Los Angeles City L.A. City Council, L.A. City Attorney, L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa, L.A. Councilman Rosendahl, FREE SPEECH IS A RIGHT - NOT A LOTTERY PRIZE! Venice, California
Venice Beach Boardwalk is a world-renowned tourist destination attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. A major component of the attraction is the Free Speech Zone (FSZ) where nonprofits, churches, activists, artists, authors, performers and free thinkers gather.
In 2005 the City of Los Angeles imposed an unconstitutional permit/lottery system on free expressionists in the FSZ, in violation of their 1st Amendment rights, requiring them to purchase a permit and enter a lottery; just to have a chance to win an opportunity to exercise their Free Speech rights, in city specified designated spaces in the FSZ, in accordance with city rules, including wearing badges. At the same time, the City also started selling permits to "commercial vendors" who are selling products that are not protected by the 1st Amendment and have no business being in the FSZ (a public forum). Tragically, this commercial vending, condoned by the City of Los Angeles, now proliferates in the FSZ, leading to ruthless competition for space and location. Traditional free expression has been squeezed out by aggressive vendors hustling a living, while traditional 1st Amendment protected activities have been replaced by competitive commerce in a hostile takeover.
On June 24, 2009, Seattle Centers similar permit regulations, imposed on street performers, were overturned in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by an 11 member en banc panel of judges. Seattles law, requiring a permit to engage in [individual] speech: constitutes a dramatic departure from our national heritage and constitutional tradition, according to Judge Marsha Berzon, writing for the majority opinion. Now, Venice Beach free expressionists are demanding that the City of Los Angeles rescind the unconstitutional permit/lottery and remove all unprotected retail commercial vending operating under the current ordinance.
The FSZ is morphing into a commercial zone, if this continues we will lose our public space and our free expression, FOREVER! Don't let this happen, please tell Los Angeles City to restore the First Amendment in the FSZ and remove ALL commercial vending ASAP!