Go back to Protocols For Democracy

DEMOCRACY REQUIRES FREE SPEECH, A FAIR
PRESS, & OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS
for the "informed consent" of the governed
In a functioning
democracy, the public must be allowed to speak on and hear all sides of
any debate, in order for city officials to lay claim to the "informed consent" of
the governed. That is not happening in many parts of the United States, and
certainly not in the City of Philadelphia. We do not have a free or a fair
press. Our press is overwhelmingly privately owned and routinely censors
the news. Meanwhile, the public is actively discouraged
from bringing before city council and city departments their legitimate
concerns, by being restricted to speak on 'agenda items' only; many city council
committees and city department don't hold regularly scheduled public meetings at
all; while city council meetings are often dominated by celebrations and the
honoring of various events, individuals, and groups, undermining the serious atmosphere
necessary to conduct business. At the same time, the newspapers TV news,
radio stations routinely report only one side of a story and often do not
include a comment section; as social media often suspends and bans users with
whom they disagree. We do not have meaningful and effective free speech or a
fair press. What we have is systemic censorship... and it needs to end. Which is why we must fight every day
for our human rights to free speech, a fair press, and a responsive government.
SUGGESTED PROTOCOLS FOR GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETINGS:
Why are public meetings so important? Because this is the
public’s arena; their opportunity to address their political representatives as
well as the public with their concerns and possible solutions. Most public
meetings are televised and published online, so their audience can be quite
large.
- Public Comments: The public may submit
both written and/or public comments at public meetings. Public comments, written and/or oral,
shall be allowed on any subject, bill, or resolution under the purview of city
government, and shall not be restricted to agenda items only. The
public shall be offered at least 3 minutes each to make public comments.
Written comments shall have a 1000 word limit and can direct readers to
websites or contacts for more information. In order to be included in the
minutes, written comments shall be submitted
before the meeting, at the meeting, or before 5 pm of the day of the scheduled
meeting. Public commentators shall provide their
name, address, and contact information. The public shall be urged, but not
required, to keep their
comments respectful and focused on 1) clearly describing their concerns and 2)
suggesting possible solutions. No government public meeting shall limit
or ban any subject of concern because they believe that it is misinformation,
disinformation, or hate speech.
- Meeting Schedule: County/city/town councils and all
departments in these governments shall hold regularly scheduled weekly,
biweekly, or monthly meetings. The meetings shall be in the evening so
that the "working" public can attend. The meeting shall be both in
person and online, for maximum participation. When someone comes before the council,
committee, or department head with a specific concern, the meeting leader
shall direct them to the public official, committee, or department where they
can go for follow-up and/or relief. Resolutions, bills, and public comments
to do with 'honoring' others shall take place at the beginning or end of a
meeting,
in keeping with the business-like atmosphere required for serious consideration of public concerns.
- Agenda: The agenda shall be published in print
and online four days before public meetings. The minutes of the meetings shall be
published in print and online three days after public meetings. Public comments shall be included in the
minutes of the next public meeting.
ADDITIONAL
'GOVERNMENT' PROTOCOLS FOR FREE SPEECH:
- Government shall require that businesses,
health care facilities, and other entities, that are open to the public, shall
not prohibit or ban any customer, nor refuse employment or fire any employee,
based on their beliefs or viewpoints: political, religious, educational,
environmental, etc..
- The president, federal agencies,
governors, state departments, county leaders and their departments, mayors,
city departments, and city or town councils shall install at least one online
comment section on their homepages for residents, who will be required to
register in order to participate, which includes their name, home address, and
contact information, which would discourage bots and trolls. That said, an anonymous comment section could also be
added.
- City government shall conduct citizen
polls on various issues, and which shall also allow for a comment box, however citizens must register with their names
and address in order to prevent outsiders and anonymous individuals or bots
from participating.
- City government shall erect public
bulletin boards through the municipality, depending on the population size, for the public to freely access and post events as well as
issues of concern.
- All public meetings and
special hearings shall
give equal time to all sides of an issue.
PROTOCOLS FOR A 'FREE AND FAIR' PRESS:
- Federal, state, and local governments
shall require the news media to report on all sides of an issue in every
article about specific subjects, as well as provide equal space for all sides
to share their views via letters to the editor.
- Any online news website shall be required
to include a "public comment section" where online readers can post their
general comments, but also include a comment section under every article.
These entities should also require those who comment to post under their own
name and address, as with traditional "letters to the editor". That
requirement will hopefully discourage rude remarks, trolls, and bots. However,
news outlets may, in addition, provide an anonymous public comment
section, as well.
CAUTIONS:
- Beware of 'citizen advisory boards' which
government officials often used to redirect activists and their concerns to unelected boards,
generally packed with people who make sure nothing gets done. The
result? Activists often do not attend the government public meetings where the real votes takes place
and their public comments would be televised!
- Beware of Business Improvement District
(BID) or Neighborhood Improvement Districts (NID). These are public/private
partnerships often do not receive adequate public scrutiny or accountability. https://newrepublic.com/article/130188/business-improvement-districts-ruin-neighborhoods
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