The Pilots Seat is commentary, written from a fan's perspective, about the Pensacola Ice Pilots
Editor's Note: The city has since acknowledged Gregory's First Amendment rights, and no further action is requested.
by Scott Gregory
We've passed Labor Day, and now we're only a slapshot away from the year 2000.
Modern times, you say? What would you say if I told you that, about 100 days from the dawn of this new millennium, you could be thrown into jail for the following in the City of Pensacola:
• Standing on a public sidewalk and handing out literature about your faith.
• Standing on a public sidewalk and circulating a petition about an important issue in your neighborhood.
• Distributing your written views about politics, sports -- whatever issue you wish to share with others -- on the public sidewalk.
Outrageous, you say? A violation of your civil rights? A violation of your First Amendment rights to freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom of the press?
Couldn't happen in these modern times -- this has been settled 50, 100 years ago by the Supreme Court, and upheld time and time again, right?
It is happening. Today. In Pensacola.
It's happening to me.
Pilots fans, I need your help.
Pilots foes, I need your help.
Fellow Americans, I need your help.
For the last nine months, I've written this column out of my love of the game of hockey, my love of the Pilots team, and to provide fellow Pilots fans with an opinion about current events surrounding the team.
It seems as if you have liked it. Even those who frequently disagree with me have commended me for my fresh and entertaining writing about the Pilots. It's not my aim to get you to agree with me. It's my aim to share one fan's opinion, and to entertain you and get you talking. I love hearing your opinions almost as much as I love writing my own.
It has long been a dream of mine to produce a game-day hockey program worth reading. A game program that includes news, opinions, features, lineups and just plain fun. To do so would take a lot of work and a substantial financial investment.
But the Pilots fans are worth it, and I'm willing to invest my time and money in hopes of making the game-night experience more enjoyable for everyone.
Right now, Pilots fans have nothing worth reading at the games. Nothing that gets them talking, and nothing that enhances the game on the ice night after night. Flightline comes out just four times a year and, being a Pilots PR organ, never has and never will provide a real view of what's happening. It is what it is, for better or worse.
My game program won't be for everyone. It's not for little kids, nor will it be for those who really don't care about what's going on. If you love the Pilots and love hockey, and like to have fun, I guarantee you'll like it.
Because the Pilots have the right to control what is sold and distributed inside the Pensacola Civic Center, I'm out in the street, so to speak. The sidewalks are all I have.
But I don't want you to help me because you like the idea of my game program. That is not what this is all about.
I want you to help me because the City of Pensacola staff has told me I cannot express my written views on city streets. This is not a gray area of the law. It is a clear violation of my civil rights, and I am not going to stand for it. And I hope you won't stand for it, either.
The First Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." The Fourteenth Amendment makes this applicable to the states.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled time and time again that municipalities may not restrict activities such as I am speaking of unless they pose significant safety and welfare threats. Even then, reasonable alternatives must be given.
My free speech activity is unquestionably safe and unobtrusive. To suggest otherwise would be laughable.
I have tried repeatedly to be reasonable with staff, and they haven't done as much as have a cup of coffee with me to discuss this in the last three months. They told me no two months ago, then they gave me the ol' City Hall runaround with ignored phone calls and unkept promises.
I have been censored, and my First Amendment rights have been violated.
And if they'll step on my civil rights without batting an eye, they'll do it to you someday, too. Count on it.
We're about a hundred days away from the new millennium, and the city staff spits square in the face of the First Amendment. I'm not sure if the city computers are Y2K compliant, but the staff's calendars are clearly stuck sometime around 1900 if actions toward me are any sign.
I am now faced with three choices: I can try to get the City Council to talk some sense into staff and police, I can sue the city, or I can do what I have the constitutional right to do and risk being thrown into prison.
I've never even received as much as a parking ticket in my life, but I will risk jail over quitting if need be. I am not letting this die. It is too important, for reasons that go far beyond my plans.
I am asking you to take 30 seconds to support free speech in the City of Pensacola by demanding of city officials that I be allowed to express my constitutional rights in the manner I have described without fear of arrest, ticketing or harassment.
We have set up a form on this site that will make it easy for you to help. All you have to do is fill in your name and hit a button, and a statement of support will be forwarded to city officials by e-mail. You may change the statement in any way you see fit. If you prefer to call, fax, mail or e-mail on your own, contact info is provided on this site.
Let us hope that Pensacola's elected officials will be reasonable. I still have faith that the council will do the right thing. The council meets Thursday night (Sept. 9). Please act now. And please spread the word -- tell your friends to come to this site and read my story. You can use the referral box on the side to do so quickly and easily.
If you have any questions, feel free to call me at 936-4050, or e-mail to scott@thefivehole.com. Also, if you help by means other than the form, please forward a copy to me by fax (939-4953) or e-mail.
Whether you love my writing, hate my writing or have never heard of me, please help support one man's civil rights. Thank you for taking a stand for our collective freedoms as Americans.
