Pinellas County American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Collection Raymond and Margaret Yazell Files Finding Aid and Container Listing

 

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Container Listing

Series: Ray Yazell ACLU Research Files Document Box 1 Administrative Materials/Bylaws/Resolutions  Extent: 1 folder   Includes: background materials on the Greater St. Petersburg  (later Pinellas County) ACLU chapter, resolutions, membership  information, by-laws.  The bulk of the material covers the  1970s. American Civil Liberties Union (videorecording)  Extent: 1 videocassette  Thirteen-minute segment from October 1984 broadcast of 20/20.  VHS format. (Included in box, but not placed in a file folder) Annual Reports  Extent: 1 folder  Inclusive dates: 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981,   1982, 1983.  Beckett, Jr., Gardner W. -- Legal Research Files  Extent: 1 folder  Inclusive dates: undated, 1983, 1984  A prominent St. Petersburg attorney, Gardner W. Beckett served  as a member of the Pinellas County ACLU's Legal Panel and an  advocate for civil liberties.  Beckett passed away in March  1993 while   questioning a witness in a Tampa courtroom.  The  state chapter had awarded Beckett the 1991 Nelson Poynter   Award for his many contributions to civil liberties.  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes  Extent: 7 folders  Inclusive dates: 1968; 1970-1986  See the following folders:  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1968; 1970-1972  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1973-1975  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1976-1977  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1978-1979  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1980-1981  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1982-1983  Board of Directors -- Meeting Minutes, 1984-1986 Censorship -- Adult Videos/Movies  Extent: 1 folder  Contains clippings and related materials on adult-use zoning,  adult book stores, and anti-pornography ordinances. Chapter Activities  Extent: 11 folders  Inclusive dates: 1966-1989  Contains newspaper clippings, correspondence, research notes,  publicity materials, and other assorted information that   documents the activities of the Pinellas County ACLU chapter  and its membership.  See the following folders:   Chapter Activities -- 1966-1970  Chapter Activities -- 1971  Chapter Activities -- 1972  Chapter Activities -- 1973: January-June  Document Box 2  Chapter Activities -- 1973: July-December  Chapter Activities -- 1974-1976  Chapter Activities -- 1977-1979  Chapter Activities -- 1980-1982  Chapter Activities -- 1983-1984  Chapter Activities -- 1985-1987  Chapter Activities -- 1988-1989  Church and State -- "3-Church Deal" for the Stadium Site  Extent: 1 folder  Inclusive dates: 1982-1986  Clippings document the relocation of predominantly African-  American churches in the Gas Plant area, site of the present  Thunderdome stadium.  Federal officials launched an probe  after churches received extra compensation from city officials  that   was denied to other residents in the Gas Plant area. Coalition for Alternatives to Jail Expansion (CAJE)  Extent: 1 folder  Clippings and materials recount the construction of the jail  and criminal court complex in the High Point area of mid-  Pinellas County during the 1970s. Court Observer Program  Extent: 1 folder  Bulk dates: 1972-1975  The Greater St. Petersburg ACLU chapter initiated a court ob-  server program after the United States Supreme Court issued   its June 1972 Argersinger v. Hamlin decision.  This verdict   affirmed that defendants who were accused of misdemeanors and  faced jail sentences had the right to counsel (and appointed  counsel, if indigent).  In addition to the county courts,   twenty municipalities maintained courts and conducted hearings  for local offenses.  Volunteers in the court observer program  monitored these local courts and compiled information for ACLU  attorneys. Court Observer Program -- Data Forms (1973)  Extent: 1 folder  Inclusive dates: 1973  Includes individual data forms for various municipal courts. Curfews  Extent: 1 folder  Assorted newspaper clippings from the 1970s and late 1980s on  juvenile curfews. Education, Elementary and Secondary  Extent: 1 folder  Assorted newspaper clippings from the 1980s that cover the  topics of Corporal Punishment and Student Dress Codes. Fair, Jim  Extent: 1 folder  A former Hillsborough County elections supervisor, Fair had  faced impeachment charges and had spent time in the Florida  State Hospital.  He often faced criticism from other state  authorities for questioning and challenging accepted   bureaucratic practices. Financial Reports and Treasurer's Records  Extent: 1 folder  Inclusive dates: 1970, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1984  Document Box 3 Free Speech -- Bob Canney Incident  Extent: 1 folder   A political activist and former college professor, Robert   "Bob" Canney faced a long prison sentence after telling a  crowd in Straub Park that they should bring the "goddamn war  home."  His protests against the conflict in Vietnam led to  subsequent imprisonment and termination from his position at  the University of Florida.  Gardner Beckett, a Suncoast ACLU  attorney, defended Canney, whose 1970 arrest was later deemed  unconstitutional.  Newspaper clippings, correspondence, and  publicity materials from the Bob Canney Support Committee   appear in this folder. Free Speech and Assembly -- African People's Socialist Party  Extent: 1 folder  Contains clippings about the African People's Socialist Party.  Led by Joseph Waller--who later adopted the name Omali Yeshi-  tela--this organization participated in a number of protests  and public demonstrations against groups such as the Ku Klux  Klan. Free Speech and Assembly -- Parades  Extent: 1 folder  Includes correspondence and newspaper clippings from the 1970s  through 1989 that document parade registration and permit  requirements for organizations and events such as the Southern  Christian Leadership Conference and Circus McGurkis. Homelessness  Extent: 1 folder  Yazell's clipping file on homeless and indigent persons. Legal Panel -- Case Review Files  Extent: 2 folders  Inclusive dates: 1973-1974  RESTRICTION NOTE:  Use restricted to members of the Pinellas  County ACLU Chapter.  Ask staff for further information.  Includes correspondence between state chapter, local chapter,  and ACLU attorneys with defendants in criminal cases.  Many  letters were sent to or from prisons, and describe matters  related to court cases.  Arranged alphabetically within two  chronological folders:  Legal Panel -- Case Review Files, 1973  Legal Panel -- Case Review Files, 1974 Newsletters and Come Unity Announcements  Extent: 2 folders  Contains newsletters printed by the Greater St. Petersburg  ACLU chapter, as well as a variety of announcements of ACLU  events that appeared in Come Unity.  The bulk of the material  covers the period from 1973 to 1975. Police Department Policies and Procedures  Extent: 1 folder  Includes correspondence and clippings, most from 1986 through   1988, that document police policies and ACLU responses. Search and Seizure -- Howlett v. Rose  Extent: 1 folder  On 9 October 1986, the Pinellas County School Board suspended  St. Petersburg High School student Mark Howlett after an   administrator searched his vehicle.  With the assistance of  the ACLU chapter, Howlett filed suit against the school board  and its then-superintendent, Scott N. Rose.  This folder con-  tains newspaper clippings and press releases. Student Chapter -- USF St. Petersburg  Extent: 1 folder  Bulk dates: 1973-1974  While attending the University of South Florida, the Yazells  worked with other students and Steven Lawson, professor of  history, to form a student ACLU chapter at USF St. Petersburg.  This folder includes meeting minutes, publicity materials,  correspondence, and copies of the Crow's Nest campus news-  letter.  For a related collection, see: Tschiderer Student Publications  Collection, Special Collections and Archives, USF St. Peters-  burg. Treatment Facilities -- The "Seed" Drug Rehabilitation Program  Extent: 1 folder  Inclusive dates: 1973-1975, 1989  Describes the controversial "Seed" drug treatment facility, a  program that received the support of many municipal judges.  The file contains correspondence, clippings, and a special   edition of the St. Petersburg Junior College Wooden Horse   newspaper devoted to the facility.  The Pinellas County Seed  program closed in 1975.  A subsequent program--known as  "Straight"--was formed the following year.    Series: Come Unity Publication  Newspaper Box 1 Come Unity Newspapers  Extent: 1 newspaper storage box  Inclusive dates: February 1972-September 1988  Originally appearing as an underground newspaper, Come Unity  remained a strong voice for community action and social   justice issues into the late-1980s.

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