14 DAY TRIAL // A 65-year-old community activist who took her passion for cartwheeling to the Maricopa Association of Governments meetings has been banned from performing her gimmicks at the agency's gatherings in Phoenix.
Dianne “DD” Barker has received an official letter from an attorney for the Maricopa Association of Governments urging her to stop doing acrobatics at their regular meetings.
Mrs. Barker is an energetic woman who has an active lifestyle, loves to ride her red bike around town and enjoys cartwheeling during local government meetings when words don't suffice. She has been known to show off her gymnastic skills anytime she had the occasion, but now the government demands her to “immediately stop performing cartwheels at MAG meetings.”
According to USA Today, MAG officials have warned Barker on several occasions over the years not to perform cartwheels, because it is distracting and poses a risk of injury to herself or those nearby, but she wouldn't listen.
As a result, the planning agency’s attorney sent her the cease-and-desist letter which states the following, “You have from time to time suggested that MAG cannot prevent you from performing cartwheels during your comments. That position is incorrect.”
MAG's representatives deemed the woman's behavior unprofessional, adding that legal authorities allow public bodies to place time and manner restrictions on speakers.
After receiving the letter, Mrs. Barker, who often speaks out at local government hearings, sent back an email in protest, claiming that not being able to do cartwheels would stifle her freedom of free speech, as she “no longer could freely speak/express in such positive conviction, my continuing commitment, and unwavering support for MAG's transportation/air quality duty and directives.”
However, she says she will follow the order at meetings and refrain from doing cartwheels, but adds that this isn't the end of it, as she is training to perform a new move: a flip.
Barker says she discovered she was good at cartwheels when she was a cheerleader at Ohio State University.
“I think that the cartwheel is something I found out that I could do that is enjoyable, and it definitely expresses my passion,” she explains.
MAG is a Council of Governments that serves as the regional agency for the greater Maricopa region. It was formed in 1967 and it is based on the principle that cities, towns, and counties should be responsible for addressing local problems and needs that require action on an area-wide or regional basis.