Access and usage rules changing for Huntsville public buildings

Yahoo

28-03-2025

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Huntsville City Council voted unanimously Thursday to change public access and usage rules for public buildings around the city.
The decision comes on the heels of what council members say was an ambush by people self-proclaimed as 'First Amendment auditors' just a few weeks ago.
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These auditors visit public facilities across the nation, recording officials and demanding answers. City leaders in Huntsville said the goal of these auditors is to provoke said leaders and catch it on camera.
'The advent of popular thing that's occurring across the country, the so-called First Amendment auditors who sweep into a building and, they kind of overwhelm your security staff,' Huntsville City Attorney Trey Riley said. 'And the next thing you know, they're all over the building sticking cameras in people's faces. And as a general rule, trying to incite anger or misconduct on the part of employees.'
District 1 Councilmember Michelle Watkins was not at City Hall when the so-called ambush happened a few weeks ago, but she details the event based on what her colleagues told her.
'Individuals just coming in, you know, saying that they were in a public facility, they had a right to record,' Watkins said. 'And they have a right to record, but in certain areas. You can't go in while someone's conducting business.'
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It's not the first time people have done this in Huntsville. 'Reba Audits 51-50 5-0' filmed her First Amendment audits and posted them to YouTube in 2019. She visited buildings all over the city from the Madison County Sheriff's Office to the West Precinct.
The encounters drove city leaders to now take action.
'We just want to make sure that we're protecting our employees and that we're just providing a safe environment for people to walk in,' Watkins said. 'That they don't feel, you know, like someone's threatening them or being up in their face.'
The new ordinance restricts when and how the public can access buildings around the city, but it doesn't stop there.
'Simply put, it is an ordinance designed to control physical access to many of the city's public buildings and facilities, especially City Hall, as well as access to information within those facilities,' Riley said. 'And by that, I mean the ability to photograph and video, record and do things of that nature.'
Watkins said residents of Huntsville should not be concerned and that the ordinance is set in place solely to handle situations like the auditors.
'I just want to make sure we don't tread on that nod of freedom of information,' Watkins said. 'If someone wants to exercise their First Amendment right, that they had that opportunity.'
Watkins added that recording inside of a city council meeting is still permitted, but recording inside of an employee's office unauthorized is not.
Riley said that the city is working on signage to help clarify the statute depending on the situation. It will apply inside other public buildings across the city, with him giving the example of the Solid Waste Disposal Authority.
Riley also said he believes the punishment will be fines up to $500 for not complying. The ordinance also states that if someone does not leave after they are instructed to, they could be subject to criminal trespassing charges.
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