Officials say it's a safety issue, and the intention is to funnel people to the crosswalk.
By SUSAN ASCHOFF, Times Staff Writer
Published July 15, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - At BayWalk tonight, expect to see metal bike-rack barricades erected adjacent to the entertainment complex's main crosswalk.
The decision comes three months after city officials rejected a request to give BayWalk control of a public sidewalk and close it to protesters.
Officials plan to put up the temporary barricades on the north side of Second Avenue N. They were used last weekend for the first time.
"The problem is that between the protesters and the kids who are loitering, there's a safety issue," Mark Winn, chief assistant city attorney, said this week. "They're trying to delineate a walkway . . . to keep people out of the street and keep the crosswalk clear."
Plans are to use the barricades on Friday and Saturday nights.
Antiwar demonstrators who've stood on the sidewalk virtually every Saturday night for more than two years feel that protesters are being pushed out entirely.
"I think they think we're bad for business. I know why (barricades) are there - it's to run us out," said Chris Ernesto, an organizer with St. Pete for Peace.
Members of the group hold banners and pass out fliers opposing the Iraq war every Saturday night. Two weeks before the barricades were introduced, a dozen demonstrators lined the curb. Sometimes they engaged passersby in debate. They did not block the crosswalk or sidewalk. The seven to 10 barricades have "nothing to do with protesters," said Craig Sher, president and chief executive officer of the Sembler Co., owner of BayWalk. "People cut through the median (plantings). It's a safety issue."
The barricades will funnel people to the crosswalk, he said.
A year ago BayWalk proposed making that stretch of pavement a no-protest zone. City attorneys said groups could still assemble nearby. The idea was dropped after public opposition, including a Saturday night gathering of more than 100 people at BayWalk chanting "free speech."
BayWalk has long sought to discourage loitering teenagers, war protesters and, until about a year ago, demonstrating members of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement from becoming regulars.
Patrons have complained about being "accosted" when they bring their children to the movies, said Kevin Dunn, the city's managing director of development coordination. "We're trying to segregate the different audiences that are down there."
The metal barricades are temporary, he says. The city will look at more permanent solutions to the problem, perhaps stanchions with ropes similar to those used for crowd control in theaters.
