Monday, March 15, 2021
#FREESPEECH in the News March 15, 2021
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.) Florida lawmakers target protests; opponents say free speech is on the line
A bill aimed at combating violent protests is sparking heated debate in Tallahassee and around Florida. Opponents, including Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren, are speaking out and say it limits free speech.
Governor DeSantis has been pushing this bill as part of his message of "law and order," making it clear violent protests won't be tolerated, but it's not sitting well with some free speech groups, including the Florida ACLU. Heated moments played out Wednesday in Tallahassee as impassioned people on both sides spoke up. The exchanges took place during the Senate Judiciary Committee's first debate for HB 1, which is also known as the 'Anti-Mob' OR 'Anti-Riot' bill. If passed, it would increase penalties for crimes committed during a riot.
"The most offensive part of this bill is that it defines a riot to include people who are peacefully protesting. That is nonsensical and very un-American," Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren said.
Warren is talking about a portion of the bill that essentially would mean if a peaceful protest turns violent anyone participating could be arrested for a felony.
2.) Iowa Senate passes free speech bill banning certain diversity training at universities, K-12 schools
After heated debate that stretched beyond the bill at hand to issues of tenure, incidents of censorship, political polarization on college campuses, and former President Donald Trump’s policies and practices — a free speech bill banning certain types of diversity training across Iowa’s public universities and K-12 schools passed the full Senate on Monday.
The bill bakes into Iowa Code free-speech proposals by and for the state Board of Regents, while also enshrining into law language from a White House executive order in the fall banning publicly funded institutions from using diversity training involving race or sex “stereotyping” or “scapegoating.” Some Democratic lawmakers during debate Monday said the Senate bill is unclear — including what is meant by a line banning training that implies, “the state of Iowa is fundamentally racist or sexist.”
Republican lawmakers argued the measure is necessary given recent events on Iowa’s public universities — including the UI College of Dentistry’s handling of a conservative student who opposed its condemnation of the White House diversity training ban and an Iowa State University professor’s syllabus banning conservative-leaning viewpoints.
3.) Judge Won’t Block Feds’ Punishment of Journalist in Free Speech Retaliation Suit
A federal judge on Thursday declined to stop prison officials from postponing a newspaper editor’s release from a halfway house, finding he must first seek relief through an administrative appeals process.
Keith “Malik” Washington, editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper, sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons and its contractor GEO Group on Feb. 1. He claims they selectively charged him with rule violations after he shared information about a Covid-19 outbreak at the facility. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar denied Washington’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the Bureau and GEO Group from punishing him for rule violations.
On Jan. 10, GEO Group confiscated Washington’s cellphone and charged him with “phone abuse” and “unauthorized contact with the public” after Washington shared information with another journalist about a Covid-19 outbreak at the halfway house. The information came from a “non-confidential” memo that GEO Group distributed to Taylor Street residents on Jan. 8. Washington’s employer, the SF Bay View newspaper, also put out a press release on Jan. 9 stating that GEO Group “withheld information” about the outbreak.
