Gazette Wilton Manors
Volume 2 • Issue 22 November 18, 2015
Twice-Monthly Neighborhood Outlook
Community Business
No Battle Over Invocations in Wilton Manors
Activist wanted to open meeting with prayer to Satan By Michael d’Oliveira In his quest to strengthen the wall between church and state, activist Chaz Stevens has asked South Florida cities to allow him to give an invocation in the name of Satan. Stevens doesn’t actually worship the hooved dark lord of the underworld but he does use him to make a point: “It has nothing to do with this horned guy . . . this is about separation of church and state. Satanism is a vehicle. I don’t believe in Satan. I don’t believe in Jesus. I don’t believe in any of this stuff.” Stevens has made his satanic prayer request to several cities, including Pompano Beach, Lake Worth and Dania Beach. At least two, Dania Beach and Lake Worth, according to the Sun-Sentinel, have recently changed their policies. He started his campaign in May of 2014 after the Supreme Court, in Greece v. Galloway, that the Town of Greece, New York may allow local clergy to open meetings with prayer as long as members of other faiths are also allowed to open with prayer. But by the time he made his request in October of this year, Wilton Manors had long-since stopped giving local religious leaders a chance to give
an invocation before commission meetings – almost a year before Stevens contacted the city. Mayor Gary Resnick said he stopped the practice because sometimes the city had trouble finding someone to give the invocation. So Resnick, who said he had no idea of Stevens’ satanic invocations, said he started doing a moment of silence, usually to honor victims of gun violence or a resident who had recently died. “I just decided to do it. People seemed to like it. It’s somewhat more meaningful.” Father John Joseph Reid of Divine Mercy Chapel in Wilton Manors has given several invocations over the years. He said he’s disappointed he won’t be able to do any more but understands why the policy has changed. “If somebody’s going to get up and talk about the devil, maybe it’s best not to [have invocations].” Ultimately, even a moment of silence isn’t ideal for Stevens but he said fighting to get that removed too is a battle he can’t win. “Get right down to business. That’s the correct way to do it.” WMG
Wilton Manors May Decriminalize Marijuana By Michael d’Oliveira When it comes to decriminalizing marijuana possession in Wilton Manors, Vice Mayor Scott Newton recently said the city should wait until the county takes action. “I think the county should do something first . . . then we can move forward with it.” That day has arrived. On Nov. 10, county commissioners approved a civil citation program for those caught with 20 grams of marijuana or less. The first violation will result in a $100 fine, the second a $250 fine and the third a $500 fine. When a third citation is issued, a mandatory drug assessment is initiated. A fourth violation will result in criminal charges. Violators would be subject to arrest if found driving under the influence of marijuana or if the substance is in connection with another crime. But on Oct. 27, even before the county moved forward, commissioners directed City Attorney Kerry Ezrol to draft an ordinance and resolution that would create a civil citation program for those caught with 20 grams or less. They gave Ezrol up to two months to prepare the legislation but it could
Chaz Stevens, Facebook.
Crime
City may follow county’s lead be ready sooner. Only Commissioner Tom Green voted no. So far, Hallandale Beach is the only Broward city to decriminalize marijuana. “I don’t think we need to be the second city to do this,” said Green who said he would prefer to see the consequences of Hallandale’s actions first. “We can learn from what’s happening there.” But those in favor said action needs to be taken soon in order to prevent more arrests of non-violent drug offenders. “What’s the detriment for being arrested for a joint to somebody who happens to be in our city?” asked Mayor Gary Resnick. “You’re giving somebody a criminal record. Why ruin somebody’s life for having two joints?” Resnick added that he was not faulting the police because they are only enforcing the current laws. Commissioner Justin Flippen called it “good public policy” and said the city should be a leader. “Our officers will be free to tend to a lot more important things . . . real crime,” said Commissioner Julie Carson.
One drawback to the citation program, said Commander Gary Blocker, is that officers here won’t be able to access records in other cities to see if a suspect has already been issued a citation. The citation program also won’t save significant time or money. Blocker said there were 84 marijuana-related arrests in 2013, 122 in 2014 and 124 projected for 2015. Each arrest, he said, takes about 90 minutes for an officer to process. On a related note, resident Paul Kuta urged commissioners to ban medical marijuana dispensaries in case a medical marijuana ballot initiative is approved by voters. “We don’t want to have another ‘pill mill’ situation develop,” he said, referring to the proliferation of unscrupulous clinics which prescribed vast amounts of prescription pills to drug dealers or patients with drug abuse problems. Many were located on Oakland Park Boulevard. WMG
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