Lakewood Arts Festival – Candidates, What's In Bad Taste?

[Kenneth Warren]

Jim:

Just to clarify – petitioners have the right to solicit signatures outside the library not inside the library.

dl:

Because the Friends are temporarily located in the Athens Avenue Omni location, the August Friends Book Sale will be held next Saturday at Omni.

I appreciate your kind words and generous donations of just-read new books.

Kenneth Warren
Director
Lakewood Public Library

[Dee Martinez]

I spent two hours at the festival yesterday and didnt feel that anything political created an unwelcome intrusion. I did see the tax issue people on the corner (and sidestepped them)and I saw some people in candidates tshirts but they were easy to ignore.
Free speech aside, organizers of things like this do have a little bit of control over who can participate.

(While I was writing this post, Mr, Warren was also writing one. Evidently he believes some environments need to be "controlled" as well. I agree. The arts festival should be no more beholden to unrestricted 1st Amendment exercise than the inside of the library.)

While the July 4 parade is enjoyable in its own right as a different type of event, I would hate to see the arts festival dominated by the same swarms of blue, yellow, red, and green shirts that we saw in the parade.
I would also hope the candidates would realize that you can lose votes by being ANNOYING too

If I were a candidate, Id post a letter here on the day of the festival saying that I was giving my campaign staff the day off to enjoy one of Lakewood's best loved entertainment events. We will resume the campaign tomorrow. Buy a painting. Enjoy!

[dl meckes]

I only saw three place selling T-Shirts. All three were businesses on Detroit that have sold T-Shirts at the last 5 arts festivals. I believe and I could be mistaken that the rule is NO T-Shirts for sale with anything about the Arts Festival on it. I could be wrong. I believe that is what Pat told me when we sold LO Shirts in the past. This year we sell any LO gear out of respect for the hard work of the Lakewood Arts Festival Board.
.

I don't think anybody wanted to tread on the Arts Fest. folks's rules, I just don't think everybody knows what they are. Obviously, I don't know them, either.

I understand that things are more free-wheeling at the Kar Kulture Show. I've come to really look forward to that event, even if I'm not a Kar Kulture person. Events like these add to the quality of our Lakewood life.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim:

Just to clarify – petitioners have the right to solicit signatures outside the library not inside the library.

Just curious, why not insided the library?

DL

The groups with the most shirts both knew.

FWIW


.

[Kenneth Warren]

There is a legal distinction between a limited public forum (such as a public library) and a public forum (such as park, sidewalk, street). Expressive activity is the issue., and the scope for any reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on it will differ according to category.

Does the Lakewood Arts Festival turn a public forum, say Sinagra Park, or a sidewalk or street into a limited public forum?

I am no legal scholar. But I doubt it and would expect a challenge to any such construction.

Here’s a little something from Library Law. Com that might help answer
Jim’s question:

"Libraries are considered "limited public forums." Libraries have opened themselves up to expressive activity -- specifically the activity of RECEIVING information. This does not mean that the public has full First Amendment rights of expressive activity, such as making public speeches in the reading room. (Expressive activity is protected in library meeting rooms.)

Thus, public libraries today are considered designated limited public forums. For an recent appellate court analyzing the public library as a designated, limited public forum, see Kreimer v. Bureau of Police, 958 F.2d 1242 (3d Cir. 1992).â€Â

[Richard Cole]

I went to the Art Show to see Art.

I did not go to sign petitions.
I did not go to look at politcal t-shirts.
I did not go to listen to any campaign.

It was a Festival of Art.

The whining - I'm allowed to so I will - misses the point entirely. We know you can; we know you're allowed too, and referencing your work as a "necessary evil" smacks of hyperbole; it is an Art Festival.

The Organizing Committee, had apparently, tried to keep it as much as possible, a political campaign free, 8 hours.

Those campaigns who refused, IMHO, spoiled what was otherwise, one of the most enjoyable days of living in Lakewood.

[Dee Martinez]

[quote="Kenneth Warren"]There is a legal distinction between a limited public forum (such as a public library) and a public forum (such as park, sidewalk, street). Expressive activity is the issue., and the scope for any reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on it will differ according to category.

Does the Lakewood Arts Festival turn a public forum, say Sinagra Park, or a sidewalk or street into a limited public forum?

I am no legal scholar. But I doubt it and would expect a challenge to any such construction.

Here’s a little something from Library Law. Com that might help answer
Jim’s question:

"Libraries are considered "limited public forums." Libraries have opened themselves up to expressive activity -- specifically the activity of RECEIVING information. This does not mean that the public has full First Amendment rights of expressive activity, such as making public speeches in the reading room. (Expressive activity is protected in library meeting rooms.)

Thus, public libraries today are considered designated limited public forums. For an recent appellate court analyzing the public library as a designated, limited public forum, see Kreimer v. Bureau of Police, 958 F.2d 1242 (3d Cir. 1992).â€Â

[stephen davis]

Anyone can ask individuals not to exercise their constitutional rights, it is their choice as to whether or not to surrender them.

I thought democratic discourse was at the heart of the LO project, not art snobbery.

Ken, Suzanne, Don, and Ryan,

First, I have to mention that Ryan's comments are pretty interesting coming from a representative of the Republican party, the one that seems intent on dismantling our Constitution.

Although I never mentioned the Constitution specifically, I did recognize the rights of the campaigners in my initial post.

While I support free speech, and their right to campaign, I found these candidates’ displays to be inappropriate, annoying, intrusive, and IN BAD TASTE.

My comments were not about constitutional rights, democratic discourse, art, or snobbery. My comments were about respect and polite behavior.

Amost always all the candidates are there and are campaigning.

At Starry Night I spoke with the Mayor, 2 School Board members, 1 councilman, and 1 council candidate. They did not mention their campaign. Were they campaigning? Maybe, but if so, they won my respect by their polite behavior.

The mayor selling hot dogs for Kiwanis, or Kevin Butler working in the Animal Shelter booth, may or may not be campaigning. Either way, it was very appropriate to the event.

Isn’t democracy always in bad taste?

Always? I hope not. I think democracy ALLOWS participants to act in bad taste, but always at their peril. Maybe we have learned a little more about the character of some candidates this weekend.

May I suggest that any campaign be prepared to provide individuals with a sticker that says, "Thanks, you've already spoken to me" so that people don't feel harrassed.

It's too bad that it is up to us individually to have to actively opt out of the endless stream of impolite intrusions into our lives. It would be nice if we didn't feel compelled to enroll in the DO NOT CALL Registry of life.

The LO Project offers this place for democratic discourse. WE ARE HERE BY CHOICE. We can talk here and be as tasteless as we want. Heck, we can throw hot dogs if we want. I don't run from discourse, I embrace it, but get in my face to my discomfort at your own peril. You may exercise your rights and lose my business, my vote, my patronage, my friendship, or my respect. You have the right to do the same when I exercise my rights.


Steve

[Stephen Eisel]

Lower quality exhibitors affect the quality of the show which affects attendance and means a downward spiral. Thats why you wont see dogs playing poker or "Git R Done" tshirts at a quailty festival, of which Lakewood is clearly one.

You are now on my Christmas list..

[Stephen Eisel]

the one that seems intent on dismantling our Constitution.

And they do have partners in crime... Do not listen to their words.. look at their votes....

[Kenneth Warren]

Ms. Martinez:

Feel free to disagree.

Is the temporary cessation of all the elements that could be considered public forum (park, street, sidewalk) by the City of Lakewood to Arts Festival Board what you have in mind?

If City Hall and the Law Department believe such restriction can be legally made for limiting expressive activity of petitioners on sidewalks during the Arts Festival, then let them attempt to do so.

I simply see such restriction fraught with potential liability over the constitutionality of the action.

From your post, I take it you do not.

With any luck, someone from City Hall or the ACLU will come to the LO Deck and shed more light.

Steve:

You are providing important feedback, as each of us in the LO Deck does. Whether the sensibility and taste you are expressing about the art of politics will carry the day or not is matter of calculation to be made by members of any given campaign. They have a choice and you have a choice.

Kenneth Warren

[stephen davis]

Whether the sensibility and taste you are expressing about the art of politics will carry the day or not is matter of calculation to be made by members of any given campaign. They have a choice and you have a choice.

Ken,

Well isn't that what I said?

You will also notice that I did not mention rules, laws, or abridging anyone's constitutional rights.

Steve

[Mark Crnolatas]

I do not remember seeing this at any of the Art Festivals during a campaign year. A new trend?

Mark Allan Crnolatas

[David Lay]

Probably. They usually seize upon any opportunity.

[Lynn Farris]

Mark, not a new trend at all. I remember before the presidential election being asked to register to vote every other step I took.

I agree with Don, they are always all there and sometimes it is a little more in your face than others.

I can certainly sympathetize with the Sales Tax Group. This is a County Wide issue and they don't have a lot of time to gather signatures. So while many of our guests aren't Lakewood Residents, I would guess that the majority are Cuyahoga County Residents. I do admire Ryan taking on this Herculean effort and I do think that the principal for which he is fighting is extremely constitutional - taxation without representation - isn't that what the Boston Tea Party was about?

Ryan is right a booth might have helped, but if I recall the register to vote people had a booth and they were all over the place as well.

BTW, for the record, there are few more important things to do than register to vote and I have registered individuals from the League of Woman Voter's booth in the past - so I'm not disparaging that.

It most likely was not a good idea to ask people who were listening to music to sign petitions. We are close approaching what Mayor Cain used to call the silly season. Maybe attempting to ban political messages during the silly season is just silly or at least difficult.