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The ACLU of Florida Announces Two Victories in Lake and Pinellas Counties
Veterans for Peace Gain Equal Access; Free Speech is Vindicated for Local Family
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, August 31, 2007
CONTACT:
Brandon Hensler, Director of Communications, (786) 363-2700 or media@aclufl.org
ST. PETERSBURG and ORLANDO, Fla. – The dog days of summer are nearly behind us, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has been busy. We are proud to announce two recent successes for civil liberties in Florida; one for Veterans for Peace (VFP) in Pinellas County and the other for free speech rights in Lake County, FL.
FREE SPEECH IN CLERMONT, FL
Yesterday, the ACLU of Florida sent a letter to the City of Clermont (in Lake County) requesting that they not enforce an unconstitutional ordinance requiring a $50 deposit to place a political yard sign in your front yard. The ACLU’s letter responded to a letter received by Bryan and Leilani Orr from the City’s Code Enforcement Officer. They were threatened with a fine if they did not comply. The ACLU’s letter cited cases outlining the City’s unconstitutional actions and threatened legal action if they did not agree to cease enforcing the ordinance.
The ACLU received confirmation today from the City that they will no longer enforce the Ordinance, and that Bryan J. and Leilani J. Orr are welcome to replace the sign in their yard. The Orrs removed the sign to avoid paying a fine of $250 and we are happy to report that their rights were vindicated and the sign is now firmly placed back in the yard thanks to the hard work of ACLU Regional Director Glenn Katon.
“I simply wasn’t going to stand idly by while the City stepped on my rights as a citizen,” said Bryan Orr, whose political yard sign for a presidential candidate was the center of controversy over free speech rights. “No one should let government censor them – and when injustice arises, we all have a duty to stand up and say not here, not to me.”
A copy of the ACLU’s letter to the City of Clermont can be found here: http://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/Legal%20PDfs/Clermont.pdf.
A copy of the City’s letter to the ACLU can be found here: http://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/Clermont_response.pdf.
EQUAL ACCESS IN PINELLAS COUNTY
For a long time Pinellas County (St. Petersburg/Clearwater) schools have allowed military recruiters to recruit students inside the school. The ACLU and others made the School District aware on several occasions that Federal law provides for equal access – allowing other groups the right to the same level of student access for recruitment. In this case, the VFP wanted access to provide alternative career information to students.
Due to the hard work of Dwight Lawton, the local ACLU chapter and ACLU attorney Rebecca Harrison Steele, the Pinellas Veterans for Peace group is now permitted to offer printed material to Pinellas County public school students and answer their questions about careers that don't require military enlistment first. This victory returns some freedom of speech and association to the high school campuses while expanding the concept of the public forum.
“Students have the right to be presented with all of the pertinent information so that they can make informed decisions about their futures,” said Rebecca Harrison Steele, Director of the ACLU of Florida’s West Central Office. “The Pinellas School Board’s decision to allow their students to receive information on all careers and not just those that require enlistment in the military is a teachable moment – we hope other districts follow in their footsteps.”
VFP’s access to students is intended to provide fact-based information about alternative careers for students’ consideration that focus on serving society, rather than by serving in the military. Their intention is solely to provide alternate information, not to criticize the military as a career choice. Among the opportunities presented to students by Veterans for Peace are employment opportunities and careers in Americorps, the Peace Corps, international development, as well as U.S.-based opportunities in national forests and parks, education and health care.
About the ACLU of Florida
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For additional information, visit our Web site at: www.aclufl.org.
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