Council members take issue with ‘free speech zone’ at Bentleyville
December 17, 2012 at 6:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
A couple of members of the Duluth City Council butted heads with city administration Monday night over the creation of a “free speech zone” in a parking lot outside of Bentleyville.
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The “free speech zone” was not the greatest idea. I’m glad we have free speech…I’m not in favor of message the preachers are sending about God. But better to have too much free speech than not enough. I think the city was trying to avoid turning Bentleyville into a soapbox for every group pushing a view. We need to find a solution in the future that avoids controversy. I’m hoping that the hard work that Nathan Bentley and all the volunteers put into this event does not get forgotten. Stauber and Krause were trying to make political gains by proposing their resolution. Stauber is a do nothing bag of wind as far as I’m concerned. Lakewalk smoking ban anyone?? Why not offer a resolution honoring the work that Nathan Bentley and all of the volunteers do for the city? But no….these two city councilors would rather rub the mayor’s face in the dirt. We should all be reminded of the “Do something” people that make Bentleyville a holiday tradition in Duluth. Thats the story that need to be told!
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Mr. Montgomery, your team didn’t handle this that badly. I think they responded with diligence and an eye to solving a tricky problem! Thanks for your exemplary work once again.
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The reaction of Stauber and Krause was good, but for the wrong reason. They were upset that the administration didn’t inform the council. I”M upset that a government body would think it was okay to tell me where I can exercise my free speech rights. Okay, I can’t shout “Fire” in a crowded theater, and I can’t talk about bombs at the airport, but not talking about my religion in a city park, or anywhere else for that matter is wrong. Big Brother already has too much power–if we’re not careful and guard against just this kind of abuse, we’ll look up one day and freedom of speech and religion will be gone. If those preachers were hassling people, there are harassment laws that could have been enforced. Wake up people!!
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Stauber has some ego on him.
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The city of Duluth should go ahead and enforce the “free speech zone. No matter what a judge says about a free speech zone not legal on “public property”, and the city being forced to remove it so those two nut-cases can blast away in peoples faces…we know the judge was lying. Dulth put up frre speech zones under federal want, when president Bush was in town, and when the GOP had it`s convention in St.Paul, a free speech zone WAS INFORCED by the government itself!
Bring back the free speech zone Duluth, and do it in spit of that judge, because the federal government itself has set the president for them.
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I think somebody should take on that Judge who ruled that Duluth could not enforce a “free speech” zone, and contain those two street preachers who keep disrupting the crowds. My reasoning is based on the fact, that our federal government has a number of times created a “free speech” zone and enforced it. In Duluth, when president Bush visited, a free speech zone was inforced, and THAT is where people had to be in order to voice their opinions in public. Also, when the GOP convention was in St.Paul, all people with vocal opinions no matter what side they were on, were corraled into a free speech zone….AND….it was inforced by ARMED ferderal agents. I see NO REASON that this display can not have the same rules apply on public property, if our own government is allowed to do it themselves. It`s time to take on that judge, and have him OVER RULED! Come on Mayor……it`s time now to get this done, so next year people are NOT bombarded with nonsense from those two [or any others], while trying to disrupt a good time at a public park.
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