Monday, July 30, 2018
#FREESPEECH IN THE NEWS: JULY 30, 2018
As the Citadel of Free Speech here in Cleveland, we work to protect and promote the basis of our democracy by sharing related stories, commentary, and opinions on free speech in the 21st century. Here's what's making the news – and what you should know about – in the past week.
1.) Newark judge says protesters were exercising free speech rights
Protestors violated no laws and, in fact, had their own rights violated after they were arrested for protesting in New Jersey.
A Newark Municipal Court judge dismissed disorderly conduct charges against five people arrested for protesting the county. The county is allowing ICE to house immigrant detainees in their jail facilities.
The county has a contract with ICE through 2021.
2.) Revised local law protects panhandlers’ free speech
City leaders have revised a law in Manatee County, Florida, to preserves the free speech rights on panhandlers.
The new law was put into place after a better reflect and stay consistent with state and federal court rulings in the matter. The change comes after a man was jailed and fined $200 in a neighboring community for panhandling, which his public defender challenged in court.
This new law does, however, mention that law enforcement still reserves the right to stop panhandlers from asking for money in roadways and medians. Panhandlers also cannot block “the passage or free movement of another person.”
3.) Is Holocaust Denial Free Speech? Facebook Needs to Be More Transparent
In light of Facebook’s new guidelines for monitoring content on the platform, several advocacy groups, academics and researchers have created the Santa Clara Principles.
The Santa Clara Principles are a set of recommendations to ensure the protection of free speech online. According to its creators, “these principles are meant to serve as a starting point, outlining minimum levels of transparency and accountability that we hope can serves as the basis for a more in-depth dialogue in the future.”
Part of the groups’ efforts is in ensuring the actions of these platforms are properly recorded and available for viewing. For example, the number of flagged posts or the number of accounts suspended.
