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Letter to the editor

Muslim gathering has some concerned

Special treatment? No, the police chief says.

By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
Published December 23, 2007

PINELLAS PARK - Joe Shelley was walking his dogs in Helen Howarth Park on Wednesday when he encountered a group of Muslims.

Shelley called the Pinellas Park police. Then it escalated from there.

"Joe Shelley called," Pinellas Park police Chief Dorene Thomas said Friday. "Joe said (there) was a big mess there. ... I guess the concern was a potential mess or cars parked on the grass."

Thomas sent officers to investigate. They found nothing wrong.

Thomas said Shelley called her several times and apparently called other people, one of whom - Michael Allen - contacted her.

"I did talk to Mr. Allen. Or rather he talked to me. He was upset that there may have been a group up there that may have been not peaceful. I don't think he was up there; I think he was being fed information," Thomas said.

"He didn't want us to give them special favors ... any more than we would give anyone else."

The callers were also concerned that the Muslims did not have a permit to gather in the park.

A Pinellas Park ordinance requires a permit to use city parks for "free speech activities."

Randy Heine, a candidate for the City Council, told a reporter that he understood the Muslims did not have such a permit and wondered if they were getting special treatment. But Thomas said the group did not need such a permit and no violations were issued.

Thomas said the police get calls every time the Muslims congregate in the park.

Usually the questions are benign, a matter of people being curious about what's happening. But this year, she said, the questions seemed to take on a life of their own.

Wednesday was not the first time Muslims have gathered at Helen Howarth Park.

Joel Garren, head of the city's recreation department, said they rent part of the Ron Forbes Center twice a year for about two hours each to celebrate religious holidays.

In this case, they were celebrating the first day of Ramadan.

The group pays the $88.50 fee that everyone else pays to rent the gymnasium. They also pay $45 per hour per officer to have off-duty Pinellas Park cops manage traffic.

After their prayers, they go outside into the park and eat. That, Garren said, is something groups do all the time. No permit is necessary.

The Christians who gather on Good Friday for a service at the England Brothers Bandshell also do not pull permits, Thomas said.

They are not required to do so under the ordinance. The police chief said the Muslims are not getting special privileges.

Joe Shelley said Friday he called Thomas as well as other city officials because he was concerned about litter.

"I don't have anything against the Muslims, but basically they have done this before - made a mess and walked off and left it," Shelley said.

He also thought it was against the rules for religious services to be held on city property.

Shelley has become a well-known figure at City Council meetings.

He is known for complaining about horse poop and has taken hundreds of pictures of horse droppings to prove to the council that horse owners are not cleaning up after their animals.

The horse trail is in Helen Howarth Park.

Shelley has also complained more recently about an incident concerning Heine that happened before a council meeting.

Heine has several times brought items to council meetings with him to illustrate a point. He has brought in grocery carts, for example, to highlight his belief that more should be done to make sure the carts stay on store property.

Before one meeting, someone commented "I wonder where he stole that."

The comment was picked up on the meeting tape but it's unclear who said it. Council members have denied saying anything.

Shelley has demanded that the council hire a voice analyst to find out who made the statement. Thus far, the council has refused to do so.

Michael Allen has occasionally appeared at council meetings. But he is more well known for his anti-Muslim sentiments.

He once put a toilet in his front yard with a sign indicating he intended to flush the Koran.

Heine has, in the past, objected to prayers being held before council meetings.

He has also positioned himself as a champion of strict code enforcement, demanding the city enforce the rules.

Heine is running against five other people for a seat on the council in the March 11 election.

His opponents are Jerry Mullins, Trish MacFarlane, Patricia Johnson, Ed Kosinski and Mary Brennan.

[Last modified December 22, 2007, 21:22:15]