (which owns
Baywalk) has essentially said so:
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"I still think we need to own the sidewalk" - Greg Sembler (May 3, 2005) |
The
City of St. Petersburg has implemented these barricades at the request
of Baywalk management, following a study done by a group called the St. Petersburg Downtown
Partnership, Inc. The
problem is that, on the Executive Committee of this group is
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Craig Sher,
President/CEO of the Sembler Company. Obviously, this is a
conflict of
interest. Not coincidentally, the group's long-term
recommendation is
to give Baywalk control of the public sidewalk. (SP
Times Interview Mar '05)
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No
public hearings, no discussion -- they're just taking taxpayer
property. Last year they tried to
set up "no protest zones." Earlier this year
they tried to buy the public sidewalk. Now, Baywalk and the
city are
reportedly planning on constructing permanent barriers and saying
protesters won't be able to stand on the PUBLIC sidewalk!
The
reason given for these barricades?
Pedestrian safety.
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However,
we've been demonstrating at Baywalk nearly every Saturday for 2 1/2
years and there have been
ZERO
pedestrian accidents during our protests.
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"Public
protests can be inconvenient, annoying and noisy affairs. But our
Constitution has chosen the mess of freedom and democracy over the
order that comes with repression.
When
police address protesters in an aggressive manner and resort to
hypertechnical arrests for minor offenses, they are creating an
intimidating environment in an effort to discourage future
demonstrations. Our community's priorities are clear: It's commerce
over conversation at BayWalk, where our areas's most active and engaged
citizens are decidedly not welcome."
From
"Activists deserve praise, not harassment" by Robyn E. Blumner, St.
Petersburg Times, Aug. 21, 2005
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E-mail: info@stpeteforpeace.org
