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majoroutage t1_jeb7ifl wrote

>My municipality is reacting to the court case by considering pulling Citizen’s Time from meeting agendas. (So much for a win for free speech, huh?)

Sounds like a quick trip right back to court.

The American people have a right to redress their government with their greivences. Whether the government wants to hear it or not (obviously they don't) does not matter one bit.

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CheruthCutestory t1_jebhzf1 wrote

By allowing time for the community to speak they are creating a public forum. And then if they do that they can’t restrict certain kinds of speech but allows others. If they don’t let anyone speak no public forum. They have no obligation to create a public forum. Neither Mass law or the Constitution require it.

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abhikavi OP t1_jeb7wc0 wrote

According to the NYT article, opportunities for public comment (Citizen's Time) are not actually required by law in MA right now.

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majoroutage t1_jeb9knf wrote

The argument that would be made is that it's another Constitutional violation.

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abhikavi OP t1_jebbb0g wrote

I think that's likely a harder case to sue, especially as other methods of commenting exist (email, snail mail). It'd be a different story if periods for public comment were codified into law.

Although I could still write in and point out that this action might not be the shield they think it is. I definitely don't think it'd be an unreasonable lawsuit.

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DeliPaper t1_jeb8xca wrote

>The American people have a right to redress their government with their greivences.

God bless the USPS

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DumbshitOnTheRight t1_jeb95qp wrote

> The American people have a right to redress their government with their greivences.

The can always write emails and letters. Banning Citizen's Time merely prevents the immediate redress, not all redress.

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majoroutage t1_jebafd7 wrote

throws them in the trash with junk mail "Yes, of course I read them."

I'm not sure that counts. A public forum is the only way to guarantee you are heard.

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DumbshitOnTheRight t1_jebe36t wrote

They're not required to give any weight to spoken words either.

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majoroutage t1_jebekss wrote

True. But they have to listen.

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DumbshitOnTheRight t1_jebewza wrote

They have to hear. Listening isn't mandatory.

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abhikavi OP t1_jebfsws wrote

I think the more important thing is that it's in public.

If someone shows up and states their grievance and I think they're kinda cuckoo, eh.... I probably support the board in ignoring them.

If someone shows up and has some great points and the board ignores them.... I want to keep that in mind next election.

It really sucks if free speech gets de facto limited to private channels; we lose all the other benefits of it being in public.

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abhikavi OP t1_jebbk3b wrote

The thing is, it'd either take a lawsuit, or laws would have to be added in MA to protect public speaking time.

Honestly kind of appalling to me to learn this isn't a codified right. I'd assumed this was legally required, not down to the discretion of the chairperson.

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majoroutage t1_jebd4gm wrote

There's a lot of stuff that has been understood as the rights of the people for a long time, now our divisive and power-drunk government has learned it can push those boundaries and maybe or maybe not get in trouble for it.

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abhikavi OP t1_jebfbbu wrote

The thing is, I genuinely have been impressed with my local boards. We have a lot of competent, hard working, level headed people on them. I think they usually make a lot of solid decisions, and when I disagree, I still very much see where they're coming from.

Like, my local politics isn't crazytown bananapants, like some can get. (Ok, the school board has been a little, in the past. But definitely not like, board of health, which is one of the ones pulling Citizen's Time.)

I don't think this is a power play, I think they're just panicking at the idea of someone showing up, really crossing some serious lines, and not feeling like they have the right to stop or limit it.

But.... that doesn't make my losing Citizen's Time access in a bunch of places any more palatable. Well-intentioned or not, it's an important access point.

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