ThinkProgress reports that Charlotte police arrested a black activist for putting voting rights leaflets on parked cars at a public park where a Labor Day rally was being held. http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/09/02/3477768/police-arrest-young-black-politician-at-moral-mondays-rally/
Umm, can they do that?
No, probably not. Leaflets cause litter, so many cities and towns have tried to ban them, but the U.S. Supreme Court and other courts have ruled that distributing political leaflets in public places is protected by the First Amendment, and littering concerns do not outweigh free speech rights. Even bans that are politically neutral, in most if not all cases, will fail the “significant governmental interest” test required to sustain restrictions on speech. And white cops arresting a black activist for distributing voting rights leaflets at a voting rights rally in a southern state with a traditional history of racism? Hmmm …
I don’t think this pig can
fly.