Freedom of Speech and Assembly

Criminalizing Free Speech

On the Fourth of July -- Independence Day -- The Journal ran a freedom-oriented story with a headline that began: "Teen Jailed for Facebook Posting"." In Texas last winter, a working 18-year-old was jailed, and is still being held on $500,000 bail, because a Canadian woman reported a single, frivolous Facebook post that he had marked "LOL" (laughing out loud) and "jk" (just kidding). Ignoring those cues, local police went ahead and charged him with "terroristic threatening" -- really? That is darkly humorous even in post-terrified America. The Journal didn't frame the story as a First Amendment travesty, however, even though by any rational measure, a Facebook posting is speech and the Journal, like most of the rest of us, has a thing about free speech sometimes.

Judge Dismisses Cases After Convictions for Vietnam War Memorial Protest

July 13, 2013 ByDana Sauchelli, www.nypost.com Organize! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Wars and Militarism

"They were doing exactly what this memorial was designed for," defense lawyer Martin Stolar had said in closing arguments in the bench trial yesterday. Prosecutors had countered that reading all 8,000 names would have taken several hours, and that policing the group for that long would have diverted resources from other police work. "I'm very, very happy," said World War II vet Jay Wenk, 86. "The only thing that tarnishes it is that before it was dismissed, we were found guilty — but I'll take it," said Wenk, who holds a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. "We thought we had a right to read the names of the dead at a Vietnam Memorial," added 'Nam vet Sam Adams, 63. It would have been better had the police let the sombre remembrance continue, or if prosecutors had dismissed the charges, Adams said.

Minisink Residents Protest Sen. Gillebrand Over Fracking

July 12, 2013 Staff, www.facebook.com Organize! Energy, Environment, Freedom of Speech and Assembly

For two years, residents of Minisink, a small town in Orange County, home to many organic farms, young families and a large contingent of 9/11 First Responders with health issues, have waged an unusually spirited resistance to a 12, 260 horsepower compressor station sited in a bucolic area in which over 200 families live within ½ mile. Construction was permitted before a final legal determination, and now the facility is on-line. Speakers at the rally are to include Angela Monti Fox, 9/11 First Responder and advocate John Feal, of the Fealgood Foundation, and several Minisink residents who will speak to their personal experience.

Popular Resistance Newsletter – MIA: Rule of Law

July 12, 2013 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.popularresistance Newsletter Chelsea Manning, Criminal Justice and Prisons, Edward Snowden, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Government, NSA, Surveillance

At the entrance to the New York City Courthouse, the words “Where Law Ends There Tyranny Begins” are inscribed in the marble wall. Our constitutional rights, particularly the first and fourth amendment rights, are disappearing. And the US government and national security state behave as if they are above the law. MIA Rule of Law risks the further division in the United States as the people see no path to justice. Private corporations contracted by the US government and others are tracking activists by monitoring social media and using geo-location tools.

Freedom of Assembly on Trial in NYC

July 12, 2013 Ellen Davidson, www.stopthesewars.org/ Resist! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Wars and Militarism

The fourth day in the trial of 12 veterans and their allies arrested at New York’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza last Oct. 7 began with an unusual expert witness. The trial hinges on claims by the defendants that their actions—staying in a city park past closing time—constituted protected First Amendment activities, and that the government must show a “significant interest” to override those protections. At the time of their arrests, the veterans and their allies were reading the names of dead U.S. soldiers from Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan and laying flowers in vases to commemorate the 11th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.

Veteran on Hunger Strike to Inspire More to Take Action

July 12, 2013 Tarak Kauff, www.popularresistance.org Resist! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Human Rights, Wars and Militarism

The hunger strike and my purpose in doing it will continue, at least until (for me) I see general activism around Guantanamo growing considerably, especially among Veterans For Peace. My purpose is not with the expectation to pressure Obama into stopping the force feeding or to close Guantanamo. Although he has the power to do both of those things, it will only happen when he is absolutely politically forced to do it by more activism than just a few people's hunger strike. It will take the so-called "choir," and that's all of us, to be more intensely willing to risk comfort and security, to involve ourselves en masse in a stand-up, nonviolent direct action, to make the sacrifices necessary to bring about a change. I am hoping, as Brian Willson, Elliott Adams and Diane Wilson have inspired me, my addition to the roll call of hunger strikers will be an inspiration to motivate and energize others.

Veterans Who Fought for Liberty Forced to Fight Again

July 11, 2013 ByRichard Riis, www.dailykos.com Resist! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Wars and Militarism

Trial began this week in Manhattan for 14 U.S. military veterans and their supporters arrested last fall at New York City’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Charges include trespassing, failure to comply with a park sign and remaining at the memorial past closing time. The group had stayed beyond a 10:00 p.m. park curfew to continue the reading of the names of American soldiers killed in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trial Begins for Veterans Arrested at NYC’s Vietnam Memorial

July 10, 2013 Ellen Davidson, www.stopthesewars.org Resist! Freedom of Speech and Assembly

Their trial will hinge on whether their constitutional and international human rights to speech and assembly may be superceded by municipal park regulations. “This is a group of people who forced a confrontation with the police and forced the police to arrest them,” said Assistant District Attorney Lee Langston in his opening statement. Defense attorney Martin R. Stolar of the National Lawyers Guild, on the other hand, characterized the police behavior as “morally outrageous.” He continued, “Legally, we believe [the defendants' actions] will be protected by the First Amendment.” Defense lawyer Jonathan Wallace, also from the NLG, called the event at the veterans memorial “the core of what the First Amendment was designed to protect.”

More Than 10,000 Participate in Restore the Fourth

July 5, 2013 Staff, www.reuters.com Organize! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, NSA

By early afternoon, crowds of more than 400 had gathered in New York City and Washington, DC, the organisers said. They estimate the total turnout will be more than 10,000 nationwide. The NSA, on its own website, said: "NSA does not object to any lawful, peaceful protest. NSA and its employees work diligently and lawfully every day, around the clock, to protect the nation and its people." Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has been charged with espionage after disclosing the agency's surveillance programs. He has spent more than a week in a Moscow airport seeking a country that would grant him asylum.

Popular Resistance Newsletter – Organized Resistance Brings Sweeping Change, Lessons for US

July 4, 2013 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.popularresistance.org Newsletter Brazil, Chelsea Manning, Egypt, Fearless Summer, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, NSA, Türkiye

The big story of the week was Egypt. Protests organized by Tamarod (Rebel) that have been building for months, resulted in the biggest protest in Egypt’s history, four days of mass protest beginning on June 30 that ended the rule of President Mohamed Morsi. More than a week ago, Tamarod recommended that the head of the Egyptian Constitutional Court become the interim president and that is what the Egyptian military announced. The military made the announcement after lengthy meetings with religious groups, including minority religions; opposing political parties, including a Muslim party; and civil society including Tamarod.

‘Restore The 4th’ Galvanizes Over 100 Nation-Wide Protests

July 4, 2013 John Koetsier, /venturebeat.com Organize! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, NSA, Surveillance

It’s the largest online protest since SOPA. And perhaps an even larger offline protest, as protestors galvanized by the Restore the Fourth movement are using Independence Day to demand their government stop spying on them. The NSA’s PRISM online surveillance program was revealed NSA contractor Edward Snowden just weeks ago, which said that U.S. companies such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Apple were sharing private data with the NSA about Americans and foreigners.

The State of Dissent in America: Flex Your Rights

July 3, 2013 Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.truth-out.org Organize! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Democracy, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Police abuse, Privacy, Surveillance

As we have seen, the security state will go to great lengths to suppress real dissent. It will use infiltration, intimidation, spying, the courts and even violence to stop those who stand up for our rights and for truth. Through the mass media, the security state will use distraction and personal attacks to keep the focus off of the real issues. At a time like this, solidarity is important. There is strength in unity. It will take a mass movement in the US to stop policies that harm people and the planet, further entrench corporate power and invade every aspect of our lives. We see this currently in countries like Turkey, Brazil and Egypt. In Brazil, the protests are actually working to force concessions by the government, partly because they have a more functional democracy.

Veterans on Trial for Peaceable Assembly at Vietnam Veterans Memorial

July 3, 2013 Tarak Kauff and Ellen Davidson, www.popularresistance.org Strategize! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Wars and Militarism

On July 8, 2013, 17 U.S. military veterans and their allies will stand trial after being arrested as they read the names of the fallen and laid flowers in their memory at New York City’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The NYPD leadership had an opportunity to safeguard the First Amendment protections of those gathered to mark 11 years of war and destruction in Afghanistan. Instead, the police chose to arrest 25 vets and supporters, charging them with violating a rarely enforced 10 pm curfew at the memorial. Their trial will hinge on whether their constitutional and international human rights to speech and assembly may be superceded by municipal park regulations.

Restore the Fourth Nationwide Demonstrations

July 1, 2013 Staff, www.restorethefourth.net Organize! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, NSA, Privacy, Surveillance

Restore the Fourth, a grassroots, non-partisan, non-violent movement that is organizing people to assemble nationwide protests on July 4th, 2013. Protesters in over 100 cities across America will gather to demand that the government of the United States of America adhere to its constitutionally dictated limits and respect the Fourth Amendment. Join the July 4th demonstrations to demand an end to the unconstitutional surveillance methods employed by the U.S. government and to ensure that all future government surveillance is constitutional, limited, and clearly defined.

San Diego Jury Acquits on All Counts Occupy Chalk Protestor Targeted by Bank of America

July 1, 2013 Tony Perry, www.latimes.com Organize! Finance and the Economy, Freedom of Speech and Assembly

A jury Monday acquitted a 40-year-old man of all charges connected with writing protest messages in chalk on the sidewalk outside branches of the Bank of America. Deliberating for only a few hours, the jury apparently agreed with Filner -- declaring Jeff Olson not guilty on all 13 misdemeanor counts. Olson never denied writing the slogans. One slogan said, "No thanks, big banks." Another, "Shame on Bank of America." And in yet another, the bank was portrayed as an octopus grabbing at cash with its tentacles. "It's chalk," Filner told reporters last week in an exasperated tone. "It's water-soluble chalk. They were political slogans."

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