[Seattle-editorial] FEATURE PROPOSAL: SEATTLE POSTER BAN OVERTURNED

[Lance Larkin]

This feature looks good with a bit more work. I would
suggest THE SEATTLE TIMES VS. DIY MEDIA for the
subtitle. Maybe "Poster Ban Overturned" for the title.

Would also link to the Times article where you have
the quote from them. Add the name of the Seattle
Weekly if you are going to link to it.

The last paragraph doesn't seem to belong. I would
recommend replacing it with the paragraph introducing
the freespeech website (the call to action).

Other then that just find the quote from the city
taskforce that you mentioned. Looks good.

Lance

--- gentry lange <gentry_lange at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Subtitle: The Seattle Times vs Independent Media and
> the Voice of the People
> 
> [Hi, all, I got working on this a while back and
> sorta stalled out with 
> other projects. But think that a full analysis is in
> order for the Seattle 
> IMC newswire. So here's what I have so far...
> Gentry]
> 
> On Aug. 5., 2002, in a move that marks a new step in
> free speech litigation, 
> the Seattle Poster Ban was overturned by the
> Washington State Court of 
> Appeals. The ruling deemed telephone poles as a
> "traditional public forum", 
> which is therefore protected under the first
> amendment.
> 
> Migthy Movers, who were originally convicted under
> the Seattle Poster Ban, 
> appealed the original decision as a restriction of
> free speech. With the 
> help of Attorney Chase Alvord, they used historical
> photos of Seattle to 
> prove their case.
> 
> The Seattle Times immediately came out with an
> editorial condemning the 
> action, stating:
> 
> "By the same reasoning [of the Court] if Mighty
> Movers Inc. had been 
> enterprising enough to plaster its posters to the
> sides of fire stations and 
> public schools, those would have become "traditional
> public forums," too. 
> ven the vandals who spray graffiti might file suit
> against the city, 
> declaring that concrete walls had become a
> 'traditional public forum.'.
> 
> However, this is not what the court said. The ruling
> actually pointed to two 
> previous cases, Vincent and Collier. Collier was a
> Tacoma Case which deemed 
> parking strip poles a traditional public forum,
> while Vincent specified that 
> the stabilization wires attached to the poles are
> not.
> 
> Most other papers in Seattle were able to understand
> the ruling, including 
> the Stranger
> http://www.thestranger.com/2002-08-15/city.html
> 
>
http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0232/news-buzz.shtml
> 
> http://www.freespeechseattle.org/, An organization
> mobilized around this 
> issue, invites you to write your city council, and
> convince them not to  
> appeal this decision.
> 
> When asked to study the decision, The city's own
> taskforce stated, “The 
> issue of Kiosks should be separated from the issue
> of poles... (find exact 
> quote)
> 
> With the current suppression of free speech
> occurring throughout the US, and 
> the possibility of a an escalated war with Iraq (Did
> you know the war never 
> officially ended?). It is important to remember that
> the main case cited in 
> terms of free speech restrictions, is the one about
> shouting fire in a 
> crowded theater. While in fact the case cited is
> about restricting and 
> imprisoning Wobblies, who were speaking against
> entering the first World 
> War.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Additional Links
> 
> http://www.freespeechseattle.org/
> 
> http://www.thestranger.com/2002-08-15/city.html
> 
> http://www.cityofseattle.net/council/conlin/ctf.htm
> 
>
http://lib.law.washington.edu/research/research.html#courtopshttp://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/opindisp.cfm?docid=491041MAJ
> 
> http://lib.law.washington.edu/research/research.html
> 
>
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=poleed10&date=20020810
> 
> 
> 
>
_________________________________________________________________
> Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger:
> http://messenger.msn.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Seattle-editorial mailing list
> Seattle-editorial at lists.indymedia.org
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/seattle-editorial


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes
http://finance.yahoo.com