FCAN, FNM, ON, Rainbow Push, Humanists, Veterans demand City of Tampa support for Occupy protestors

[This letter was delivered to the Tampa City Council on Nov. 3, 2011 and signed by Organize Now, Florida New Majority, Rainbow Push, Tampa Humanists, Veterans for Peace, and FCAN.]

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November 3, 2011

Tampa City Council Members

We, the undersigned organizations, representing thousands of city residents, request that the City of Tampa, after consideration of the Constitution of the United States, especially the First Amendment, which recognizes free speech and spells out the “right peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” officially recognize the following facts:

• The Occupy Tampa movement, in solidarity with other Occupy groups including Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, is citizens of Tampa using their First Amendment rights to protest and seek redress of grievances. The means of expression is to peaceably occupy publicly owned land 24 hours a day 7 days a week, for instance, holding a constant vigil at Curtis Hixon Park.
• The park is public property where the rights of citizens to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances is protected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the Constitution and should also be protected by the City of Tampa.
• The Constitution and the rights of protesters supersede any and all City of Tampa ordinances as long as the protest is peaceable, and does not endanger public safety. The Occupy Tampa protest has been peaceable and endangers no one.

We request that the City take the following actions:

• The Tampa Police Department should protect the rights of the protestors and ensure their safety. The police should not interfere in the exercise of constitutional rights in any way. The police should not arrest peaceful protesters on public property, attempt to control the protestors, awaken the protestors (sleeping in the park is an integral part of the protest) and avoid taking any position on what is or is not an expression of free speech.
• The City of Tampa should provide needed services for the citizens exercising their 1^st Amendment Rights at Curtis Hixon Park by providing sanitation (Porta-potties), electricity, trash removal, potable water, and other city services as needed.

In this way, the City protects and serves its Citizens as they exercise their rights, freely express their opinions, and seek redress of grievances. These actions would place the City in a neutral position rather than one of opposing the protestors or intentionally making their occupation uncomfortable or difficult.

Respectfully,

Florida Consumer Action Network
Rainbow Push Coalition
Organize Now
Florida New Majority
Veterans For Peace
Tampa Humanist Association