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Flores, Dora <br />From:Ben Camacho <bencamachophotography@gmail.com> <br />Sent:Monday, September <br />To:eComment <br />Subject:re: prior restraint media policy <br /> Attention: This email originated from outside of City of Santa Ana. Use caution when opening attachments or links. <br />Greetings city council and mayor, <br /> <br />I am submitting this comment as the chair of the legal committee for the IWW Freelance Journalists <br />Union (IWW FJU). Late last year, I witnessed an anti-transparency policy go into effect at what is <br />supposed to be one of the most transparent aspects of local democracy: open government meetings. <br />You are all familiar with the policy. I am curious: where did this policy come from? Who championed <br />this policy work? Whoever they are, they harbor authoritarian tendencies that negatively affect our <br />democracy. In fact, this policy of unknown origins, is a form of prior restraint. Prior restraint is one of <br />the most dangerous forms of censorship, a type of censorship which was not even granted to stolen <br />military intelligence files (the Pentagon Papers, circa Vietnam War era). <br /> <br />This policy strikes at the core of our democracy. To craft this policy, it would take someone who does <br />not understand the rule of law (see: Brown Act, US Constitution), acts in their own best interest, puts <br />the public's right to know after themselves and puts the city in increasing liability. <br /> <br />I have screenshots here from Santa Ana College students who were directly affected and suppressed <br />by this illegal, prior restraint policy. This is the outcome of your policy-- the suppression of college <br />students. <br /> <br />The IWW FJU will continue to advocate for the rights of journalists, both in Santa Ana and in Gaza. <br /> <br />Revoke this policy. <br /> <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />