老澳门开奖结果

MIAMI, FL 鈥� Today, the 老澳门开奖结果 (老澳门开奖结果) of Florida filed a lawsuit challenging a policy of the Miami-Dade Police Department that limits demonstrators鈥� access to over 40 feet of the public sidewalk outside the Miami Seaquarium. The complaint, filed today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, states that the 鈥渞ed zone鈥� policy violates the animal rights advocates鈥� rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The Miami Seaquarium, a 60-year-old oceanarium and zoological park, is built on Miami-Dade County land on Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay along the Rickenbacker Causeway, and is accessible by county sidewalks. The park has drawn increasing attention in recent years from advocates protesting the treatment of 鈥淟olita,鈥� an orca held at the Seaquarium. Beginning in the summer of 2014, the Miami Dade Police Department (MDPD) began circulating maps designating the area of sidewalk in front of the Seaquarium a 鈥渞ed zone,鈥� where advocates are not permitted to stand.

Because of the 鈥渞ed zone,鈥� advocates must stand far back from the entrance and exit on sections of the sidewalk designated as a 鈥済reen zone,鈥� where they are not as visible or audible to Seaquarium visitors, most of whom enter the Seaquarium by car. From the 鈥済reen zone,鈥� advocates are unable to talk to Seaquarium visitors or distribute leaflets to visitors, significantly reducing their ability to share their message.

鈥淭his is about as obvious a violation of free expression as there can be,鈥� stated 老澳门开奖结果 of Florida Staff Attorney Shalini Goel Agarwal. 鈥淢DPD鈥檚 red zone prevents advocates from engaging in normal conversation with Seaquarium visitors about animal rights and eliminates their ability to hand leaflets to the visitors鈥攂oth historically protected forms of speech鈥攐n a long stretch of the public sidewalk鈥攁 historically protected place for the free exchange of ideas. The role of police isn鈥檛 to minimize the impact of unpopular opinions, but to keep people safe and to ensure that their rights are being protected. The 鈥榬ed zone鈥� policy at the Miami Seaquarium clearly violates the rights of those advocating for the animals.鈥�

The complaint was filed on behalf of three South Floridians who have been told by police to vacate the 鈥渞ed zone鈥� 鈥擲teven Bagenski, Gilda Cummings, and Jeff Geragi. All three have been ordered by police to move out of the 鈥渞ed zone鈥� at one or more demonstrations. Cummings and Geragi have been prohibited from giving leaflets to visitors, whether in the 鈥渞ed zone鈥� or in the 鈥済reen zone鈥�. On August 31, 2014, Bagenski was arrested and detained for 13 hours for standing on the sidewalk in the 鈥渞ed zone鈥� a few feet away from the entrance driveway while holding a protest sign.

鈥淚 was shocked by the whole situation and really taken aback by the arrest,鈥� stated Bagenski, a recently-retired law enforcement officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 鈥淚 really feel that I have a right to protest on a public sidewalk, and the police shouldn鈥檛 be trampling the rights of the public. As a former law enforcement officer, I am hoping to send a message to the police officers that they are there to protect the public and protect their rights, and I don鈥檛 feel that that happened in this instance.鈥�

The lawsuit names Miami-Dade County, MDPD Director J.D. Patterson, and MDPD Officer John Alexander Jr. 鈥� the officer who arrested Mr. Bagenski -- as defendants, and states that the creation and enforcement of the 鈥渞ed zone鈥� policy has violated demonstrators鈥� First Amendment rights.

Photos and bios of the plaintiffs are available here:

An HD video statement by plaintiff Steven Bagenski is available upon request.

A copy of the complaint filed today is available here:

A copy of the motion for preliminary injunction filed today is available here: