ST. PETERSBURG - A fight broke out at the St. Petersburg City Council meeting after council members voted to make the sidewalk in front of BayWalk private.

The vote came after weeks of heated debate , where opponents of the measure argued it would violate free speech and assembly rights.

The council passed the motion to make the sidewalk private by a vote of 5 to 3.

Immediately after the vote, several activists got up to leave the meeting in protest. People on both sides of the issue began trading heated words.

Someone called St. Petersburg a "city of fascists."

Someone else yelled back, "why don’t you move?"

Two men then approached each other, got into a struggle, and one ended up on the floor.

One of the men ended up in handcuffs and was led out of the building.

On the way out, he said his name was Ronald Deaton.

"I was attacked," he told FOX 13. "The city of St. Petersburg is violating our civil rights."

Two men were arrested for disorderly conduct. Police have not yet released their identities. Updated: Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 10:38 PM ED