The town green in this rural farm community has served as a gathering place for the free exchange of ideas for centuries.
SUFFIELD, Conn. A rural Connecticut town decided to table a proposed controversial policy after receiving pushback from residents and First Amendment advocates. Still, residents from the town of Suffieldsaid the fact that it was proposed in the first place speaks to a bigger issue.
The Board of Selectmen hit the pause button Thursday on a controversial proposal that some say would have put limits on free speech on the town green.
Suffield was settled in 1670. The town green in this rural farm community has served as a gathering place for the free exchange of ideas for centuries.
These types of places represent the best of American Democracy, said Aaron Terr of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
So last month, when the Board of Selectman issued a draft policy restricting its use, it raised eyebrows and ruffled feathers.
The Suffield Board of Selectman is trying to stifle expression from groups or individuals who would promote diversity and inclusivity. And anyone whos been paying attention to what's been going on in town can see that, stated Suffield resident Annie Hornish.
The policy stated that for any use of the town green, a person would first need to check with the first selectman and obtain $1 million in liability insurance coverage. Then the person would have to apply for a permit, which could be denied for a number of reasons. And depending on what event was planned, it may even be required to pay for a private police detail.
Thats absurd. Its overly broad and it invites an abuse of power, said Hornish.
The controversy caught the attention of FIRE - the nonpartisan nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. It sent a letter to the first selectman expressing concern that the draft policy trampled on peoples constitutional rights.
They are the type of spaces that Americans have historically used to protest, debate, discuss issues and engage in artistic expression and so the government really has very little authority to limit expressive activity within these places, explained Terr.
First Selectman Colin Moll agreed to sit down with FOX61.
I would argue that its only controversial because some people made it controversial, said Moll.
When asked if he is a supporter of free speech Moll replied, Absolutely. 100%.
Moll told FOX61 the policy was simply a draft for which they welcomed public input and were open to amending the language.
The goal was just simply to ensure we had a liability policy and I think we lacked one, he said.
Moll said the concept was taken from the neighboring town of Enfield.
We have off-duty contracts with the police all the time when police are working on the sides of the road so why should we pay for the police when they need to control traffic for a large event, he added.
And though the town has decided not to move forward with the idea for now, Moll disagrees with those who say it would have trampled on the First Amendment.
It limits none of that and I would ask them what examples specifically it limits, said Moll.
This isnt the first time Suffield has been the subject of a censorship controversy. Last year the library director resigned saying that she was under pressure from town leaders to remove and put warning labels on certain books discussing the LGBTQ+ community.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him onFacebook,XandInstagram.
Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us atnewstips@fox61.com
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes:Click here to download
Google Play:Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU:Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search FOX61 and click Get to download.
FOLLOW US ONX,FACEBOOK&INSTAGRAM
Original post:
Suffield scraps plan to restrict the use of the town green following pushback from free speech advocates - FOX61 Hartford
- Bill Ackman says he's 'learned a lot' from Elon Musk's X - Quartz - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Opinion | Columbia, Free Speech and the Coddling of the American Right - The New York Times - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok raises free speech concerns on bill passed by US House that may ban app - Voice of America - VOA News - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- The Right Must Avoid the Left's Free Speech Pitfalls Minding The Campus - Minding The Campus - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Fear and loathing on America's college campuses as free speech is disappearing | Will Bunch - The Philadelphia Inquirer - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Harrison Ford Called 'Free Palestine' Supporters 'Force of Nature' in Speech? - Snopes.com - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Elon Musk to fund new First Amendment campaign to combat 'relentless attacks on free speech' - Fox News - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok raises free speech concerns on bill passed by US House that may ban app - New York Post - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Navigating The Murky Waters Of Antisemitism, Free Speech, And Academic Freedom - Forbes - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- The choice between safety and free speech is a false one - Daily Trojan Online - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- AI chatbots refuse to produce 'controversial' output why that's a free speech problem - The Conversation - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- UC Virtual Conference Centers Free Speech and Civil Rights Amid Ongoing Tensions on College Campuses - Diverse: Issues in Higher Education - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Free speech freeze-up | D.H. Robinson - The Critic - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Will Columbias law-school dean learn the law of free speech? - JNS.org - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- OSU, OK State Regents for Higher Education complete first required free speech training - Daily O'Collegian - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok uses free speech card to save itself from US ban, will it be enough? - Hindustan Times - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Settlement Reached in Free Speech Case at Temecula Valley Unified - ACLU of Southern California - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- USC canceled its valedictorian speech: What the university got wrong. - Slate - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- A free speech fiasco united the far-right here's why they remain divided - POLITICO Europe - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- US TikTok Ban Bill Would 'Trample' On Free Speech Rights Of 170M Americans, Says Social Media Giant - Benzinga - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- X marks the spot where free speech comes at a cost - Sydney Morning Herald - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Newly reinstated Texas Tech professor continues to advocate for free speech - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- Coin Center says Senate-presented stablecoin bill poses risks to innovation and free speech - crypto.news - April 22nd, 2024 [April 22nd, 2024]
- TikTok creators worry about free speech and income streams if ban succeeds: 'My livelihood is at stake' - CNBC - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- As Texas students clash over Israel-Hamas war, Gov. Greg Abbott orders colleges to revise free speech policies - The Texas Tribune - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Opinion | The Debate Over Free Speech, Disinformation and Censorship - The New York Times - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- VCU one of the top campuses in the country for free speech, advocacy group says - Axios - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free Speech Is Under Attack in the U.S., but It's on the Ropes Elsewhere - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free speech hangs in the balance in 3 Supreme Court cases - The Hill - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free Speech Unmuted: Free Speech, Government Persuasion, and Government Coercion - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- In crowded week for free speech, justices hear 3 First Amendment cases - Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Abbott Issues Guidance To Texas Colleges And Universities About Free Speech And Anti-Semitism - EastTexasRadio.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Gov. Abbott orders Texas universities to revise free speech policies to combat antisemitism - The UTD Mercury - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- The Liberty Justice Center Urges the U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold Protections for Free Speech in Donor Disclosure ... - Liberty Justice Center - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- GOP pushes anti-free speech bills to fight antisemitism - UnHerd - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- PEN Union Cries Foul in Contract Talks as Criticism of PEN America Intensifies - Publishers Weekly - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- CAIR-Texas Condemns Gov. Abbott's Anti-Palestinian Executive Order as Attack on Free Speech (Video) - - Council on American-Islamic Relations - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Dissent: When It Comes To Free Speech, the Editorial Board Is All Talk. | Opinion - Harvard Crimson - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Gov. Abbott calls for universities to update free speech policies, discipline violators to address antisemitism on campuses - The Daily Texan - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- The Times Ed Board picks a confusing fight against the Emerald City Ride, free speech - Seattle Bike Blog - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Trump's Free Speech Defense on Trial in Georgia Election Interference Case - Hoodline - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Convicting Julian Assange Would Mean the End of Free Speech - The American Conservative - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Column: Banning TikTok is a blow to free speech - Redmond Spokesman - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Free Speech Is Under Such Threat In Canada It Would Make Orwell Blush - Forbes - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- More on Coercion, Social Media, and Freedom of Speech: Rejoinder to Philip Hamburger - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- OfS free speech guidance: time will tell if it builds understanding - The PIE News - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Kevin Rennie: Jaw-dropping attack on free speech and assembly in a CT town. It hurts us all. - Hartford Courant - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Chemerinsky: Navigating Free Speech on Campus, A First Amendment Perspective - The Collegian online - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Bentley Hosts Forum on Free Speech on College Campuses with Legal Expert Harvey Silverglate - Bentley University - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- POLL: 69% of Americans believe country on wrong track on free speech - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- In Defense of Free Speech and the Mission of the University - Public Discourse - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Free Speech and Common Carriage: Unpacking the Supreme Court's Examination of the Texas and Florida Social ... - Public Knowledge - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast | Free speech news: NetChoice, Taylor Swift, October 7, and Satan - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Supreme Court to Decide How the First Amendment Applies to Social Media - The New York Times - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on Texas social media law - The Texas Tribune - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Bill aimed at protecting free speech rights advancing in SC House - News From The States - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Champion of Free Speech and Journalism Margaret Talev Leads Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship ... - Syracuse University News - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Kinsey student says IU administrator infringed on free speech rights at demonstration - Indiana Daily Student - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- CBS News boss who signed off on firing Catherine Herridge to get free speech award - New York Post - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas and Florida cases about free speech and social media platforms - Texas Standard - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Should Honking Your Horn Be Considered Free Speech? - The Autopian - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Event: Free speech implications of the ICJ South Africa v. Israel case - ARTICLE 19 - Article 19 - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Takeaways From the Supreme Court Arguments on Social Media Laws - The New York Times - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Free Speech Unmuted: Book Bansor Are They? - Reason - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Florida anti-free speech bill targets 'liberal media' but guess who's really mad at it? - KeysNews.com - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Supreme Court arguments over social media laws and free speech are defining social media itself - Quartz - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Canadian measure would remove free speech protection for quoting Bible, sacred texts - Washington Times - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- FIRST PERSON: Free speech fails for Zionists at UC Berkeley - The Jewish News of Northern California - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Menard Center and pre-law club host discussion regarding AI and Free Speech - UWEC Spectator - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Supreme Court arguments over future of social media and free speech - WFXRtv.com - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Judge skeptical of lawsuit brought by Elon Musk's X over hate speech research - NPR - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Israeli philosopher Yoram Hazony lectures on free speech, antisemitism while students hold vigil - Observer Online - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Big Tech fights Texas and Florida at SCOTUS, and Brett Kavanaugh might be the one saving the internet as we know it. - Slate - March 2nd, 2024 [March 2nd, 2024]
- Biden Is Trying to Balance Gaza Protests and Free Speech Rights as Demonstrators Disrupt His Events - U.S. News & World Report - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- British Universities Are Repressing Free Speech on Palestine - Jacobin magazine - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- The Future of Academic Freedom - The New Yorker - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- "College Is All About Curiosity. And That Requires Free Speech." - Reason - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- Palestine and the crisis of free speech on college campuses - The Real News Network - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- College Is All About Curiosity. And That Requires Free Speech. - The New York Times - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]
- Letters: Money is not free speech and a corporation is not a person - Akron Beacon Journal - January 29th, 2024 [January 29th, 2024]