The meeting tonight is not a full City Council meeting, but a meeting of its Public Safety Committee. Mayor Kennedy, Vice-Mayor Rotkin, and Councilmember Porter (at least as of last year) made up the Committee.

All three of them voted to disband the Citizens Police Review Board last year. All three of them voted for the Kennedy amendment in November 2002 that weakened the proposed city protections against the "Patriot" Act.

The meeting is not held in City Council chambers but in the small City Council support room right next to it.

Also on the agenda is further discussion of an informational flyer (which they've been working on for two years) describing a person's rights during a "police detention" (as distinguished from a police arrest).

The process as these meetings is usually rather informal. Folks sit around a big table (Councilmembers and staff included).

Rotkin has responded to requests for follow-up documents in the past. You have the right to tape record this meeting, if you wish.

If you intend to ask probing questions, it might be helpful for someone to record the dialogue, perhaps for those who aren't present.

I also encourage you to post any "results" that happen, even if, as is likely, there are no results other than "bring us another proposal" and/or "your current proposal violates the city charter".

It would also be helpful if the BORDC posted its latest proposal to City Council--the one that Kennedy dismissed at Oral Communications back in early February

This was the same meeting that Kennedy chastised the BORDC chair for having a "side conversation".