Commission Punts on Musicians and Artists: We Shall Overcome!

After a desultory discussion with counsel, Commissioners left to another day what to do about restoring joy to our streets. Mayor Nancy Shaver talked about how dull and joyless our Plaza de la Constitucion has become, and St. George Street, as a result of anti-artist and anti-musician ordinances.

Oddly, the counsel's discussion included not a word about a 9-0 Supreme Court decision last year holding that even a content-neutral statute must be narrowly-tailored, finding that the Massachusetts abortion clinic picketing statute was unconstitutional. That law prohibited people within 25 feet. Our dumb 'ole St. George Street artist and musician suppression ordinance bans having fun within a four block area of St. George Street and the entire Plaza (Slave Market Square). Even though the Supreme Court's decision bans criminalizing such protected activity, our counsel never shared this datum with Commissioners (something I shared with City Manager JOHN PATRICK REGAN, P.E. at 8:31 AM, the day after the Supreme Court's decision last year).

Our jumpy joyless lawyers and artless dodgy city commissioners are anti-music, anti-art, anti-fun and once again voted in lockstep with their masters, the WEEKS-BOLES axis of cosmic blunderers.

Reckon we need to elect a musician to St. Augustine City Commission, and defeat the foul Philistine four. I recommend Sam Pacetti run against Leanna Freeman. Viva!