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Some thoughts on Thursday’s press release:
1) It conflates and confuses (at least to the average reader) at least 3 legal issues: Covid regulations, holding events without a permit, and street closures.
2) Most (all?) of those targeted are Black activists and community leaders. https://twitter.com/nbc29/status/1300557730760077314
1) It conflates and confuses (at least to the average reader) at least 3 legal issues: Covid regulations, holding events without a permit, and street closures.
2) Most (all?) of those targeted are Black activists and community leaders. https://twitter.com/nbc29/status/1300557730760077314
4) It’s too wordy, obfuscates the legal workings, and it doesn’t offer affirm the aims of the protests. As such it reads as a rejection of the protests.
5) I talked to two councilors who pointed out the Covid regulations were primarily due to UVA.
5) I talked to two councilors who pointed out the Covid regulations were primarily due to UVA.
5) (cont) But UVA has since banned gatherings of more than students, rendering the city’s Covid ordinance less useful.
6) The reference to protests blocking emergency vehicle routes is, as @LogicForGood pointed out, made in bad faith. Protestors so far would have cleared way.
6) The reference to protests blocking emergency vehicle routes is, as @LogicForGood pointed out, made in bad faith. Protestors so far would have cleared way.
7) It’s worth debating how blocking roads fits into our civic aims, but Preston and a few other roads being closed a few times for 3-4 hours to protest injustice isn’t going to ruin anything. May make things better.
8) The city doesn’t want to get sued by white supremacists if they try to hold a rally and the city won’t allow it. But...the city already hasn’t enforced its road closing rules. The fines for the events in the parks were coming anyways and organizers apparently didn’t mind.
8) (cont.) And the Covid regulations will only be around but so long and their primary intent was to limit UVA students, which as mentioned above is kind of a moot point.
9) Despite the press release, people went right ahead and had a protest on Friday, with streets closed & all
9) Despite the press release, people went right ahead and had a protest on Friday, with streets closed & all
10) As others have pointed out, one reason protests have to spill into the streets is that the city has done literally nothing to create safer socially distanceable sidewalks.
11) In short, the press release was confusing in terms of its aims, functionally is a criticism of Black led civil rights protests, and to whatever extent it’s guided by a desire to not get sued, may fall short. Do better next time @CvilleCityHall.
