The City Council continues their path of ignoring Virginia Law and using the Police Department as their private thugs.
First, this is part of the Va. Open Meeting statute.
Now the story
First, this is part of the Va. Open Meeting statute.
H. Any person may photograph, film, record or otherwise reproduce any portion of a meeting required to be open. The public body conducting the meeting may adopt rules governing the placement and use of equipment necessary for broadcasting, photographing, filming or recording a meeting to prevent interference with the proceedings, but shall not prohibit or otherwise prevent any person from photographing, filming, recording, or otherwise reproducing any portion of a meeting required to be open. No public body shall conduct a meeting required to be open in any building or facility where such recording devices are prohibited.
Now the story
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/in-chaotic-session-activist-removed-park-lease-approved/article_a1a665ff-c0c4-50ff-af30-17f202a602a9.html
The Richmond City Council voted Monday to lease Monroe Park to a nonprofit group during a chaotic night at City Hall in which a well-known activist was forcibly removed by police and critics of the park plan seemed to briefly take over the meeting.
The council voted unanimously to lease the city’s oldest public park to the Monroe Park Conservancy to allow a $6 million renovation to move forward with a mix of public and private money.
But as the meeting began, all eyes turned to the media gallery, where former candidate for sheriff Chris Dorsey was filming the proceedings with a handheld video camera.
Dorsey, a strident council critic who attends public meetings carrying a handgun, was asked by a council staff member to leave the press area, which set off a confrontation that ended with Dorsey being carried from the building by police.
“I’m being kidnapped!” Dorsey shouted as police took him down an elevator.
Dorsey said by phone that the incident began when a city official questioned why he was sitting in an area reserved for the media.
In a video of the incident recorded by Dorsey and posted to YouTube, Dorsey has a two-minute exchange with Steve Skinner, the council’s public information manager, who asks why he’s seated in the media section. Dorsey repeatedly tells Skinner he is a member of the media who blogs and posts videos to YouTube.
At one point, Dorsey asks Skinner to step away from him, claiming he’s invading his personal space. When Dorsey aims the camera at Skinner’s hands, Skinner asks, “Are you threatening me with your gun?” He repeats, “You pointed to your gun” twice before having security remove Dorsey.
Dorsey said he was assaulted by the officers.
“Four guys picked me up ... and the whole time, I’m telling them, ‘You guys gotta let me go. You guys gotta let me go. I’m going to sue each and every one of you. I’m going to sue you. I’m going to sue the police.’ ” Dorsey said he plans to file claims related to the incident.
Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, 8th District, objected to Dorsey’s removal after the shouts from the hallway died down.
“That should not have taken place,” Trammell said, promising a fuller discussion.
Trammell later pointed specifically to the issue of firearms and questioned why Dorsey had been approached by staff members rather than a uniformed police officer.
“This could have been a bad situation,” she said.
Minutes later, an opponent of the Monroe Park plan refused to stop speaking about the issue during a separate public comment period, prompting Council President Charles R. Samuels to gavel a recess and leave the room. The activists then continued talking about the issue as the council members who remained sat silently.