Shaw ANC Antics: Caught on Tape!
Earlier this month, the Shaw advisory neighborhood commission was about to start its usual monthly meeting (having moved from the Africare House, its usual location, to the United House of Prayer) when a constituent was singled out for videotaping the proceedings. ANC Chair Doris Brooks asked Brian Smith, proprietor of the OffSeventh neighborhood blog, to stop taping the April 4 meeting, but he refused. He insisted that he needed to tape it for neighbors who weren't able make it. Smith explained to Brooks that ANC meetings are public and that recording the proceedings is completely allowed. Brooks shouted, "This is not a public meeting!" and then adjourned.
Before Brooks was able to cancel the meeting, some neighbors voiced their concern that the meeting had been moved from the Africare House to the United House of Prayer church, where Brooks is a member. The characteristically boisterous Mary Sutherland, who ran unsuccessfully against Commissioner Alex Padro for the 2C01 seat in November, stood up and told meeting goers that if they didn't like the new rules and change of venue, they could leave. A church official even stepped in before the meeting was adjourned to ask that everyone honor "Sister Brooks'" request to turn off their recording devices. This set off neighbor concerns about the separation of church and state.
Since longstanding ANC Chair Leroy Thorpe lost his bid for re-election to political newcomer Kevin Chapple, the meetings have become increasingly contentious. Neighbors began videotaping the proceedings and posting footage on youtube.com in January. In each of the videos, Brooks protests.
"[Since that meeting] now I think everyone has calmed down and maybe it's time to start a real dialog about how to make things better in Shaw," Smith said today.
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Linked From: May 16th, 2007Washington City Paper: News & Features: Blogs
12:13 pm[...] by Chair Doris Brooks—the first for no stated reason, the second because a community member started taping the proceedings—leaving ANC business, such as event permits and liquor-license applications, to Evans’ [...]
4:52 pm
Priceless.
8:57 pm
The video is shaking like the background does when somebody gets Scarecrow's drug gas sprayed on them in Batman Begins. Quite terrifying.
1:04 am
Batman's keyboard is shaking like when he forgets to take his klonopin. Quite satisfying.
12:10 am
This video documents a crystal clear violation of the DC Open Meetings Law, which Advisory Neighborhood Commissions must follow. As a government entity, ANC meetings must be open to the public (despite the statement by Chairperson Doris Brooks in the video that "This is not a public meeting!"
The Corporate Counsel (now renamed the Attorney General) has ruled that the open meeting law allows residents to record meetings so long as their doing so is not disruptive (i.e. walking around with a camera during the meeting, setting up lights blinding commissioners).
This ANC does not make minutes available, publish a newsletter, or otherwise inform residents of the actions it takes. It also has a history of acting in a highly unprofessional, devisive, disrespectful, and financially questionable manner (dolling out thousands of public dollars to friends and supporters for computers that are never put to public use and "tree boxes"). For these reasons, they fear a public record of their conduct -- hence this whole ridiculous shananigan about videotaping.
For the record:
DC Code 1-309.11(g):
"Each Commission shall be subject to the open meetings provisions of § 1-207.42. No meeting may be closed to the public unless personnel or legal matters are discussed...." The law also requires minutes of all meetings be available to the public.
D.C. Code 1-207.42: "a) All meetings (including hearings) of any department, agency, board, or commission of the District government, including meetings of the Council of the District of Columbia, at which official action of any kind is taken shall be open to the public. No resolution, rule, act, regulation, or other official action shall be effective unless taken, made, or enacted at such meeting.
(b) A written transcript or a transcription shall be kept for all such meetings and shall be made available to the public during normal business hours of the District government. Copies of such written transcripts or copies of such transcriptions shall be available, upon request, to the public at reasonable cost."
Corporate Counsel ruling finding that an ANC may not bar videotaping of public meetings: http://74.93.219.35/frames/DCA/Opinion/CCO-041499%20Videotaping%20Recording%20of%20ANC%20Meeting.pdf
The ANC bylaws also do not permit the Chairperson to unilaterally cancel meetings or change the meeting location.
DC law, bylaws, rules of order, whatever. Will anything be done to stop this clearly illegal conduct?
3:43 am
What's all the fuss about? Everyone at DCRA knows that "public meetings" don't actually mean public meetings.
4:15 pm
Space Exploration Benefits Our World, costs too much
8:52 am
I have to say, that I can not agree with you in 100%, but it's just my IMHO, which indeed could be very wrong.
p.s. You have a very good template for your blog. Where have you got it from?