The freedom to assemble and express your views through protest is a right protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. However, the line between proper assembly and improper harassment is easily muddled, especially when the protest concerns individual people, not institutions.
By Brianne Megahan, Staff Writer Vol. 20 Contempt of Cop Charges Theoretically, those in the U.S. are protected in expressing opposition to law enforcement officers. In reality, those who express this kind of disrespect to law enforcement officers are often arrested on “contempt of cop” charges. When an officer does not like what a subject … Continue reading Our Asshole System: Contempt of Cop Charges and the First Amendment
By Sydney Welch, Staff Member Vol. 20 This post is dedicated to Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the thousands of other Black Americans who have been unjustly murdered by police. During the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, presidential election campaigns were in high gear, and public attention turned to racial … Continue reading Banning Reality: Attempts to Restrict Books with Anti-Racist and Anti-Cop Views in the Wake of 2020 Protests
By: Elizabeth Ernest, Staff Member, Vol. 19 Since last May, protests have taken place across the country in response to police brutality against Black Americans. In response, many cities implemented city-wide curfews. In Raleigh, North Carolina, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin implemented a preventive curfew in anticipation of the response to the shooting of Jacob Blake. Although … Continue reading First Amendment Implications of Curfews During Black Lives Matter Protests
By Dreshawn McFadden, Staff Member Vol. 19 Free Speech and the Chilling Effects of Police Tactics During my first year of law school, I was reintroduced to the renowned First Amendment to the US Constitution, which states, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right … Continue reading Militarized Policing Tactics Tread Upon First Amendment Rights
~Photo by Niv Singer, (public domain - https://unsplash.com/photos/LkD_IH8_K8k) By: Wilson Greene Director Spike Lee’s newest film, BlacKkKlansman, dramatizes the true story of how Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department, led a police infiltration of a local branch of the Ku Klux Klan. The operation was simple: Stallworth contacted … Continue reading “I Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching Me”: Police Infiltration of Protests
By Robert Daniel A. Tumbling Down Bronze meets the dirt. On August 20, 2018, protesters forced “Silent Sam” down to the ground. In 1913, the Daughters of the Confederacy erected the statue in memory of UNC students who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Silent Sam has been a point of controversy … Continue reading “Silent Sam” and Freedom of Speech. An intersection of the “marketplace of ideas,” viewpoint discrimination, and government speech
School is back in session, but not without controversy. As the 2017-2018 school year ended and summer began the protests surrounding the controversial Confederate monument, Silent Sam died down. Last night on the eve of the 2018-2019 school year Silent Sam came crashing down. Chancellor Carol L. Folt released a statement that "Last night's actions were unlawful … Continue reading Breaking Overnight News! Silent Sam Topples in the Wake of UNC Protesters
First Amendment Law Review 