Daytime Curfew ordinance--need action from Utah peeps

[Veritaserum]

The meeting is tomorrow night in Provo. Below is a copy of the email about the planning meeting we had last night. This ordinance is unnecessary and will unreasonably restrict the movements of law-abiding citizens (and public school kids on early out or a different schedule, homeschoolers, young college students, young-looking adults, etc.). Title 53A, Chapter 11, Section 101.7 of Utah State code already authorizes designees of the school board to issue truancy citations. So, the Provo school district can designate the police force to issue truancy citations to the habitual truants that are likely to engage in criminal activity.

 

______

Attendees:

 

First let me say "thank you" for attending the meeting we had this evening at our home with Sterling Beck to discuss actions we can take to defeat the proposed truancy ordinance in Provo. The fact that you came tonight has given me renewed hope that we can defeat this bad proposal before it becomes a law. Here are a few points I learned from listening to Mr. Beck:

 

 

1. Expect the council to suggest that perhaps a single representative from those opposed should speak for all. Do not fall for this. Every person has a right to address the council both in the pre-meeting time at 7:00 (3 minutes each) and during any public hearing (longer, perhaps as long as 15 minutes). Do not give up your freedom to speak because a slick politician suggests it would be better for all if you remained silent. Get in line and say what you have to say even if someone else has already said something very similar. Remember, you do not be to be a resident of Provo to address the council.

 

 

 

2. Expect the council to suggest that individuals from the public could not possibly hope to understand the wording of the proposed ordinance as well as the politicians do. Be prepared to refer to the specific text of the proposed ordinance to substantiate your concerns. Here's a link to a copy of the proposed ordinance along with Gove's commentary: http://education-exchange.org/index.php?mode=57&id=525

 

 

 

3. Expect council members to try to assuage your concerns by saying that there has been a lot of misinformation floating around in the media and in email. Ignore such attempts to shake your confidence. State your concerns.

 

 

4. Remember that when you will speak you are addressing the council. They are the only ones you are talking to (in fact, your back will be to the audience when you speak). They will be on a raised dais, behind a table, and with their associates. You will be alone and behind a flimsy half-podium. the whole setting is calculated to make you feel inferior. Be respectful as you address the council, but remember that you are not a supplicant to the panel, they are your servants. They serve at the will of the people. Stay calmed and focus.

 

 

5. The study meeting is when we have the strongest possibility to influence the vote of the council. The study meeting will probably start at 4:00 (for sure it will start by 5:00). It will be in the main council chamber. This is probably the most important meeting to attend. Please come to this meeting and be prepared to speak.

 

 

6. Remember to focus your comments as a concerned citizen. If you say you are a concerned homeschooler, it will be easier for the council to dismiss your comments.

 

 

7. The council chambers are located in the Provo City Complex at 351 west Center Street in Provo (same complex that houses the Police Station).

 

 

8. We will begin to gather at the Provo City Complex at 1:00 to hold signs and make our position known. Yes it will be a long day, but please come for as long as you can.

 

 

9. Bring signs and stuff to make signs. cardboard, markers, crayons, posterboard.

 

 

10. We need bodies. Get as many people to commit to come as possible. This is critical. Each of these people need not talk, but having bodies there to hold signs and be supportive will be very important. This is a bad law. How often do your neighbors get a chance to participate in a real political protest? The council is on the verge of passing this law. It is a bad law and will have all kinds of unintended consequences. Call in any personal favors you can to get bodies there.

 

 

11. We need kids. How often will such a law be up for protest that will have such a direct effect on children. This is a great opportunity for kids to get involved in the political process in a positive way. Think of the effect it will have on their confidence and lives when we prevail and prevent this from becoming a law.

 

12. Sign up for a time to appear at the protest and for a topic at the following google docs: Please sign-up by 8:00pm Monday.

No Daytime Curfew Arguments

 

City Council Meeting Appearance Sign-up

These are just guidelines to give us some idea of what to expect. The ideal situation is to appear as close to 1:00 as possible and plan to say through the late hours. Bring food, get comfortable, bring a book to read, math to work on. What a great image to have kids working on school work while the are at the protest.

 

 

 

13. Contact the media. We need to have as much media coverage as possible. Everyone should contact at least two of the following outlets to let them know of the planned protest.

 

The Daily Herald : Contact info to report news occurring

Phone: 801-344-2540

News Tips: On nights and weekends, call 801-344-2554. At other times, contact an editor below.

Hours of Operation: 8:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Friday

Alternate Telephone Numbers: 801-373-5050 or 800-880-8075

 

Daily Universe (BYU student paper):

Letters to the Editor

To submit a letter to the editor, send it to: letters@byu.edu.

 

Salt Lake Tribune:

Phone: 801-257-8742, Fax: 801-257-8525. News tips: news@sltrib.com or 801-257-8742

Submit a letter to the editor

E-mail to letters@sltrib.com (no attachments), fax to 801-257-8950, or mail to

 

Deseret New

City Desk/news tips — (801) 237-2100 Letters to the editor — (801) 237-2185

Feature Section — (801) 237-2150

Tips on news events and press releases are accepted by e-mail at newstips@desnews.com.

 

Fox Channel 13: News Tips (801) 536-1313

KTVX ABC Channel 4: http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/contact/default.aspx

Radio Stations: http://www.utahmediadirectory.com/radio.htm

Other Media Listings: http://www.utahmediadirectory.com/utah-newspapers.htm

Freelancers for hire: http://www.utahmediadirectory.com/UMFreelance.htm

 

Doug Wright

(801) 575-TALK

(801) 470-KSL1

(801) 670-KSL1

1-888-KSL-TALK

 

Leave a Comment or Suggestion for Doug Wright at KSL:

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=401&sid=280880

 

 

Thanks for being involved. This is a short push, but let's push hard. This will be much easier to defeat than it will be to repeal.

 

-Gove and Nickie Allen

 

 

 

 

[Veritaserum]

Bumping and I wanted to share my protest song lyrics. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anti-Daytime Curfew Lyrics for Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wallâ€

If you're not familiar with this song (shame on you), it is on youtube:

 

We don't need no confrontation.

We don’t need no kid control.

No age profiling out in public.

Council, leave them kids alone.

Hey! Council! Leave them kids alone!

All in all it's just another very bad law.

All in all it's just another very bad law.

[WiseOwlKnits]

I'm sure I'm missing something, but I don't see how/why this is an issue? We have a daytime curfew where I live and it doesn't affect homeschoolers at all. All a child has to do (if they're not with their parents) is say that they're homeschooled and they can go on their way. Does the Provo ordinance not have a HS exclusion? :confused:

[Veritaserum]

I'm sure I'm missing something, but I don't see how/why this is an issue? We have a daytime curfew where I live and it doesn't affect homeschoolers at all. All a child has to do (if they're not with their parents) is say that they're homeschooled and they can go on their way. Does the Provo ordinance not have a HS exclusion? :confused:

 

Nope. If you don't have ID to prove you are 18+ and the school district can't figure out which school you belong to, you're in trouble. If the officer can't reach your parents, you will be given to DCFS.

[Amira]

Good luck. I spent a lot of time in Provo during the day before I was 18. I hope they at least make it a secondary offense.

[Virg]

That is ridiculous! We are moving to Utah in 31 days... Is this only for Provo?

[Miss Cornelia Snook]

Yes, only for Provo, but other cities in Utah have similar laws (Ogden, for example).

[LittleIzumi]

Oh, so kids are encouraged? I might actually make it then :lol:. Are there any signs left? A friend of mine was at the planning meeting & mentioned signs to hold at the council meeting....

 

ETA: Oooh, I have a church thing at 6:30. Ack. Decisions, decisions.

Edited March 1, 2011 by LittleIzumi

[LittleIzumi]

Nope. If you don't have ID to prove you are 18+ and the school district can't figure out which school you belong to, you're in trouble. If the officer can't reach your parents, you will be given to DCFS.

 

Add in the 17-year-old college students at BYU (like I was) and there will be a huge mess. My parents were across the country :001_huh:.

[WiseOwlKnits]

Nope. If you don't have ID to prove you are 18+ and the school district can't figure out which school you belong to, you're in trouble. If the officer can't reach your parents, you will be given to DCFS.

 

Oh, wow. That IS awful. I'm too far away to help, but I'll be sending up good thoughts and prayers that you're successful!

[Veritaserum]

Good luck. I spent a lot of time in Provo during the day before I was 18. I hope they at least make it a secondary offense.

 

I visited my grandparents a lot as a kid. I remember one day when I walked to the nearby park with some cousins. We were having a picnic. An elementary school is at the other end of the park. An adult tried to make us go back to school, but we kept saying that we didn't even live in Utah. She left us alone after that, but with the new ordinance we would have been questioned by the police.

 

Secondary offense is no help because the council can easily and sneakily convert it from secondary to primary.

 

This is age profiling. It will require everyone who is or looks young to walk around with papers proving that they have a legal right to be in public. That's not ok.

[Haiku]

I'm sure I'm missing something, but I don't see how/why this is an issue? We have a daytime curfew where I live and it doesn't affect homeschoolers at all. All a child has to do (if they're not with their parents) is say that they're homeschooled and they can go on their way.

 

But why should someone who is not breaking the law or engaging in suspicious behavior be stopped and questioned in the first place. Why should we have to explain ourselves just because we are out in public?

 

Tara

[Veritaserum]

But why should someone who is not breaking the law or engaging in suspicious behavior be stopped and questioned in the first place. Why should we have to explain ourselves just because we are out in public?

 

Tara

 

Exactly! I was 17 into my second semester attending the university in this town. Should I have been subject to harassment by police simply because I was walking down the street?

 

Also, I look younger than I am. People ask me if my mom is home when I answer my front door. Am I going to be harassed now because I might appear to be younger than 18? Will I have to carry ID in order to go out for a jog? Will my kids and I be harassed if we go to a museum or a park during school hours because we all appear to be younger than 18? Will my car be stopped by a police officer because he thinks I look to be younger than 18?

 

It's unreasonable to assume someone is guilty of truancy simply because s/he appears to be younger than 18. If the same person is also acting suspicious or committing a crime, that's the time to start asking questions.

 

No good can come of this ordinance. There is already a law that allows the cops to issue citations to habitual truants. I'm suspicious as to why the school board really asked for this ordinance. Might they desire to make life difficult for all the students who don't attend a traditional public school?

[Veritaserum]

One final plea before we leave to go. We had a nice civics lesson reading through the text of the proposed ordinance and discussing the problems therein. The mayor officially withdrew his support this morning, but we are still holding the rally. The ordinance could still pass.