PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Portland activist who has been removed from several City Council meetings over the years is taking the city to federal court.
Joe Walsh has asked a federal judge to issue a restraining order against the city of Portland to prevent officials from excluding activists from council sessions and City Hall who they consider have been “acting inappropriately,” according to The Oregonian (https://is.gd/ZvtjSn).
The city excluded Walsh, 73, from council meetings three times between September 2014 and July 2015. He was excluded for 60 days on one occasion and 30 days for the other two.
Walsh is also seeking a permanent injunction against future exclusions, citing a violation of First Amendment rights.
In court records, Walsh wrote that his not challenging the Mayor Charlie Hales’ authority to order him out of a meeting, but instead is challenging the mayor’s ability to exclude him or others from future meetings.
“There seems to be no limit to what Mayor Hales thinks he can do. That is not democracy; It is dictatorship,” Walsh wrote in court records. “Government officials cannot ban or exclude citizens from meetings because they might be disruptive or may act out in ways that annoy the officials. The chilling effect on other activists is immense.”
The city maintains that Walsh was thrown out for being disruptive, and not for any view or opinion he expressed. Since early 2014, Hales has asked the public to use “basic decorum” in council chambers before allowing public testimony.
The city has asked the court to throw out Walsh’s federal claim, calling it unfounded since his latest exclusion ended on Sept. 15.
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Information from: The Oregonian, https://www.oregonlive.com
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