I thought it was obvious that people have the right to videotape public meetings of elected officials. But my colleagues at the Philadelphia City Commissioners actually passed a motion to remove a videographer from a recent public hearing. They actually directed an employee to remove the person and her camera. Apparently the reporters and editors at the political-machine-friendly Public Record don’t understand this basic civil right either.
So, just in case you were wondering, you have the right to videotape any public hearing or meeting of the City Commissioners (as long as you are unobtrusive and not disruptive). The most the Commissioners can do is ask you to change the location from which you are videotaping.
Hope to see you and your cameras at future meetings of the City Commissioners. I think we need to have a public meeting soon in order to certify the results of the May 20th election, one of the most important official acts of the City Commissioners. But my colleagues have not confirmed a meeting for this purpose. I can’t do it alone. Maybe you can help me convince them to do the right thing. Contact information is at www.PhiladelphiaVotes.com.
“Silence = Death” was the slogan on a pin I wore in college in the 1980’s to show support for the gay community in the face of the AIDS epidemic.
“Silence is consensus” is a ground rule of the Quaker method of doing business, which I learned as a faculty member in the 1990’s at Haverford College: disagreeing silently is no different, practically, from agreeing out loud.
Many of you have expressed your appreciation for the messages I have been sending. I need your help to make sure my ideas are not silenced. I need your help to amplify these messages. I need you to be my “human megaphone” by spreading the messages you hear from me in your own voice to your own audience. There are many ways to take part:
Retweet me (@sfsinger).
Put ideas in your own words and write letters to the editor of traditional publications you read.
Detail of everything is on my facebook page.
Dude says
You don’t need video to preserve the democratic process. Cameras are not allowed at labor board meetings or in courtrooms. That is what the stenographer with the minutes are for. Considering the ethical issues surrounding your office, to me it just looks like you are trying to create a smokescreen.