RulesCommittee

THE PHILADELPHIA PLAN

FREE SPEECH - LET'S TALK!

Fundamentally, "free speech" depends on 1) easy access to information, 2) meaningful public debate, 3) fair press, and 4) grassroots communications networks.

1) Easy Access To Information: We need government to be as open and transparent as possible so that we can monitor their activities; which means, for example, that we should be able to track down, ONLINE, where every taxpayer dollar is spent and to whom. We should not be required to file a FOI (Freedom Of Information) or RTK (Right To Know) to obtain public information most of which should be online.

2) Meaningful Public Debate: Our government bodies (executive and legislative) should also hold regular public meetings and listen to public comments as required under the US Constitution and PA Sunshine Act (see #4 below).

3) A Fair Press: Although we have the Internet and social media, plus various news organizations, that are extremely helpful to ease communications, most of that media remains under the control of private individuals and their for-profit, or non-profit corporations, who can manipulate the news and/or restrict access at any time, as they did under COVID. "Government-owned" media can do the same, of course. That said, those private and public media outlets, that are awarded "free access" to our airwaves, should be required to report on all sides of an issue and give "equal time or opportunity" to both major political parties. Lastly, non-profit news media organizations and/or their nonprofit benefactors, such as with the Lenfest Instutute who supports The Philadelphia Inquirer, should be illegal as they are benefitting from tax deductions at the taxpayers' expense, but without the taxpayers consent.

4) Grassroots Communications Networks: Which is why the political parties and their committee persons are so important, as they can be our modern day Minute Men... our on-the-ground grassroots communications networks. See Committee Person

#4. MEANINGFUL PUBLIC DEBATE - Philadelphia City Government is in systemic violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act, and therefore, we support the following:

That City Council, at their official weekly public "stated" meeting, allow public comments for at least 2 minutes on any subject that may concern that government body, and NOT restrict public comments to "agenda items only", per federal and state laws,
That at City Council Meetings, all proposed legislation (bills & resolutions), communications from the Mayor & others, plus invited guests including the Mayor, should be listed on the Agenda; and that no voting should be allowed on legislation that was introduced that same day, unless it is a true emergency where there is an imminent life-threatening danger to others,
That at City Council Meetings, all congratulatory resolutions and street name-changes are scheduled for a separate meeting, as they interfere with the serious atmosphere necessary to carrying out "the peoples' business",
That ALL City Council Committees and City Departments hold an official public in-person or hybrid meeting at least once a month,
NEW IDEA! And, that every elected city official and department home webpage publish a "comment section" that can be read by the public and can be used by any Philadelphia resident who registers and includes their name and address for public display (in order to stop bots). This is a unique suggestion will, hopefully, empower citizens to monitor and comment on their government in a public manner that will encourage improvement in government affairs.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

CONTACT your political reps regarding our "FREE SPEECH" issues

EMAIL CITY COUNCIL to support Proposals to Make Philadelphia Public Meetings Legal Under The Sunshine Act!

PROPOSE PRO BONO ATTORNEYS to sue Philadelphia City Council & Gov't for violations of the Sunshine Act: See Attorney George Bochetto's 2024 letter to City Council detailing most of these violations. E-MAIL us with your suggestions

JOIN OUR MEETUPS AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS to provide moral and physical support for our fellow colleagues and our agenda. We also follow legislation, lobby council members, and make recommendations to our members and the public. Not all City Council committees meet monthly, although they should, in order to give the public an opportunity to "air their grievances". Nor do all City Departments meeting monthly, or at all, as in the case of Parks and Recreation, who have "community outreach" events, which do not meet the legal standard as "public meetings", and as such, have resulted in lawsuits. Here are some City Council Committees and Departments that do meet:

Philadelphia City Council "26" Standing-Committees
Check meetings CALENDAR - type name of committee in search
Philadelphia City Government "126" City Departments

City Council: Stated meetings usually occur on Thursdays, at Room 400, City Hall, 10-1 pm, also check out committee meetings. Check out City Council Calendar. There is a sign-up sheet inside the entrance of city council if you want to make a public comment. Or you can call in the previous day before 3 pm 215-686-3406 - https://phlcouncil.com/offering-public-comment-at-council-sessions-temp. Keep your comments to 2 minutes, even though sometimes they allow 3 minutes. Having prepared comments on paper is a good idea. You want to make the best use of your time.

* This Committee covers City Council Committees: Law & Government, Ethics