By JIM BUTLER
Two women drove hours Thursday to drop F bombs on England Authority commissioners and the executive director.
That says about all that needs to be said regarding the tenor of most of the public comment time at the panel’s Thursday meeting.
Substantive modifications to a proposed, and subsequently adopted, permitting process for protests and demonstrations didn’t mollify the opposition.
And keeping speakers on point and from straying to decrying the ICE family and children deportation staging area under construction was asking the impossible of Chairman Oday Lavergne.
Unexpected announcement that six commissioners had requested a special meeting for a discussion and presentation about that project seemed at times lost in the rhetoric.
That meeting — September 8, 4 p.m., at the Authority building — is evidently intended to clear the air with information and answers about the center operation, agreements with ICE and LaSalle Corrections and any other aspects of the topic.
Hint of what was to come Thursday surfaced first in consideration of a building lease to CSI Aviation, leading air transit provider to ICE.
Speakers implored commissioners not to take what one called blood money. The lease was approved.
After discussions, some changes were made in the permit ordinance.
An insurance requirement was eliminated as too burdensome and expensive, if available at all, for any seeking a permit.
And the criteria that permit is necessary if five or more persons are reasonably expected to participate was dropped.
None of that seemed to ameliorate concerns about infringement on First Amendment rights, including where protests or demonstrations can be held.
Authority counsel Matt Nowlin said constitutional issues were vetted during the drafting process which included study of such policies at other airports, public facilities and institutions.
Commissioner Joe McPherson noted that a question from a citizen about where he could protest without getting in trouble prompted the Authority to address the issue, not a desire to squelch speech.
No one appeared to speak in support of these specific items.