College Sued After Detaining Student for Handing Out Anti-Capitalism Flyers
“flyers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation”
FIRE got involved here proving again that they are for free speech for everyone, regardless of ideology.
The Daily Caller reports:
Student Sues After Being Detained For ‘Shut Down Capitalism’ Flyers
A free speech nonprofit sued an Illinois college Thursday after being detained for handing out flyers reading “shut down capitalism.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) sued Joliet Junior College after campus police detained student Ivette Salazar when she tried passing out the flyers, according to a press release obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Salazar tried passing out flyers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation after seeing conservative students passing out anti-socialism paraphernalia. But Joliet Junior College (JCC) police detained her for around 40 minutes, interrogated her, and told her the “political climate of the country” meant she could not distribute her materials.
“I should be able to express my political beliefs on campus without being detained,” Salazar said in the press release. “JCC didn’t just threaten my freedom of speech, but the freedom of speech of every student on that campus. If we can’t have political discussions on a college campus, then where can we have them?”
Salazar and FIRE dispute the constitutionality of the “Free Speech Area” policy at JJC, which limits expressive activity to a small, indoor place on campus, makes students request the place five business days before using it, and requires a setup involving a maximum of two students who stay behind a table.
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Comments
“I should be able to express my political beliefs on campus without being detained”
Agreed. Freedom of speech applies even to proponents of an idiotic and immensely destructive ideology. Sue them into oblivion!
My problem with flyers in general is that they aren’t speech—they’re litter.
And a college would be perfectly entitled to ban all flyers, so long as that meant all flyers, not just political ones. No flyers for parties, classes, sales, or anything else.
ain’t gonna happen.
Then it can’t ban political flyers.
First-amendment-protected activities are entitled to the highest level of privilege extended to any other activity. For instance a city may forbid all people from selling things on the street without a permit, so long as it applies this rule equally to everyone, with no exceptions. But if it allows an exception to this rule, e.g. as NYC does for veterans, then it must allow the same exception for people selling printed matter, art, or religious items.