Statement by Pensacola City Council President Sam Hall
“Citizens of Pensacola and anyone else wishing to address the City Council, enjoy more access to the deliberative process than citizens do in the Florida Legislature, or in the U.S. Congress. We offer opportunities throughout our committee and council meetings for public input. This is in stark contrast with the fact that citizens are not allowed to address the Florida Legislature or the U.S. Congress from their respective chamber floors.
“I am a firm believer in the right of free speech and freedom of expression, but I believe that free speech does not mean unrestricted speech. We live in a civil society, and Pensacola City Council members, and the public, deserve civil discourse at their council meetings.
“However, after Monday afternoon’s Committee of the Whole meeting, where members of the Council were yelled at, subjected to insults, challenged in our faith, and compared to Hitler and the Third Reich, I drew a line and ruled those citizens out of order. During that Monday afternoon meeting, Reverend Monk attempted to defend the insulting behavior of those citizens. On Thursday evening, when Reverend Monk began to defend those citizens again, I ruled him out of order, in keeping with the rules and procedure of the City Council.
Perhaps I was hasty in that judgment on Thursday night, but as Council President it is my job to protect order and decorum for the citizens and for my fellow members of Council, and I make no apologies for setting a higher expectation for our civic discourse in Pensacola. Yelling, insults, and unfair comparisons to the Holocaust or fascist government have no place in City Council meetings.”