FYI, here’s what I noted when I listened to the video of the City Council meeting. Note some of the very interesting things the Mayor says.
Here’s a link to where where you can see an article about clapping, which finally gets to discussing my arrest and provides links to YouTube videos . There’s a photo of the citation to me, and a photo of the letter I sent the Mayor two weeks ago demanding a public apology for ordering people not to clap and a change in their rules of decorum.
Here’s a link to the June 24, 2013 video of the council meeting. I’ve taken notes of different points in the video that are relevant, including verbatim transcriptions of my comments and those of the Mayor
38:44: first speaker asking them to add money for night swim program stops and I begin to applaud, followed by other audience members.
38:50: Mayor orders people (not just me) not to clap and says “clapping can be construed as an intimidating tactic.” (!!!!) and I say, “you can’t order people not to clap.”
42:52, second speaker in favor of money for swimming stops and a few people, including me, applaud.
42:58: Mayor says, “I ask you again — City Council has its established rules. I order you to stop disrupting this procedure.” (My emphasis.) (He does not say he orders me to stop disrupting this MEETING.
Approx. 56-57: council votes to add back in $10,000 for swim program and Mayor commends the public for letting the city council know what people want.
Approx. 1:00-1:01 — member of my neighborhood group speaks and when she ends and people begin to applaud Mayor says it’s [the clapping] inappropriate and unlawful under Penal Code section 403 and warns [who? everyone who clapped, which was not just me) that they’ll be arrested [implicitly, for clapping].
1:12 after NOT applauding several speakers (I was outside talking to the police officer) I applaud the last speaker, a WW II vet, and the Mayor does NOT order me not to applaud.
1:12:50 Jill Johnson, a neighbor, gives a GREAT speech and at
1:16:04 she ends and I and OTHERS applaud
1:16:14 Mayor rells (who? everyone who clapped? or just me? He doesn’t say) that “this is the last time I’m telling you to not clap and then I’m telling the officer to escort you out.”
1:16:20-23 I say, “I’m not leaving unless he arrests me.”
1:16 Daryl Salmon speaks (and later commends me for continuing to clap, although I don’t clap for him because once again I think I’m talking to a police officer outside).
More speakers, no clapping by me (still talking with an officer, probably)
1:15 Patricia Verweil speaks and when she says the City would have buckets of money for the pool program if it had been fining the troublemakers in our neighborhood, audience members (not me) say, “hear, hear!” and the Mayor does not chastise them,
1:24: Verweil runs past her time but doesn’t get chastised.
1:24:33 Walter White speaks about neighborhood problems and says, at end, “And Rusty, we’re not trying to disrupt people, we’re just applauding people for taking the time to get up to say something to try to stop this turmoil [in our neighborhood].” The Mayor replies, “Of course I appreciate that, that’s why we have public comment.” (!!!!!!!)
1:30:48: Walter White runs over time but doesn’t get arrested and cuffed at the podium like Karen Wright did.
1:31- 1:40:32 several more people speak without incident or applause.
1:40:32 Letitia Pepper speaks and complains that they could have easily adopted a moratorium, and that the failure to stop the mini dorm conversions, coupled with their plant to start charging room rental permit fees, is no coincidence, and that this is all about the City making more money.
1:42:35 Letitia says, “It’s totally illegal for you to tell people not to applaud or not to boo. If it doesn’t disrupt the meeting and one speaker is done speaking before the next speaker gets to the podium it’s not disruptive for people to show how they feel [applause in background??] and that’s why we come, not to be lectured by you, but to show what we think and what we feel that’s why people are here.
“How else did you know that there are people who supported those two women who took the time to come and say how important public pools were unless people in the audience applauded and let you know? That’s why I applauded for my neighbors when they talk about problems I know about and I agree with them. We have a right to do that, and it’s a shame that you teach government and a shame you’re a mayor when you dare tell people they’ll be arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights and I urge everybody here, [please fell free to applaud because they can’t arrest all of us. Thank you.” [Loud and long applause.]
At end of Pepper speech, Mayor did NOT threaten people for clapping, or Pepper for urging people to applaud.
1:43:37 Gurumantra Khalsa asks neighborhood association members to stand for recognition and they do and people applaud and there’s no threat of arrest by the Mayor for this clapping (or break in Khalsa’s speech).
1:45:16 Khalsa ends and there is scattered applause — no threat by Mayor.
1:45:30 Mayor says they’ll take a break and a recess.
Ads played on video until 1:54:40 [I think it’s pretty obvious that they’re consulting with the City Attorney about what to do about me.]
1:55 tape begins in midst of Mayor saying ” . . . council procedures, clapping is disruptive (!!!!!) so I’ll ask you again to listen to public comments [as though people aren’t listening while people speak, and are only clapping when no one is speaking!], beginning with Judy Kan and Tina Maron.”
Judy speaks and when she ends at
1:58:55, people applaud Judy and someone (not me) vocalizes approval and Rusty says “Officer, will you please remove the individual from the council chambers. [What individual? Everyone who clapped? The vocalizer? Or just me?] City Council will recess this meeting until further notice.”
1:59:07 camera turned off and ads played while I’m being bodily removed and arrested until
2:03:21 Tina Maron, VERY NERVOUS, speaks and ends at
2:04:40 and there is NO applause
2:04: several more speakers, no applause, meeting ends with BS from our two council members about solving our problems by partnering with UCR, the biggest source of the problem, which has continued to refuse to work with us at all and, of course, they continue to refuse to address the need for a moratorium on mini dorm conversions.