HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-12-18 Public Comment - A. Millbrooke - Emerson LawnFrom: Anne Millbrooke
To: Agenda
Subject: Emerson Lawn
Date: Monday, February 12, 2018 8:05:20 PM
Dear City Commissioners:
As I wrote the school trustees, the Emerson Lawn is a small piece of land in terms of
Montana’s real estate and public lands, but it is important as a public commons, a place where
people may gather freely and where people can speak freely.
The public commons from colonial times till now has been a place of free speech and
assembly.
It was at the Boston Common, the oldest city park in the country, and similar commons across
the colonies, that the American Revolution moved from talk to deed. The public commons
thus formed part of the foundation of this nation. And that is recognized in the Constitution,
which makes the civil rights of free speech and public assembly also constitutional rights.
But as communities have increasingly turned to park fees for income, as public markets have
been replaced by privately owned malls, as public schools have erected fences around school
grounds, and as the Postal Service has closed offices and moved others to the edge of towns,
our commons have shrunk.
As public commons disappear, our opportunities to speak and assemble freely are reduced.
Our communities are harmed by the loss of free association and speech.
Too often the public commons are talked about in terms of tragedy — the tragedy of the
commons due to overuse — but that ignores the value of our civil rights, our constitutional
rights to public assembly and free speech.
Regarding the disposition of the Emerson lawn, please consider the true value of this public
commons rather than just the dollar value of the land. Please do not reduce our opportunities
to assemble and speak freely.
Sincerely,
Anne Millbrooke
Anne Millbrooke, 406-599-1096
2726 Harris Street, Bozeman, MT 59718
anne27m@yahoo.com