No, I am not seriously talking about clothing. I am taking about politicians and political groups feeling they can dictate what people wear to events.
This type of move was big in 2006 whenever and wherever President Bush was speaking. Laws would mysteriously appear that would allow police or Secret Service to arrest those who were wearing anti-Bush slogans on clothing. At least one time, the offending item was a bumper sticker on a car. The person was dressed in professional attire and had a ticket for the Bush event. I have included several articles from 2006.
More recently, President Bush addressed Furman College during commencement this past June. There were some clothing protests but these were not removed from the commencement ceremony.
I really thought that the fashion police were gone as far as trying to control what someone wears to a public event when what is worn is in definite opposition to the actual event message. I was wrong. It is just happening at the local level now.
The following headline is in my local paper online today: “Anti-gay protesters sue city, police: Men claim their religious views were restricted at event in Elmira park.” The article goes on to tell of members of a religious group that showed up at a gay pride event wearing shirts that espoused religious points of view. From everything in the article, the shirts did not in any way express a Biblical point of view on homosexuality.
Police say that it was not a freedom of speech issue but a public safety issue that caused the arrest of the men in question. They were asked to leave and did not. My biggest problem with the defendants – those who were threatened with arrest so not actually defendants – is that they say the event was a “city-sanctioned” event. I do not believe, just because the city gives a permit to an organization to use public property for a rally that it is sanctioning the event. On the other hand, unless there were actually moves by someone with the event or attending teh event to disrupt the “protesters,” I am also in distinct disagreement on the public safety issues.
Should what you are wearing cause a public safety issue or is asking people to disrobe due to what is on their shirts a violation of freedom of speech? In the effort to put on a good event with only those who support the event’s purpose in attendance, is it legal to remove – through police means – those who are wearing clothing that is opposing the event’s purpose or those whose car’s bumper sticker opposes the event’s purpose?
