It’s About Dialogue Amongst Neighbors — Not Regulation
To The Editor:
About a previous week’s Letter to the Editor “Pisani to Sue Newtown — Part 1” I could not disagree more. In utter disregard for the sentiment of about 200 people that showed up to speak against the proposed ordinance, Mr Pisani missed the point. Not everything has to be legislated.
As one of the organizers of the Rock this Democracy (RTD) rallies, I spoke about that very point that night. Now that we are preparing for our upcoming rally at the Flagpole on July 17. I reached out to Chief Kullgren to discuss logistics. To be clear, the Chief was not the one who initiated this call for an ordinance. He provided a template ordinance at the request of First Selectman Jeff Capeci. The Chief made that very plain during his testimony in front of the LC. I can vouch for the fact that the Chief has been nothing but helpful towards RTD and the rallies. His main concern is understandably safety.
I reached out to the Chief, for guidance and coordination. The NPD is planning on using four police officers, an administrator and a drone for the event that will take from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. While we are not required to, we will be paying $1200 for two officers to help defer those costs. We also have 10 RTD volunteers who will help keep the crowds off the streets. I also reached out to the businesses affected, hence the 6:30 pm start time. It is a time that affects these businesses the least.
When people talk to one another amazing things happen. It was not our intention to harm these businesses in any way, but we learned and we worked to find common ground without the First Amendment being stepped on. I also spoke to the landlord for these businesses. I told him that through our volunteers we will keep West Street (to the best of our ability) open and the rear parking area for the building clear as well. Main Street side parking is harder to control but we will try.
We expect our leaders to be level headed. Especially when dealing with something so sensitive as our First Amendment rights. The First Selectman should have called for dialogue amongst all concerned parties rather than turning to an ordinance that would have impeded that right. Public outrage does not happen on a schedule. It is often spontaneous and given the rise in our crowds — quite necessary.
As for Mr Pisani, we do not need a temper tantrum where he is calling his constituents, his fellow LC members, and the town names. Also going as far as threatening to sue for not getting his way. This is not a good indication of being level headed. It is not about the will of one misguided individual — it is about the will of the people that he represents, respecting their rights and just using common sense.
Alex Villamil
Sandy Hook
I trust that the “volunteers” mentioned by Mr. Villamil will also be policing the crosswalks — specifically, the abuse and weaponization of those crosswalks that we’ve witnessed at previous rallies.
At the last event, I pulled over and observed one crosswalk for about 10 minutes. In that short time, I watched two individuals cross the same crosswalk three separate times — maybe they forgot something in their car or maybe it was to disrupt traffic.
While we all respect the right to assemble and speak freely, those rights do not include the right to intentionally gridlock a state highway, inconvenience thousands of people, or endanger motorists and pedestrians alike. There’s a line between protest and disruption — and in this case, that line has not just been crossed, it’s been weaponized.
I applaud the First Selectman and the Chief for coordinating with the group and that volunteers will assist with crowd control. But if the goal of these gatherings is to trigger gridlock and media attention rather than genuine civic dialogue, then perhaps we do need an ordinance after all.
If public safety and basic community functioning aren’t enough to justify some guardrails, then what is?
Let’s not forget, Mr. Pisani is the same Councilman who suggested building a stadium at the town’s newest open space, at 6 Commerce Rd. It seems he missed the point on that one too….
First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd.
Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let’s not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word “ordinance” or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it “The Alex Villamil Ordinance” if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn’t be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.