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Among the rights listed in the First Amendment are freedom of the press, freedom of speech and the freedom to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.

In a letter in the Jan. 16 edition of this newspaper, Dan Braswell admonished the paper for allowing a reader to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech. Braswell later endorsed Delegate John McGuire (R-56) for U.S. Congress.

In April, McGuire posted on his Facebook page that we the people must be heard, at the same time censoring comments from constituents disagreeing with his position. If you pay close attention, you can detect a high-pitched incessant whine about mistreatment from some voters.

What we have is an advocate for infringement of First Amendment rights, endorsing someone who practices infringement of these rights, for an elected position where those rights are especially crucial. Why treat constituents that way unless you have no intention of speaking on behalf of everyone? If his views and masculinity are so fragile that they cant stand up to honest criticism and questioning, whats the worth of those views and McGuire? There is no honest discourse when someone scurries away for fear of being offended.

Who does McGuire think of as we the people, while actively muzzling our voices? In that post he states, these folks here all reminded us this is the government of the people, by the people, for the people and our voices will be heard. But he still censors. For all the talk of honoring our Constitutional rights, he seems to have lost track of the First Amendment.

An interesting omission is an explanation for his comment, Blue Virginia posted a quote from me to try and bully me into silence. I wonder what that quote from him was and how something that McGuire himself said could be used to bully him. (Maybe there was some unappreciated sarcasm but it sounds like more whining while blocking comments.)

Both McGuire and Braswell tout the bona fides of Navy SEALs as qualification to represent the electorate, relying on some mystical, non-existent tough guy image. Its difficult to distinguish where McGuire stops complaining and tries to talk policy. If this SEAL is that sensitive and insecure, he doesnt even qualify to continue to act as delegate. There are enough people in Washington destroying the foundations of the Constitution; we should be removing them instead of sending reinforcement.

The experiences of McGuire and Braswell indicate that they prefer to deal with a submissive electorate. We should be asking: Why is it important for McGuire to prohibit expressing differences of opinion as provided in the First Amendment? Should we the people acquiesce to someone who not only doesnt bother to listen, but actively shuts down our voices?

We need to elect officials who will listen to all points of view without offense. We cant afford to be silent about McGuire trying to silence us.

Read more from the original source:
Delegate abuses First Amendment Rights | Letters To The Editor - The Central Virginian

From MPD:

On Saturday, June 6, 2020, multiple First Amendment demonstrations are scheduled to occur in the District of Columbia. In conjunction with this event, there will be street closures and restrictions that motorists should take into consideration:

The following streets will be posted as Emergency No Parking for the demonstrations from 5:00 am to 11:59 pm:

Constitution Avenue from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to 17th Street, NWPennsylvania Avenue from 3rd Street, NW to 15th Street, NWIndependence Avenue from 3rd Street, NW to 14th Street, SWConnecticut Avenue from I Street, NW to H Street, NWVermont Avenue from I Street, NW to H Street, NWI Street from 14th Street, NW to 17th Street, NWH Street from 14th Street, NW to 17th Street, NWK Street from 14th Street, NW to 17th Street, NWNew York Avenue from 14th Street, NW to 15th Street, NW17th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to K Street, NW16th Street From H Street, NW to K Street, NW15th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to K Street, NW14th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to K Street, NW12th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW10th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW9th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW7th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW6th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW4th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW3rd Street from Independence Avenue, SW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

The following streets will be restricted to vehicular traffic from approximately 6:00 am to 11:59 pm. If safe to do so, vehicles will be allowed to enter the restricted area if they are on essential business or traveling to-and-from their residence.

Constitution Avenue from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to 19th Street, NWPennsylvania Avenue from 3rd Street, NW to 15th Street, NWPennsylvania Avenue from 17th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWIndiana Avenue from 6th Street, NW to 7th Street, NWJefferson Drive, SW from 3rd Street to 14th Street, SWMadison Drive, NW from 3rd Street to 14th Street, NWC Street from 17th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWC Street from 3rd Street, NW to 6th Street, NWD Street from 3rd Street, NW to 8th Street, NWD Street from 17th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWE Street from 7th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWF Street from 7th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWG Street from 7th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWH Street from 7th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWI Street from New York Avenue, NW to 19th Street, NWK Street from 9th Street, NW to 19th Street, NWConnecticut Avenue from H Street, NW to L Street, NWVermont Avenue from H Street, NW to L Street, NWNew York Avenue from 9th Street, NW to 15th Street, NWNew York Avenue from 17th Street, NW to 18th Street, NW18th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to L Street, NW17th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to L Street, NW16th Street From H Street, NW to L Street, NW15th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to L Street, NW14th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to L Street, NW12th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to L Street, NW12th Street Tunnel11th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to L Street, NW10th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to L Street, NW9th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Massachusetts Avenue, NW9th Street Tunnel7th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to E Street, NW6th Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to E Street, NW4th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Read the original post:
Here are the Street Closures for Tomorrow's First Amendment Demonstrations - PoPville

No recording allowed! Stop recording now!

It took a moment to register that the bullhorn admonishment was directed at me. Id just parked my car and walked up to the edge of Oz Park near Lincoln Park High School in Chicago, where a couple hundred young people were gathered on a hill for the start of a march downtown to protest the killing of George Floyd.

As I often do, especially when Im working as a journalist as I was Monday, I was snapping some shots of the scene. I lowered my phone and glanced around to be sure we were all on public property. We were. I lifted up my media badge and said, No, I can take photos here.

But the rebukes continued. You cant record without my consent! yelled a young woman to my side. And People here could literally get arrested if their faces are shown! came another from up on the hill.

I didnt lift my phone camera again until two young women ran up to within a few feet of me, to wave their signs in my face and block my view of the gathering. At that point, I sighed, lifted my phone and snapped a couple of shots of them. Then the groups leaders called for everyone to start marching and they all headed off.

It was a peculiar encounter that left me wondering about how the latest coming-of-age generation understands the First Amendment and whether they could see the double standard they were practicing.

The group I encountered were mostly teens, organized by the group FourtuneHouse to march in two groups one from the North Side, one from the South Side toward downtown. They were peaceful and passionate with their message, and it was inspiring to see so many young people taking action and lifting their voices during such a volatile time.

This is also a generation raised on social media and constant video surveillance a generation that knows intuitively the awesome power that shared images and video carry. So I get their resistance to having their every move documented and pushed out to the world.

Thats the messy part about freedom of speech, though. When were out in the public arena exercising our right to free expression, we dont get to tell others they cant exercise that same right.

Legally, I was allowed to stand on that public sidewalk taking as many photos or videos as I wanted of the group gathered in a public park. The groups members certainly could ask me to stop and implore me to understand the reasons for their request, but I didnt have to comply.

What concerned me more, though, was that these outspoken, determined teens seemed to miss the irony of their demand.

They were gathered to protest because a black man in Minneapolis had died under the crushing pressure of the knee of a white police officer a horrific killing that has sparked outrage around the world.

But how did the world know what happened to George Floyd? We know because a 17-year-old concerned citizen standing nearby hit record on her cellphone camera and captured the torturous eight minutes leading up to Floyds unnecessary death.

Do we want our police to be allowed to say, No recording allowed!? Would we have wanted the father and son who chased down and killed Ahmaud Arbery to have been able to command, No recording allowed!? Would we prefer that the dashcam video of Laquan McDonald being shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer remain hidden?

No, of course not.

Without video, would we know what really happened to Walter Scott, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Terence Crutcher and so many more?

The power of video to document racism, police brutality and other atrocities has brought remarkable change over the past decade in our societys understanding of what too many people of color endure. It has led to convictions in cases that, before the video era, wouldve been washed away.

The young people out protesting peacefully this week are showing tremendous courage. By practicing their constitutional right to assemble and protest, they are risking physical harm, arrest and, in some cases, repercussions from parents, teachers and employers.

But they must also learn the law if they plan to publicly demonstrate. And they must recognize that with protest comes responsibility and consequences. If they believe strongly enough in their message, it will be worth it.

If they push back against the cameras, though, they risk undermining not only their own cause but the First Amendment rights that allow us to see all the images that are bringing about change.

It takes great courage to be named, to be in the spotlight, to step in front of that camera in the fight for justice.

Without those cameras, though, how would we know?

Lara Weber is a member of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.

The rest is here:
Lara Weber: Protesters who try to ban cameras miss the point of the First Amendment - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

June 5, 2020

Philadelphia Mayor James F. Kenney

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw

Philadelphia City Council

Dear Mayor Kenney, Commissioner Outlaw and the Philadelphia City Council:

Over the course of several days, we have witnessed and documented multiple instances of police violence. This has included unlawful arrests of journalists and protesters who are documenting the civic demonstrations within Philadelphia.

We, the collective media of Philadelphia, representing digital, broadcast and print journalists, join with national press-freedom, civil-rights and social-justice groups to ask you to acknowledge these unprovoked acts of violence and denounce the tactics police have used that suppress and infringe upon our constitutional rights and protections under the First Amendment.

Since these protests began:

After her arrest, Kristen Graham, a veteran Inquirer journalist who won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, said, I am a born and bred Philadelphian, an Inquirer journalist for the past two decades. Ive never experienced anything quite like what I saw Monday. Im still not sure how to explain it to my children.

These instances of violence speak to a troubling national trend of police violence toward the press, from the unlawful arrest of CNN reporter Omar Jimenez in Minneapolis to the police attack on Australian journalists in Washington, D.C.

There is stress in our communities stemming from decades of systemic oppression and silence from elected leaders. The challenges that arise for law enforcement when Philadelphia residents assert their right to assemble in no way justifies police violence toward the press and others who enact their protected rights to document and record these protests.

Our laws give us protection to report and document what is happening in our city and across the country. Our laws give us the right to talk to the public, hold police accountable for their actions and ask questions that shed light and give context that inform the public.

As elected leaders, you are sworn to uphold our rights. We, the undersigned, call on you to do the following:

Signed,

Free Press Movement

Alliance Project

Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists

ACLU of Pennsylvania

Asian American Journalists Association Philadelphia

Bonfire Media

Collective Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism

Common Cause

Common Cause Pennsylvania

Doc Society / Good Pitch Local Philly

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)

Freedom of the Press Foundation

G-Town Radio

Generocity

Germantown Info Hub

Globalvision

Government Accountability Project

Green Philly

Independence Public Media Foundation

Kensington Voice

KYW News Radio

Media Alliance

Media in the Public Interest Media, Inequality & Change Center

National Association of Hispanic Journalists Philadelphia

National Coalition Against Censorship

National Press Photographers Association

The NewsGuild

The NewsGuild of New York

Online News Association

Open Media Foundation

PEN America

Philadelphia Citizen

Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Local | SAG-AFTRA Philadelphia Neighborhoods

Philadelphia Weekly

PhillyCAM

Philly Your Black News

Public News Service/Keystone State News Connection

Reporters Without Borders USA

Society of Professional Journalists

Student Press Law Center Technically Media

The Temple News Temple University Television Station

Temple Update

Thomas Jefferson University Communication Program

Tully Center for Free Speech

WHIP Radio

WHYY Writers Guild of America, East

Sources: WHYY Reporter Arrested While Covering Philadelphia Protest https://whyy.org/articles/whyy-reporter-arrested-while-covering-philadelphia-protest/

Tear Gas, Then Handcuffs: I am an Inquirer Journalist Who Was Arrested for Doing My Job https://www.inquirer.com/news/george-floyd-protests-philadelphia-jouranlist-arrested-kristen-graham20200602.html

Journalists Covering George Floyd Protests Face Attacks from Police https://6abc.com/journalists-covering-george-floyd-protests-face-attacks-from-police/6226798/

Original post:
Letter to Philadelphia Leaders and Police on 1st Amendment Rights - Government Accountability Project

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock says first amendment rights need to be protected as Pres. Donald Trump is calling for governors to respond with force to violent protests popping up around the nation in response to the death of George Floyd.

We need to recognize that people across the country and indeed many Montanans are in pain," Bullock told reporters on a press call June 1 after sitting in on a call with the president but before Trump made public remarks later in the day. "And we need to protect avenues for people to express those first amendment rights. Doing so can be done lawfully and peacefully.

Rallies in Floyds honor and against systemic racism have popped up in several Montana cities in recent days. Those havent turned violent. But nationwide, protests have sparked violent clashes between protesters and police.

On Monday Trump called for governors to deploy the National Guard, adding if they didnt take actions to halt violent protests, hed mobilize the military.

Billings rally organizer Amber Palmer expects a peaceful, socially distant event this weekend. She says it wont require the National Guard.

I dont see the need when the protest is peaceful to deploy such serious, I guess, manpower against it," Palmer said.

She believes Trumps comments are a reaction to the riots in larger cities and comes from a place of fear. The Billings protest begins Sunday at 1 P.M.

Judith Heilman is the founder and executive director of the Montana Racial Equity Project, a Bozeman-based non-profit that helped organize Bozeman Rally for Black Lives on Sunday that drew over 1,000 people.

In response to Trumps remarks about law enforcement dominating the streets, Heilman said, I can speak to Montana about that and say, thats not necessary.

Follow this link:
Bullock: First Amendment Rights Need To Be Protected - MTPR