Nico Perrino - Chris Morbitzer wasn’t asking for much.
All he wanted to do was receive permission from his school to gather signatures across campus for a time-sensitive, statewide right-to-work ballot initiative in which he and his student group, Young Americans for Liberty, were participating.
Because the University of Cincinnati is a public university bound by the First Amendment, he shouldn’t have needed to ask permission. As the Supreme Court held in Watchtower Bible and Tract Soc’y of NY, Inc. v. Vill. of Stratton (2002), “It is offensive—not only to the values protected by the First Amendment, but to the very notion of a free society—that in the context of everyday public discourse a citizen must first inform the government of her desire to speak to her neighbors and then obtain a permit to do so.”
But Morbitzer registered his request with college authorities anyway. When word came through that his request was denied, Morbitzer was shocked. He was further told that if he and his group were seen gathering signatures outside of the school’s tiny and restrictive “free speech zone,” campus security would be called and they could be arrested.
“I think it is absurd that they were threatening to put me in jail for exercising what is a constitutional right,” said Morbitzer in a new video documenting his experiences. Read More
No comments:
Post a Comment