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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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