Local ACLU works quietly

February 12, 2001

Jeni Brock Steele
Ft. Pierce Tribune staff writer

TREASURE COAST The local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union may not be as vocal or as visible as some other chapters, but that doesn’t mean the members aren’t hard at work in the 19th Judicial District.

"Right now, we’re concentrating on education, as opposed to litigation," said board member Ellen Mancini, a local lawyer.

The concentration is also on strengthening the local chapter in membership, she said, and that effort got a shot in the arm during the fall season when round-table discussions were hosted at local public libraries in the four-county area covered by the chapter.

"We had a fairly good response, too," she said.

Just because the local chapter isn’t currently working on any specific cases doesn’t mean it isn’t watching and sharing concern, said T.A. Wyner, a local businesswoman and spokeswoman for the local ACLU chapter.

Several members locally are watching to see what happens with a much-publicized case filed in circuit civil court by Tallahassee-based Figg Engineers. The suit is against four local vocal opponents to a toll bridge across the Indian River Lagoon at Walton Road in Port St. Lucie.

Figg Engineers, through its local attorney, Harold Melville, has sued Charles Grande, Roger Sharp, Ed McKay and Kevin Stinnette, alleging the four men have "libeled, slandered and defamed" the engineers that are the "consultants for the St. Lucie County Expressway and Bridge Authority," the suit states.

On Dec., 15, 2000, the 203rd birthday of America’s Bill of Rights, the local ACLU chapter issued a press release saying local residents have been silenced by the suit called a SLAPP suit, or Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.

"We’ve had people tell us they are afraid now to write letters to the editor or speak out at public meetings," Wyner said, "so the suit has had its desired effect."

People from the community and those active in local environmental groups have come to the recent discussion meetings, Wyner said, to learn about their rights to free speech.

"This is a serious matter," she said. "Our chapter has spoken about it."

The local chapter does nothing without first seeking the support of the state chapter, and the organization is strong on teamwork.

When a particular issue or event comes to the attention of the organization, Wyner said, members first look into the issues and determine if a civil rights violation has actually occurred.

Mancini said the responsibility isn’t taken lightly.

"We have a legal screening panel here," she said. "We have lawyers who volunteer to serve on that panel."

After the panel members look into a particular case, the local chapter appeals to the state chapter and the decision is then made whether or not the ACLU will take a particular stance on it.

Wyner said without the approval and cooperation of the state chapter, the local chapter takes no action.

The ACLU is the perfect outlet for Wyner, she said, and she’s been active first in Palm Beach County and then here since the early 1990s.

"My pet amendment is the first," Wyner said. "I believe in enlightenment. This should be a marketplace of every conceivable idea, of every point of view, and we should all have access to it. Somehow, through enlightenment, the truth always rises to the top, and we all make better decisions based on what we learn. If information is withheld, if information is distorted, if information’s path is blocked, then misconceptions are prolonged, and the truth is interrupted, either through ignorance or fear."

That may even explain misconceptions about the ACLU, Mancini said.

"There is an existing concept or vision of what the ACLU represents," she said. "What we support is the civil rights of everyone every individual and that covers from the most conservative Christian to the most radical Communist."

Meetings of the local chapter are open to members only, but for those who are interested in becoming members, an opportunity is coming up in March, Wyner said. That’s when the local chapter will again sponsor the round-table discussions.

Those interested in the meetings can call Wyner at (561) 465-5658, or in Martin County, call Ron Urick at (561) 223-2027.