December 8, 2005

Some follow-up Info on the "Bubble Zone" Ordinance

The "Bubble Zone" Ordinance (that the Other Political Junkie wrote about here) was passed yesterday in City Council. The vote was 5-3 (voting for: Peduto, Shields, Carlisle, Deasy and Motznick. Voting against: Bodack, Ricciardi and new City Council President Ravenstahl. Udin was not present).

The Shields-Peduto Ordinance seems to revolve around a couple of definitions. The "Eight-Foot Personal Bubble Zone" and the "Fifteen Foot Buffer Zone."

Here's what the Ordinance says on the 8 foot zone:
No person shall knowingly approach another person within eight feet (8’) of such person, unless such other person consents, for the purpose of passing a leaflet or handbill to, displaying a sign to, or engaging in oral protest, education or counseling with such other person in the public way or sidewalk area within a radius of one hundred feet (100’) from any entrance door to a hospital and/or medical office/clinic.
And here's what it says about the 15 foot zone:
No person or persons shall knowingly congregate, patrol, picket or demonstrate in a zone extending fifteen feet (15’) from any entrance to the hospital and or health care facility. This section shall not apply to police and public safety officers, fire and rescue personnel, or other emergency workers in the course of their official business, or to authorized security personnel employees or agents of the hospital, medical office or clinic engaged in assisting patients and other persons to enter or exit the hospital, medical office, or clinic.
This is how the Post-Gazette characterizes it:
If the restrictions become law, protesters would be barred from getting within 15 feet of the doors of any healthcare facility. Within 100 feet of the doors, protesters could not approach within eight feet of clients without their consent.
There's no word whether Mayor Murphy will sign the legislation - there was no comment from the Mayor's office.

On the other hand, the Mayor-Elect's spokesman told the P-G that Mayor-Elect O'Connor "says his goal is to have Pittsburgh be the safest and cleanest city in America and the O'Connor administration plans to vigorously enforce all laws of the city."

Not sure what to make of all those words.

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