Usual business
City councils and public bodies are taking action to restrict or eliminate the ability of citizens to make public comments and engage in protests. The recent proposal by University of Michigan to limit and punish student demonstrations is part of a dangerous nationwide trend. It is one of the ways that democracy is killed. Step by step people are told to shut up, go away, that their concerns are causing inefficiencies. Many of these restrictions on public participation are in response to the vigorous debates that have emerged over demanding that local governments and municipalities take a position demanding a cease fire in Gaza.
Since the October 7 attack by Hamas and the subsequent bombardment of Gaza, more than 100 cities have called for a cease fire. While there has been some national attention to efforts in major cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and San Francisco, smaller towns and villages are also joining in the effort. Most resolutions call upon federal officials to take direct action demanding a cease fire and the provision of humanitarian aid.
These efforts are critical for democracy to thrive. They represent millions of people engaging in conversations and actions about one of the most pressing human concerns in the last 50 years. In council chambers, municipal forums, and town halls, people listen to one another, learn from each other, and develop new strategies to move us toward peace and justice. Public comments to pressure local governments to take a stand on critical issues provide a way to effectively express our longings and hopes. They are one of the most important ways to acknowledge our connections to one another and to take responsibility for the places where we live.
Public comments happen on a human scale, often in face-to-face settings, with people we pass on the street or know in our neighborhoods. They are the places where we are able to experiment with the kinds of relationships and policies that we think will improve daily life.
For example, when the city of Sacramento passed a cease fire resolution, it was one forged by a strong local coalition of Jewish and Muslim organizations. The mayor, Darrell Steinberg, who supported the resolution said:
“The resolution contains language important to all sides. It also includes some provisions that each side would write differently if they wrote it themselves. That is the nature of principled compromise. We may not be able to create peace in the Middle East, but we can model what we want to see throughout the world here in our own city.”
Our own city of Detroit had a similar experience.
Now many of these same municipalities are looking to limit public comments. In some cases, they are establishing restrictive time limits, in others they are demanding that comments be submitted and approved before being uttered in a public forum. Some cities are considering limiting comments strictly to approved agenda items.
In Salt Lake City, with no notice and behind closed doors, the city council approved new rules to limit public comments to a total of one hour at selected meetings.
In Detroit we have become accustomed to limitations on community efforts to comment to City Council. Restrictive time limits from two minutes to 30 seconds are common. Increasingly, our public meetings require submitting names before comment or the meetings simply shut down before comments can occur.
These efforts to restrict open conversation should be resisted at every level. While much of the current effort is to “manage” the divisions that have emerged around calls for a cease fire, restrictions are being pushed to cover all matters of public concern.
In Beverly Hills California the city council has proposed limiting the ability of citizens to respond directly to developers or lobbyists.
Civic life requires robust engagement. Such engagement is by its very nature disruptive to business as usual. But it is business as usual that is enabling the killing of people and endangering all life. We need to fight to expand direct, vocal, intense, disruptive practices at all levels of usual business. It is usual business that is disruptive of life.