Crowds get to celebrate Joe Biden’s victory — but no one else can gather in public?
First Amendment
NPR
We Can’t Lose the Right to Protest in the Age of Coronavirus
From Emma Goldman’s fiery speeches at Union Square during the Gilded Age through Occupy Wall Street in the Bloomberg era, the New York City left’s fight for social justice has often encompassed a simultaneous battle on behalf of the First Amendment right to protest.
Yet amid the current pandemic, the city’s progressive mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, has deemed public protests “non-essential” gatherings, and NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea (a registered Republican) is enforcing the ban.
Last week cops dispersed a gathering of LGBTQ activists speaking out against the alliance between Mt. Sinai Hospital and Samaritan’s Purse, an anti-gay, Islamophobic evangelical organization. The event’s participants adhered to the city’s social-distancing guidelines.
A few days prior, large crowds had gathered across the city to watch a decidedly non-essential flyover by the Blue Angels, and although many onlookers did not practice social distancing, there was no NYPD enforcement.
The Right to Protest is Precious, Even During a Pandemic – Defending Rights & Dissent
On April 14, 2020, the police department in Raleigh, North Carolina, tweeted, “Protesting is a non-essential activity,” as an explanation for breaking up a protest. As organizations dedicated to protecting civil liberties and the First Amendment, the undersigned groups are deeply disturbed by this statement and other remarks and actions by public officials suggesting that peaceful protest can be outlawed during a national crisis. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic cannot be used to justify the suspension of First Amendment rights. People must be free to express disagreement with government decisions, even when it involves criticism of essential public health measures.
Upholding First Amendment rights need not be at odds with the government’s authority and obligation to protect public health and safety. The emergency decrees that call for social distancing, wearing of face covers or masks, and limits on the size of public assemblies can regulate the manner in which protests occur. However, regulations should be narrowly tailored to what is necessary to protect public health and cannot be so broad that they ban protest completely or so poorly drafted that they restrict peaceful demonstrations.
After Standing Rock, protesting pipelines can get you a decade in prison and $100K in fines | Grist
The Taking Down the Great Replacement
Back when I was in college, one of the reading assignments for a Political Philosophy class I took was to read Timothy McVeigh’s Essay on Hypocrisy. While many of his things were non-sensible or disagreeable, it’s interesting to learn about the ideas behind important people whose actions — rightly or wrongly have a significant consequence on our lives both for better or worse.
I was disappointed to find out that many websites have taken down Brenton Tarrant’s The Great Replacement manifesto, because some find it racist and offensive. It is, but it’s also important for people to understand the ideas behind people who have an impact on our community and lives, for good or for bad. Like it or not — terrorists are some of the most important people in our world today — they force governments and private entities to invest millions in security and deterrence and force private citizens to be inconvenienced by such security measures.
Information can help people make better ideas and choices. It’s worthwhile to consider even racist and arguably bad ideas, because they can help us make better ideas. Understanding where terrorists come from doesn’t recruit or validate their action, but it can make for a more thoughtful and inclusive society, that can work to bring people on the outside back in.