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BELCHERTOWN A condominium owner prevailed over trustees who attempted to fine her $50 a day for displaying a Black Lives Matter sign in her flower bed, after a judge ruled in her favor in Hampshire Superior Court on Friday.

Margery Jess, owner of a unit at Summer Hill Estates, in October sued trustees of the condominium association who tried to strong-arm her into taking down the sign, threatening fines that would have amounted to more than $18,000 annually.

Judge Richard Carey initially granted Jess a temporary injunction to prevent the association from forcing her to take the sign down or face fines. Carey ruled Friday the condo associations bylaw designed to control the content of signage is unconstitutional and violates free speech protections.

Summer Hill Estates Condominium Trust is hereby permanently enjoined from interfering with Plaintiff Margery Jesss right to post, at and near her condominium and without prior permission of the Board from placing a Black Lives Matter sign or other signs that are consistent with the Rules and Regulations of the Trust that comply with the Courts Declarations above, Carey wrote in a brief ruling.

In her complaint, filed with the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union and Northampton attorney Luke Ryan, Jess said trustees told her to take the sign down on May 30, one day after she placed it in a flower bed outside her condo. Frank Pudlo, chairman of the condominium trust, sent her an email ordering the removal of the sign, arguing it was political during an election year.

Pudlo cited a rule in the associations bylaws requiring owners to seek prior permission to place signs outside their units. Jess sent a request when she learned of the rule, but was denied after a meeting she was not invited to attend, according to court records.

Summer Hill Estates is an over-55 development off Route 202 in Belchertown, billed as a vibrant and growing community, according to its website.

Jesss complaint said her neighbors were displaying signs with patriotic and ethnically based messages outside their units, including a Civil War-era flag. She and the trustees jousted over the matter in emails, court records show.

As some residents have hearts displayed on their doors and windows as an expression of supporting healthcare providers during COVID-19, I (am) supporting our fellow Black Americans as they deal with continued institutional racism and police brutality, Jess wrote in one email.

The Trustees voted today on your request and the majority vote was not to allow your sign to be displayed, the trustees responded. Our decision is to not allow signs with any political intent or connotation. This decision is especially relevant with this being an election year. The other signs (located outside other owners units), are not political and are considered decorations.

The sign remains in the window of Jesss condo, said William Newman, director of the ACLU of Massachusetts Western Regional Law Office.

This case is a poignant reminder of the foundational importance of freedom of speech, particularly in these fraught and perilous times, Newman said. Ms. Jess standing strong for this fundamental freedom has been inspiring.

Jess released a statement lauding Careys ruling.

I am enormously appreciative of the Courts judgment, which guarantees my right to freely exercise freedom of speech in support of anti-racism and social justice in my community, she said.

The ACLU also applauded the judges ruling as part of the civil liberties lobbys efforts to protect free speech and beat back condominium associations efforts to control members First Amendment rights.

Across Massachusetts, we see condo and homeowners associations impeding the right of property owners and tenants to engage in free speech through signs at and near their homes, said Ruth Bourquin, senior and managing staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts. We hope this landmark decision is a wake-up call that such restrictions must end.

Read the original here:
Judge overrules Belchertown condo association that tried to bar Black Lives Matter lawn sign - MassLive.com

COVINGTON, La. More than a month after the St. Tammany Parish School System allegedly told two students they cannot wear Black Lives Matter masks, the district is reversing course.

The decision comes after the ACLU of Louisiana sent the district a letter claiming the system violated the students First Amendment rights. Although theyre allowed to wear their BLM masks, their mom believes this should never have been an issue.

Yall made a big deal about a mask. Not education, but a mask, Ebony Wright exclaimed.

Wright is still disgusted with the St. Tammany Parish School System and the obstacles her kids faced in order to wear Black Lives Matter masks.

A mask that says Black Lives Matter hurt someone so much that you had to take my children out of school and stop education to say what, Wright said.

According to Wright, her kids Suriah and Adrian were pulled from class in December and given in-school suspension. The district maintains that never happened.

When I requested the documentation, they told me there was no documentation, Wright said.

The ACLU of Louisiana believes the students did not violate the districts dress and grooming policy.

For them to be singled out is very troubling. It should have been obvious that their right to free speech is protected, said ACLU attorney Bruce Hamilton.

In order to get permission to wear BLM masks, Wright had to file an application for exemption from the dress and grooming policy. Although, a spokesperson for the district said no one has to file for exemption to wear BLM masks.

In documents obtained by WGNO News, Wright did file an application and had to justify why her kids should receive an exemption.

Ultimately, the districts lawyers sent two letters saying the exemptions were granted.

Hamilton said, We maintain that the policy is unconstitutional in its face.

The district said moving forward, families will not have to file exemptions over masks. A spokesperson said Wright was the first to make a case.

We asked Wright if she is planning to file suit against the district and she said she is leaving that up to her lawyers to decide the best way to move forward.

Read the original post:
District reverses course and allows students to wear Black Lives Matter masks - WGNO New Orleans

Posted on Jan 13, 2021 in Latest News, Newsroom

What:

Series of five Zoom Webinars about achieving racial equity in Hawaii. The kick-off event is Black Lives Matter and the Hawaii Experience.

When:

Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 from noon to 1:15 p.m.

Who:

Opening remarks by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald and introduction of speakers by First Circuit District Family Judge Rebecca Copeland. Panel members are Dr. Akiemi Glenn (Popolo Project), Josie Howard (We Are Oceania), Kamaile Maldonado (Office of Hawaiian Affairs), and Kristen Brown (NAACP Youth Chair). Brieanah Gouveia (Judiciary History Center) will serve as moderator.

Details:

The series is free and open to the public. A link to the registration page can be found at court.state.hi.us (look for Black Lives Matter & the Hawaii Experience banner) or click here.

Upcoming webinars:

Data & the Criminal Justice System, Jan. 29

Civil Rights & Access to Justice, Feb. 12

Making the Most of Implicit Bias Training, Feb. 26

Diversity, Inclusion, & Empowerment, March 12

# # #

Media contact:

Jan Kagehiro

Communications & Community Relations Director

Hawaii State Judiciary

417 S. King St. Suite 212

Honolulu, HI 96813

Office: 808-539-4914

Mobile: 808-260-5423

Read the original post:
Hawaii State Judiciary News Release: Confronting Racial Injustice: Black Lives Matter and the Hawaii Experience - David Y. Ige | Newsroom

Black Lives Matter, an exhibit of original artwork by local and regional artists, opened Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council Gallery at Northland Community and Technical College in Thief River Falls.

The exhibit is presented in honor of Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month, organizers say.

The display features a variety of two- and three-dimensional art, including paintings, collage, song lyrics and pen-and-ink artwork, as well as a series of 12-by-12-inch canvas pieces created by artists of all ages in this region.

The exhibition, which continues through Feb. 28, is located in the NWMAC Gallery at NCTC. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. To visit the gallery, enter through door A. Visitor parking is free in the large end lot.

This exhibit is in response to recent racist violence and long-time racism, which has caused the current unrest, according to a news release from the arts council.

We know people need art right now more than ever to express ourselves and cope with the many emotions weve all been feeling, Mara Hanel, arts council director, said in the release.

The exhibit is made possible with funding from the McKnight Foundation.

For more information, send an e-mail to director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call the council office at (218) 745-8886.

Originally posted here:
Arts council to open 'Black Lives Matter' exhibit in Thief River Falls - Grand Forks Herald

Brad Petrishen|Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER Court officials have asked police to probe a racist video Zoom bomb that interrupted Central District Court on Friday during a virtual hearing for people charged during aBlack Lives Matter protest June 1 in the city.

Lawyers representing nine people accused of failing to disperse after the protest got out of hand were arguing motions on Zoom around noon, when the online disruptionoccurred.

The N-word could be heard repeatedly on the broadcast. One person wrote Heeil Hitleer (sic) on the chat, while another laughed. A pornographic video was also cast on the screen briefly.

Court officials ended the broadcast soon after, and resumed without issue about 30 minutes later.

Clerk Magistrate Brian M. DAndrea said this is the first time this has happened in Central District Court, while Jennifer Donahue, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Trial Court, said she has not been made aware of this happening before in any other court.

The District Court has referred this matter to the Trial Court Security Department, which in turn referred it to the state police for further investigation, Donahue wrote in an email.

DAndrea said court staff Friday were, for the time being, disabling the ability of users on the call to cast their screen onto the Zoom or to unmute themselves to speak.

There were about 70 people on the Zoomincluding a judge who was physically on the bench in the courtroom.

The court has generally been using default Zoom settings, which allow people to chime in themselves when their case is called. The alternative is unmuting people manually, which can be time-consuming.

DAndrea said he has tried to keep the hearings as open as possible to foster transparency during the pandemic.

Not all courts have allowed so much virtual access during the pandemic, he said, adding that he doesnt plan to curtail access in Worcester.

We need to strike a balance, he said. What we dont want is a small group of folks intent on disturbing the process to force us to change.

Known as Zoom bombing, the practice of interrupting Zoom proceedings with racist, anti-Semitic and pornographic images has increased as people use video chats ubiquitously during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hector E. Pineiro, a lawyer who represents nine defendants arrested at the Black Lives Matter protest in Main South, said Friday he does not believe the interruption was random.

Of course, he responded when asked whether he thought it was likely the work of a person or persons who wanted to mock the protesters or the protest.

See more here:
State asks police to probe racist screed broadcast during virtual Worcester court hearing for Black Lives Matter protesters - Worcester Telegram