Diversionary tactic or discrimination?
When our City of St. Augustine city government is found guilty of violating visual artists' First Amendment rights by a federal judge and an injunction is issued, what's the response of local journalists?
Do they run a reaction story (or stories) with interviews of visual artists, law professors and average citizens? Nope. That would be too inflammatory.
When our City of St. Augustine's city government is forced of necessity to dip into reserve funds for $1.7 million that would have come from a state grant but for "documented environmental violations," what's the response of local journalists?
Do they run a reaction story (or stories) with interviews of environmental justice advocates, Lincolnville and West Augustine residents, ministers, state officials law professors and other citizens? Not on your life. That would be too informative.
What's the preferred means of diverting public attention from our City of St. Augustine's city government scandals, since they're not getting the caliber of reportage that they deserve?
Evidently this morning's diversionary tactic is a sensationalistic front page news story in which named and unnamed people kvetch, whine and complain subjectively -- a story published six days after a Snoop Dogg concert (held at Francis Field last Friday night).
For an uninformative and inflammatory story (one bordering dangerously on racism) and for a good laugh at the MORRIS COMMUNICATIONS' gang's double, triple and quadruple standards and racism, you've got to read and see the print edition of this morning's St. Augustine Record.
Bear in mind that there is no African-American or Hispanic reporter at the St. Augustine Record and that that MORRIS COMMUNICATIONS has very few African-American employees and a history of race discrimination complaints.
Thus, the article by PETER GUINTA (below), raises serious questions:
1. The City's scientifically-based noise ordinance (upheld against "Stogies" cigar bar in circa 1998 by Judge Peggy Reedy) bans sounds that are some 75 or more decibels at the property line. Was this ordinance violated? Was anyone cited for noise? Presumably the SAPD was measuring decibels, since there was a strong, well-organized police presence, resulting in few arrests and no violence (contrary to pre-concert fears and hysteria).
2. If the noise ordinance was NOT exceeded and there is NO quotable measurement of the decibels, then why the sensationalistic front page headline about "noise?" Noise can be measured scientifically. Can PETER GUINTA spell "decibels?" Or is he "safe from science?"
3. If the music was allegedly "obscene," as the article claims, which song(s) was/were allegedly obscene, and by what court's standards? Please tell us what you're talking about. Then we all can go look it up and make our own decision.
4. The claim of "obscenity" is in the eyes of the beholder, and without a videotape or the lyrics or even the song titles, this could be just a case of privileged, prejudiced people "jus' whistlin' Dixie," e.g., about African-American musicians whose ardent, paying fans include white and black young people.
5. I am at a loss to understand a demagogic, babytalkin' article with a too-big headline, one where PETER GUINTA is too big for his britches – reporting as "facts" what are unsupported opinions. GUINTA does not use either scientific measurement (decibels) or textual analysis (the words in quo) to support lay peoples' claim that (in a big scary hysterical headline) -- "Residents: Concert was "too loud, obscene."
6. This sounds like another case of privileged and prejudiced people picking on diversity. Remember the prejudiced comments of tatterdemalion ex-Commissioner SUSAN BURK about the patrons o0f Reggae Sunday at Conch House: "the wrong kind of people?" (BURK is the ex-girlfriend of ROBERT MICHAEL GRAUBARD – that's the kind of tree-killing speculator I call the "wrong kind of people.')
7. Not covered was the fact that a St. Johns County (SJC) employee (Ryan Dettra) stood up at Monday night's meeting and urged City Commissioners to adopt an ordinance punishing dirty words. This is a state and federal law question, not a local affair, and one covered by the First Amendment. Cool your jets, SJC/Ryan – you are exceeding your authority and your pay grade – you need to talk to the County Attorney before you appear in public as a county attorney, sounding like a 99-year old bluenoser calling for violating others' civil liberties. This is corrupt town where our city and county governments have repeatedly violated civil and constitutional rights. We don't need county employees speaking for censorship, going off half-cocked. In sharp and marked contrast, City Public Affairs Director Paul Williamson got it right – "we're content neutral," he said below, and can't discriminate against musicians. (Three cheers for Paul Williamson – he gets it. So does Mayor Boles, who notes that no one complained to City Commission and that there are generational differences).
8. PETER GUINTA writes like an old fogey, and not one musician or concert-goer was quoted -- that's biased reporting. (We've heard that there were inadequate bathroom facilities and a two-tier structure of which tickets got to use which bathrooms.)
9. In Houston, I once remarked to a friend that the refinery smell in an upper-crusty neighborhood (River Oaks) was overpowering. He sniffed the air and said, "smells like money to me."
10. In the midst of a recession, you'd think the burghers of Vilano Beach would have the class and common sense to say (for one night), "it sounds like money to me." Without more details than supplied in GUINTA's story, it smells (and sounds) like prejudice to me.
11. As Mayor Boles notes, we're inviting the world here to celebrate our State's and City's 500th/450th birthdays -- is there a problem with visitors to a beach resort town being a little noisy as long as they're spending money and having a good time? Friday was not a school night. Who was hurt in any way? People were entertained and had a good time. That was the story reported by the Record several days ago.
12. We're not in Kansas. If Vilano Beach were a small farming town, we'd understand. It's a seaside resort -- if one night's noise is all you've got to complain about, life is good.
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