A social justice group that sued Florence last year over ordinances it said were meant to stifle free speech is hailing a proposed settlement with the city.

Project Say Something is announcing the settlement and calling on supporters to attend Tuesday’s Florence City Council meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m., to support it.

The group calls the tentative settlement “a significant breakthrough.”

“This outcome signifies a vital step forward in safeguarding the First Amendment rights of citizens,” the group said in a statement.

Attempts to reach Florence city officials for comment were not immediately successful.

The group, founded in 2014, says by its own count it staged a protest five days a week in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, totaling about 160 to 175 times in one year.

In its lawsuit, the group contended that the city used its noise ordinance to stifle the group, and its parade ordinance kept them in a “protest zone” at the intersection of Court Street and Tennessee Street.

According to the group, the tentative settlement includes:

• Unamplified human voices are not subject to the noise ordinance.
• Clarification of what activities constitute a parade.
• Placement of new noise and parade ordinances on the City Council’s agenda for a vote.
• A stipulation to file for dismissal pf the lawsuit once the new ordinances are adopted.

The group worked with Duke Law Clinic and attorneys Tish Gottell Faulk and David Gespass.

Camille Bennett, founder and executive director of Project Say Something said the settlement is the culmination of two years of attempting to work with the city. Project Say Something, in addition to the monument protests, also advocates for progressive issues such as reproductive rights.

“Of course, we wish we didn’t have to file a lawsuit,” Bennett said. “We’re grateful that we’ve made a change that will make it easier for the citizens of Florence to exercise their First Amendment rights.”

Bennett said the group is involved in several issues, but the monument it protested is still standing.

“Where we find the need to protest, we will,” Bennett said.