08-22-1988 - Agenda Packet City Council - regular meeting

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• • • group espo..ing racial hatred h Co Racist Programming Said Protected by Constitution Purvis, who spoke et a panel 4 Larry JsIN, session titled "Managing Con - TAMPA, FL — There ham unveniai Programming." never been an example of that has Four arguments are usually racial programming not been protected speech raised to cents Race & under the Constitution, so, Reason, but ..no of them is strong enough to prevent the cording to Bob Purvis, .mie- from being shown, he tent director or the National program Institute Against Prejudice Al amid. Violence. The Fuel argument u that the is"obscene."Ob- Speaking el the National program sex- requiresch FederationofI-oamlCablePro- oumomt re" oat conduct, which is not prey r rommer. annual conference here recently, Mr. Purvis mid a out is racist programs, Mr. Purvis amid. public -access channels cannot .Lho second argument in - t the down • program such as valves the "fighting words" the Ku Klux doctrine, in which a person Babe.. loss, Rare & Reewn rf it ham • speaks words on provocative sponsor Ise, related story. Page that they are extremely likely 511. to invoke •violent act. "Public -.cm. channels am "The speaker is removed designated am a First Annard- from the audience, and the meat forum, and as such, the members of the sudience are broadest protection of freedom separated from each other," of speech applies," mid Mr. Mr. Purvis mid. The third argument is that 'speech that advocates viol - .nor" is unprotected. flow - ever, Mr. Pnrvim amid, that speech is protected until it goes beyond more advocacy and be- come, an imminent Iswka, ac- tion. The final argument is the "group defamation" conr,ar, which my, that a'person or is ram PraeNed under, a n- .tiunion. Ilowever, only six ,amt, have enacted much Jews and ra federal court has UP - held that principle, Mr. Purvis acid. The impending suit to be filed sometime neat month by the American Civil Libenin Union on behalf of the KKK against the Kentaro City Coun- cil "won't address what is or whet is not protected speech," he mid. "it will present the issue of whether a city that eliminate, ,cress for the purpose of eliminating speech is acting in violation of the Constitution;' Mr. Purvis added. Randy Ammon, director of Poe.tella-Viamn 12. an access center in Pocatello. ID, who area Bake at the erosion, amid channel did not try to amp Race & Beebe Irom being shown. "The program attracted group. Iwilh counter - programming) that should he,, been using .ccees in the Brat place," Mr. Amtiton mid. "Everyone has the right v .peak and the right to ro- 'pond. An ,e "ne channel ie very definirely , w'adow on the community it.. i e'he commani- ty a obligation ro respond to programming the' espoueam a Pa rn, of view that will oat be lole..,ed by the commonrry," he added. F1