Agenda 03-01-22; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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22 1 the UDO. He said that would not allow for removal but could provide for penalties against the 2 landowner. 3 Commissioner Hamilton said part of the issue is the way we deal with threats; it protects 4 against imminent threat of physical harm but not against a threat when people feel intimidated. 5 She said so there almost has to be physical damage before someone has been harmed. She 6 said that society and legal system doesn't make that clear line but doesn't mean that people 7 that people are not harmed by a threat. She said that especially the harm that is done to 8 children, could have long-term mental effects on them. She said that just because you cannot 9 see it does not mean it is not harmful, especially to children. She said that needs to be thought 10 of with this. She said she understands they have to work within the confines of the laws. She 11 said she is looking for something to help regulate where they can occur. She said she would be 12 in support of something that said they cannot occur at school but can occur on designated 13 portions of county land. She said she is not looking at controlling speech, but she is looking for 14 a way to protect children from adult business and the long-term impacts. She said that an 15 ordinance that regulates time, place, and requires a permit that she will be in support of as long 16 as people are still allowed to voice their opinions in a peaceful manner. 17 Commissioner Greene said she was trying to determine the difference in what goes on 18 inside and outside a meeting and that John Roberts had addressed that question and she has a 19 clear understanding of inside of a meeting versus outside. 20 Chair Price asked about jurisdiction. She said that her familiarity of the issue is one that 21 was going on at a road outside of a school. She said her question is about determining who has 22 jurisdiction in that scenario and that it is likely a conversation between the Sheriff and the 23 schools. She asked who gets to issue the permits and also who gets to have a permit and who 24 does not get one. She also asked who determines when a group has to disburse. She said a 25 few years ago there was a march in Hillsborough from a cemetery into town. She said that 26 brought in mixed jurisdictions and some of the frustration from constituents arises when there 27 are several jurisdictions involved. She said that a few things have bothered her. She said one of 28 those is the idea of a threat that is imminent, because there are also adults who also feel 29 threatened by speech. She said that some speech is intended to incite. She said that she has 30 an issue with restrictions on what people can do. She said a lot of this goes back to when they 31 did not want workers to picket or union or they did not want people of color to be gathering so 32 she expressed concern on the three-person limit. She asked specifically about the question of 33 jurisdiction. 34 John Roberts said the Sheriff has jurisdiction throughout the county but leaves issues in 35 town limits to the town police. He said that if there was an ordinance that prohibited 36 demonstrations on school grounds that would only be effective within unincorporated areas of 37 the county so the Sheriff would be the one to enforce that ordinance. He said that if the towns 38 also had that ordinance, they would be the ones to enforce that. 39 Commissioner McKee said he appreciates Commissioner Hamilton's comments 40 regarding the threat and harm to children versus adults. He said that he has no doubt there is a 41 line, but he has a hard time identifying the line. He said that what he wants to make sure is that 42 people are not prohibiting people from being loud and voicing their first amendment rights. He 43 said that this is how social injustices have been addressed and will continue to be done. He said 44 that people should be able to be loud, up to the point they become threatening. 45 Commissioner Hamilton agrees with the ability to voice opinions loudly. She said that 46 she has heard from some people that have found it difficult to mount a demonstration and feel 47 protected, so they would welcome having a clear process so that they would understand from a 48 permit process. She said that police protection could be built in and protect those people. She 49 said that she has spoken with people at the Sheriff's office, and they have expressed favor in 50 having a regulatory manner for protests so that they could know what was coming and they