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Hernando Today

More to Moore's protest

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By KYLE MARTIN

Hernando Today

Published: June 13, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - When U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite moved her offices to a storefront on Spring Hill Drive, she signed a lease that prohibits public demonstrations on the private property.

Her staff said Friday that's a standard clause in all Congressional lease agreements.

Brian Moore, chair of the Nature Coast Coalition for Peace and Justice, believes it's an infringement on his Constitutional rights.

Brown-Waite, a Brooksville Republican, relocated in early March from the courthouse in downtown Brooksville to a strip mall near the National Guard armory. The move out of the cramped quarters was intended to provide more handicapped accessible parking, said Pete Meachum, Brown-Waite's chief of staff.

"There was no privacy for constituents to meet with staff" at the old office, Meachum added.

The move, however, also changed the dynamics of the occasional protest outside her office. Previously, protesters could stand on the public street corner waving their signs at honking motorists.

On April 15, Moore, who ran for president last year under the Socialist Party USA ticket, organized his first demonstration with his local group. The difference was immediately evident.

Barred from gathering directly outside Brown-Waite's office, Moore and about 15 other people assembled on the right-of-way of Spring Hill Drive - essentially a ditch.

With the official speed limit 55 mph, cars whizzed by dangerously close, Moore said.

Moore is taking a different approach for his next demonstration, which is scheduled for June 24. In a lengthy letter to Sheriff Richard Nugent, Moore outlines the circumstances and the traffic conditions of Spring Hill Drive.

He requests that a deputy shut down one or both eastbound lanes of Spring Hill Drive for two hours while the group protests.

Citing his Constitutional right to peacefully assemble, Moore states he wants to make his voice heard outside the office of an elected official.

"However, because of the serious limitations her office is imposing ..., we are forced to make this unique request to your office," the letter reads.

In a reply provided to Hernando Today, sheriff's Capt. Michael Maurer informs Moore that he will have to receive a special permit from the county first to shut down the traffic. If the permit is granted, the sheriff's office will have to review the "particulars" of the permit request, according to Maurer.

Moore said he does not want to rally in the field on the other side of Spring Hill Drive because it's not "in (Brown-Waite's) face." The same reasoning applies to holding a rally downtown or any other public location.

Meachum disputes the implied perception that Brown-Waite is intentionally making it difficult for dissenters to gather.

"It's a private facility," he said. "There's no special clause to keep Brian away."

Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.

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