On Tuesday evening, the Woodstock Village Board of Trustees met to discuss several pertinent town issues, including a discussion of safety and freedom of speech as it pertains to the Tribou Park Protesters, who have been protesting for 170 consecutive days so far.
Al Alessi, local Woodstock resident and staunch participant in the protests, along with other participants of the once-daily gathering, stood in front of the board to address some of the public’s concerns.
The first issue pertained to parking, specifically protesters using parking spots allocated for Zack’s Place and First Impressions Salon & Spa. Additional concerns included the distraction that signs pose to drivers, the dangers of visual obstruction for drivers at the Tribou Park corner, noise from honking, and complaints of protesters encroaching on the sidewalk.
Trustee Lisa Lawlor stated during the meeting, “I am a believer in free speech, but as a board, we must listen to everyone and assess the pros and cons. We fully understand it is not our place to say that we are for or against this protest. The best we can do is try to come up with solutions that work for everyone. The biggest complaint I still receive is that your presence is distracting. It is not where you are standing, but the signs you hold up to drivers passing by that creates cause for concern. Secondly, people have voiced to me that they are intimidated to walk down the sidewalk, even though you step back.”
Suggestions were made throughout the meeting to address some of these concerns. Among the suggestions were police presence at larger events, to be coordinated and paid for by protest organizers, and the possibility of a permit that would allow the group to use barricades, also for larger events. No solutions were decided on regarding the other concerns.
For more on this, please see our July 10 edition of the Vermont Standard.
