Memorandum on Fort Lauderdale Site
TO: Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), Board of Trustees,General Assembly (GA) Planning Committee
FROM: Beth McGregor, Chair, GA Planning Committee; Gini Courter, Moderator, UUA; William G. Sinkford, President, UUA
DATE: December 18, 2007
At its meeting in January 2004, the UUA Board of Trustees approved the choice of Fort Lauderdale, FL, as the site for the 2008 General Assembly. Recently, however, concerns have been raised about the Fort Lauderdale location because the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, the principal venue for the General Assembly, lies within the perimeter of the Port of Fort Lauderdale and thus is subject to federal security regulations that mandate that all people eighteen years of age and older show a government-issued ID at the entrance to the facility.
Our concerns include the possibility of an unfriendly environment for youth, particularly youth of color, and the problems inherent in using a site that is not open to those not eligible for government-issued identification.
Although convention center officials indicated when the GA contracts were signed that the security perimeter was to be relocated so that the convention center would not lie within it, this has not yet taken place, nor will it prior to our Assembly.
This letter is to let you know of the problem, the process of discernment concerning possible remedies, steps we have taken and will take to address the concerns, and finally, that we will recommend to the Board of Trustees that they not take any steps to change the location of the 2008 General Assembly.
UUA staff members Jan Sneegas, Director of General Assembly and Conference Services, and Darrick Jackson, Assistant Youth Ministries Director, visited Fort Lauderdale in mid-November to assess the situation in light of the concern about the security measures. They met in person with security staff from the convention center and later by telephone with representatives of the Broward County Sheriff's Office.
Jan and Darrick report that the convention center and sheriff's staff were appreciative of our concerns about access and security measures in advance of the GA and were amenable to working closely with us to minimize any hardships to GA attendees entering the convention center. The convention center has recently hosted meetings ranging from the national boat show of 10,000 people to a meeting of a Muslim group.
Following this on-site visit, Jan and Darrick met with the three of us and other senior staff to consider a wide range of ethical and financial issues. Cancelling already-signed contracts with Fort Lauderdale facilities would result in a financial loss to the Association of at least $800,000; finding another site for the 2008 GA that satisfied our justice requirements for accessibility and a green GA and that included the financial safeguards we negotiated in Fort Lauderdale would be impossible at this late date. The option of cancelling GA is precluded by UUA by-laws.
We have come to feel that the conditions in Fort Lauderdale provide us with an opportunity to shine a light on the issues that concern us and to use the situation as a teaching moment: What is it that we, as religious people, are called to say at this time and in this place? What privilege do we enjoy that is denied to others?
These are some of the steps that will be taken:
- We will continue our dialogue with convention center and government personnel, a dialogue in which we have made our concerns clear and they have been responsive.
- We will begin meeting early in the new year with representatives from the groups that could potentially be affected by the restrictions in Fort Lauderdale.
- At the GA, Unitarian Universalists serving as chaplains will be present at each pedestrian entrance to the convention center; the Broward County Sheriff's Office has warmly welcomed this plan.
- There will be a portion of a plenary session focusing on the painful reality that the conditions in our nation and in our world result in such attention to security that our basic freedoms are compromised.
This has been a difficult and complicated situation and we know that even our best efforts cannot completely resolve the matter. As leaders in our faith community, we promise you that we will do everything possible to make this coming General Assembly as warm and welcoming as we possibly can.
For more information contact generalassembly @ uua.org.
Last updated on Monday, January 28, 2008.
