FC: Key West prosecutors drop charges against newspaper publisher

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

This is a victory for free expression and the rights of journalists to 
write the truth -- even if it offends thin-skinned bureaucrats who inhabit 
local police departments.

Politech members have written to the city of Key West saying that such a 
censorial attitude means they'll take their business, charters, and tourist 
dollars elsewhere. Thanks in part to your correspondence, I suspect, the 
local officials copied on this message decided to back down.

Tom Walker's article from today's edition of keysnews.com:
http://stories.keysnews.com/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=6640?CurrentNews
And one by another reporter:
http://stories.keysnews.com/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=6638?CurrentNews

"Police arrest newspaper editor for criticizing Florida cops"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02184.html

"Miami Herald reports Florida cops knew law is unconstitutional"
http://www.politechbot.com/p-02185.html

-Declan

********

Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2001 16:39:30 +0700
Subject: arrest of publisher in Key West
From: Tom Walker <twalker () keysnews com>
To: <declan () well com>

Declan: as of about 4 p.m. Tuesday July 3, the Monroe County State
Attorney's Office has "declined to prosecute" Dennis Reeves Cooper,
publisher of Key West the Newspaper.
Story tomorrow on www.keysnews.com
Tom Walker
Staff writer
Key West Citizen

********

Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2001 12:59:32 -0400
From: Flip Ferrari <flip () kwest net>
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>, politech () politechbot com,
        Office () KWTN com, postmaster () KWTN com, SSolares () keywestcity com,
        Attorney () keywestcity com, JAvael () keywestcity com,
        BDillon () keywestcity com, JWeekley () keywestcity com,
        TomO () oosterbooster com, merilimccoy () compuserve com, cpcjr () webtv net,
        HBethel () keywestcity com, JAnthony () keywestcity com, carmenturn () aol com,
        emc () artifact psychedelic net
Subject: Re: More on arresting reporters and Florida case, by Paul McMasters

My bad. (forgot the ~)
proper url for key west the newspaper main page is:
http://www.kwtn.com/~kwtn/

latest news:
case thrown out of court at arraignment, city commission waffles about
what to
do about the whole thing. (see fridays paper for commission report by
katha
sheehan, and i assume an editorial by cooper)
Flip
webmaster, kwtn.com.

********




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