News & Public Affairs
Crowd demanding voting rights swells to 200 in downtown Tampa listen
03/06/13 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Awake the State, Awake Tampa, voting rights, HB 1355, ACLU, 2013 legislative session, 2012 election
Two hundred activists crowded Gaslight Square in downtown Tampa Tuesday to demand comprehensive changes to Florida’s voting law. The march and rally was one of 22 across the state asking for new laws that will ensure Florida doesn’t fall victim to long lines at the polls again.
The Florida legislature passed a sweeping voting law in 2011 claiming their intent was to stamp out voter fraud. But critics like Hillsborough County teacher Woodrow Samuel argue it contributed to long lines at th...
1 commentsRepublican convention stakeholders look back on what went right and wrong in Tampa listen
10/10/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, Republican National Convention, Republican Convention, Tampa Police, John Bennett, ACLU, cameras
It’s been more than a month since the Republican National Convention left Tampa and local groups and city officials are looking back at how the event played out. In some circles, the consensus is that it went well, but some people still think police presence was overkill.
At an ACLU forum Tuesday night at the Stetson University College of Law campus in Tampa, executive director of the West Central Florida Federation of Labor, Cheryl Shroeder said the excessive militarization of downtown...
Be the first to commentAmendment 8 critics warn against dismantling church-state separation listen
09/25/12 Samuel JohnsonWMNF Drive-Time News Tuesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: ACLU, religion, freedom, Amendment 8, 2012 election
Is Florida’s Amendment 8 a mandate for religious freedom? That was the theme of a public meeting last Saturday. Americans United for Separation of Church and State organized the gathering at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota. The 3 keynote speakers and the roughly 40 people in attendance painted a foreboding picture if the amendment passes.
On the ballot Amendment 8 is called “Religious Freedom” but according to some the wording is disingenuous. Howard Simon, the...
Be the first to commentWhat Happened During the Last RNC?
08/21/12 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Tuesday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: Chuck Samuleson, ACLU, Minnesota, RNC, St. Paul, militarization, WMNF, Rob Lorei
Note: This is a replay of an interview which originally aired on 4/26/12.
Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. In four months Tampa will host the Republican National Convention. When delegates, staff, journalists and demonstrators are counted as many as 50,000 people will be in the area for the convention.
The mayor of Tampa has proposed a large "clean-zone" around the convention site in downtown Tampa in which certain items and activities will be restricted.
Four years ago the ci...
Be the first to commentRepublican convention protesters have questions for Tampa officials during ACLU rights forum listen
08/08/12 Liz McKibbonWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, Republican National Convention, Event Zone, Mary Mulhern, Rocky Brancato, Jim Shimberg, John Bennett, Free Speech Zone, ACLU, Mike Pheneger, Tampa, Tampa Police, protests
The Republican National Convention begins in Tampa in less than three weeks; areas of the city designated as the Event Zone and Designated Protest Area will bear additional restrictions. The ACLU of Florida hosted a panel discussion Tuesday night at the University of Tampa to screen questions about personal freedoms during the event.
The panel discussion between city officials and citizens was the [thi...
Be the first to commentTampa officials and the ACLU of Florida prepare for legal issues during Republican convention listen
07/11/12 Liz McKibbonWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, Jane Castor, ACLU, City of Tampa, Event Zone, Jim Shimberg, Lisa Streater, James Shaw
Next month’s Republican National Convention will bring with it additional regulations from the city of Tampa. The Florida ACLU held a webinar Tuesday night to inform citizens about what to expect.
More than 70 participants viewed the presentation put together by representatives from the ACLU and various city and county departments. [Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor](http://www.wmnf.org/news_stories?tag=...
Be the first to commentThe ACLU Challenges Florida Voter Purge in Federal Court; The Conservative Effort to Divide the Working Class
06/11/12 Robert LoreiRadioactivity: Live Call-In (Monday) Listen to this entire show:
Tags: ACLU, Florida voting purge, lawsuit, Baylor Johnson, suspected non-citizens
Good morning, welcome to Radioactivity. I'm Rob Lorei. Coming up today we'll talk about the ACLU' s lawsuit against Florida over the voting purge. And we'll talk about the conservative strategy to divide working class voters. But first some listener comments about last Friday's program. Several listener comments wanted to discuss the voting purge and tax breaks for Wal-Mart. Here's what three listeners had to say.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLUFL), the Lawyers’ Committee...
1 commentsTampa RNC Clean Zone ordinance vote delayed two weeks: too many holes listen
04/05/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Thursday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, Clean Zone, Tampa City Council, Mary Mulhern, Lisa Montelione, Frank Reddick, John Dingfelder, ACLU, Occupy Tampa, Occupy RNC
A first vote on Tampa’s proposed RNC “Clean Zone” ordinance was put off for two weeks so that city council could address some concerns about it. Residents and activists filled council chambers and spilled into another viewing area. Twenty-six of them asked council members to reconsider parts of the ordinance they thought were a violation of their rights.
Be the first to comment“I don’t think there’s any way that we could adopt it today. I think that you could drive a tank through all the holes in the [constit...
ACLU forum tackles fine line between public safety and constitutionality in advance of RNC in Tampa listen
04/04/12 Janelle IrwinWMNF Drive-Time News Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: ACLU of Florida, John Dingfelder, Stetson College of Law, Tampa Police, RNC 2012, Clean Zone, protests, RNC, ACLU, Stetson University College of Law
Plans to beef up security and regulate crowds during the Republican National Convention in Tampa this August are well underway. Local leaders of the American Civil Liberties Union want to make sure preparations don’t trample First Amendment rights. At a forum at Stetson University College of Law in Tampa last night a panel of experts answered questions about some of the city’s proposed plans in front of a crowd of 180 people.
Tampa city attorneys and Mayor [Bob Buckhorn](http://www.tampa...
Be the first to commentTampa City Council will consider RNC "Clean Zone" - Council member Montelione answers questions
04/04/12 Seán KinaneLast Call Wednesday Listen to this entire show:
Tags: RNC, RNC 2012, Clean Zone, Lisa Montelione, Tampa City Council, protests, civil liberties, ACLU
What are the rights of protesters during Tampa's upcoming RNC? The city is addressing some concerns with a proposed "Clean Zone" ordinance. The first hearing on the ordinance will be tomorrow (Thursday) morning and groups are planning a protest. We talked about some of their concerns. My guest was Tampa City Council member [Lisa Montelione](http://www.tampagov.net/dept_City_Cou...
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