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The exclusive surveillance photos the St. Pete Times doesn’t want you to see

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

Dressed in bright yellow shirts and armed with talking points likely provided to them by their masters on First Avenue South, the street vendors testifying against the City of St. Petersburg’s solicitation ban spoke, rather eloquently I might add, about how each one of them abided by every single law and ordinance on the books. We never step into the street in the face of a green light, many of them said. We never present an obstacle to ongoing traffic,…

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Protest of Times lawsuit against City of St. Petersburg planned for Sunday

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

Looks like Jim Longstreth is organizing a protest of the St. Petersburg Times‘ lawsuit against the City of St. Petersburg over the solicitation ban is planned for this Sunday. Ā From the Facebook page: This is a peaceful protest against the St. Pete Times regarding the ridiculous lawsuit against the city of St. Petersburg regarding the new ban on street solicitation. This ban includes but is not limited to street vendors selling newspapers, panhandlers and fundraising initiatives. The ordinance prohibits any…

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5 things I think about today’s St. Petersburg Times

in Peter/The Bay and the 'Burg by

The only thing better than if the courtroom in which the St. Petersburg Times is squaring off against the City of St. Petersburg today over the city’s ban on street-sideĀ solicitationsĀ collapses, would be if Media General joined the lawsuit and theĀ courtroomĀ collapses with their lawyers in it as well. That is a possibility, albeit far-removed, now that Media General, the parent company of the Tampa Tribune, filed a motion in federal court Wednesday to support the Times Publishing Company’s attempt to halt…

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5 things I think about today’s St. Petersburg Times

in Peter/The Bay and the 'Burg by

The only thing better than if the courtroom in which the St. Petersburg Times is squaring off against the City of St. Petersburg today over the city’s ban on street-sideĀ solicitationsĀ collapses, would be if Media General joined the lawsuit and theĀ courtroomĀ collapses with their lawyers in it as well. That is a possibility, albeit far-removed, now that Media General, the parent company of the Tampa Tribune, filed a motion in federal court Wednesday to support the Times Publishing Company’s attempt to halt…

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Times Publishing sues City over solicitation ban

in The Bay and the 'Burg by

Calling a new ban on street solicitation a violation of its constitutional right to free speech, the Times Publishing Co., the corporate parent of theĀ St. Petersburg Times, filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the city of St. Petersburg. “The right of access to public streets and sidewalks to distribute the news is essential to the exercise of the press’ First Amendment freedoms,” the suit states. “The ordinance prevents the Times from distributing its newspapers in traditional public (areas), thereby violating…

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5 things I think about today’s St. Petersburg Times

in Peter/The Bay and the 'Burg by

I enjoyed a dirty martini at St. Pete Brasserie late last night and had the opportunity to speak with George Rahdert, the St. Petersburg Times lawyer on 1st Amendment issues. Ā Talking about the City of St. Petersburg ban onĀ street-sideĀ solicitations, I told him, “Give ’em hell, George!” Well, reading today’s Declaration of War by Times Publishing Co. on the City of St. Petersburg, Hell may seem like a pleasant alternative to where this case will end up. As I’ve said before,…

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5 things I think about today’s St. Petersburg Times

in Peter/The Bay and the 'Burg by

I enjoyed a dirty martini at St. Pete Brasserie late last night and had the opportunity to speak with George Rahdert, the St. Petersburg Times lawyer on 1st Amendment issues. Ā Talking about the City of St. Petersburg ban onĀ street-sideĀ solicitations, I told him, “Give ’em hell, George!” Well, reading today’s Declaration of War by Times Publishing Co. on the City of St. Petersburg, Hell may seem like a pleasant alternative to where this case will end up. As I’ve said before,…

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