W.G. mayor removes man who refused to stand for pledge

By Peter M. Gordon

Winter Garden Mayor John Rees asked police to remove a man from the city commission meeting on Aug. 28 for refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.

More than 50 people attended the meeting, which would feature a budget workshop and what was expected to be a vote on the location of a new downtown parking garage. City Manager Mike Bollhoefer confirmed that the man, Joseph Richardson, 51, has asked the city several times to change its invocation policy.

Rees, as is customary, asked everyone to stand for the invocation. Richardson sat in the first row. As Commissioner Bobby Olszewski started the prayer, Rees interrupted him to say not everyone was standing. Richardson said, "I don't think I have to." Rees said that he could sit during the invocation but that Richardson would be expected to stand for the pledge.

After the invocation, Rees said, "Now sir, please stand while we do the pledge. You don't have to say it, but please stand. It's just not fair to our troops and people overseas, sir."

When Richardson didn't stand, again stating that he didn't think he had to, the mayor asked Police Chief George Brennan to escort him out of the meeting "until we get through the pledge." Brennan and another officer approached Richardson, who rose and left. Brennan said they offered Richardson the option to return to the meeting after the pledge, but that he left the building instead. He was not arrested.

Later in the meeting, Community Development Director Ed Williams said he wanted to make a personal comment before he presented his business to the commission. He thanked the mayor for the "respect he showed our troops" by escorting Richardson out of the meeting.

Bollhoefer said he met with Richardson the previous week and told him he would have the city's attorneys review the invocation policy and bring some recommendations to the commission after it was completed.

Richardson is a member of the Central Florida Freethought Community (CFFC), a local chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The CFFC published a news release on its website saying the organization "condemns Winter Garden Mayor and Police Chief for removing a city resident from Thursday’s Commission Meeting." It refers to Richardson as “'John Thoreau,' a member of the CFFC." FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel sent a letter to Rees and Brennan telling them to expect that CFFC members will attend the next commission meeting and "will exercise their First Amendment rights to remain seated during the invocation and pledge.”

In response to questions about how Winter Garden might handle that protest, Bollhoefer said: "Our attorney is reviewing all of our procedures for opening City Commission meetings, including policies regarding invocations. We have heard that some groups are planning on attending our next meeting, and we will make recommendations to the City Commission on how they may proceed with opening the meetings."