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Fists fly after St. Petersburg council debates free speech, BayWalk

Staff file photo by WALLY PATANOW

BayWalk managers now have the power to ban protests on their sidewalk.

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By PETER BERNARD | WFLA

Published: October 15, 2009

ST. PETERSBURG - A fight over free speech turned into fisticuffs at a city council meeting that left the brother of one of the council members arrested.

The brawl, which was caught on tape, broke out Thursday afternoon following a controversial council vote to privatize the sidewalk outside BayWalk, a downtown retail and entertainment complex.

After the 5-3 vote to turn the sidewalk over to BayWalk managers, shouting began between two men, one of whom, 76-year-old Fred Dudley, is the brother of councilman Bill Dudley.

Fred Dudley yelled "Why don't you move?" to a group arguing that the sidewalk should remain public. Ronald Deaton, 61, shouted back and the men got into a fight in front of council members.

Police said both men would be charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, after they tumbled to the floor of the council chambers while fighting.

Various local groups, most notably the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, have been using the sidewalk as a protest site. Managers of BayWalk blame the protests in part for a 70 percent vacancy rate.

Thursday's vote giving control over the sidewalk to BayWalk gives the complex's managers the power to ban protests there.

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