imported post
Kevin108 wrote:
Is there any reason not to sign in? To me I see the sign in sheet as documented proof we were all there. But I work for a municipality (not Norfolk) as well where the policy is "paperwork, or it never happened."
By "signing in" or being photographed as a condition of attending a public meeting, the government agency has a record of who attended. The uses they can put to that record are legion.
I am not by any means making a comparison between Norfolk City Council and the Gestapo or the KGB, but there is historical record of whattwo of those agencies did to many of the folks whose names or faces were recorded as having attended public meetings.
Why does there need to be "documented proof we were all there"? Do you believe that somehow some sort of revisionist history will be attempted, where it will be said we never showed up? With all the press coverage that is anticipated, it would take more than Stalin's machine to erase all traces of our presence.
"Paperwork, or it never happened" is good for government actions - IMHO it is essential that there be a documented, traceable record of government action. But we are not talking about government action, we are talking about the government wanting to know who was there - especially in a case where those in attendance were opposing the actions of the government.
I have lived in many countries where the government keeps a heavy eye on its citizens, and exerts a heavy hand on those who do not meekly go along with whatever the government does and says. While I do not fear being "disappeared" for attending the meeting, I do wonder why I have to ID myself in order to watch the government in action.
A final note - I am not aware of any other municipality that has such a requirement. I also recall the Crime Commission meeting at the General Assembly last month, where the CApitol Police were trying to insist we all "sign in" until they read their own Standard Operating Procedures Manual which specifically excluded signing in for the purpose of attending a public meeting. So - why does Norfolk City Council
insist we must sign in or be photographed?
stay safe.
skidmark