Free Speech

01.10.20

We Fought to Curtail Abusive Homelessness Policies in Cincinnati. And We Won.

By Celina Coming

Hamilton County has one of the highest rates of homelessness in Ohio.  In the City of Cincinnati alone, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that over 7,500 people—about 1,800 of whom are children—will experience homelessness in any calendar year. 

12.16.19

Photographs and the First Amendment. My Harrowing Journey Through U.S. Customs

By Celina Coming

In the United States, people are allowed to carry a loaded gun capable of mass killings, but I was treated as a criminal for carrying a camera with the intention of helping people.

I am an independent photographer, artist, and journalist.

09.25.19

Incredible Quotes From Books You Might Not Have Known Were Banned

By Dan Rogan

As we stated in our blog Banned Books Week… More Relevant than Ever? , we here at the ACLU love Banned Books Week—and rightfully so! As you may already know, the ACLU firmly stands against censorship of all types, and that most certainly includes the banning of books.

09.23.19

Banned Books Week… More Relevant than Ever?

By Celina Coming

Do you think the practice of banning books is a thing of the past? Something that books such as Animal Farm, The Catcher in the Rye, and To Kill a Mockingbird have been subject to??

Think again.

Just earlier this month, the internationally beloved Harry Potter series was banned yet again by a Catholic school in Nashville, Tennessee for supposedly depicting “actual curses and spells.” Similarly, in April of this year, a Georgia sheriff was illegally denying books to prisoners by implementing a policy that not only restricted “incoming books from family, publishers and organizations, but also remove[d] existing books from inmates” – thus limiting reading options to a “jail book cart.”

Do you think these are two instances few and far in between?

06.11.19

Cleveland Councilman Wanting More Prayer at Meetings Must Support True, Not Token, Religious Diversity

By Celina Coming

The First Amendment guarantees all persons the right to practice their faith without government intrusion, including the right to abstain from religious belief or expression altogether.

This goes to the heart of what it means to be American. The Constitution’s insistence on religious freedom makes our personal liberties genuine.

08.16.18

Setting the Record Straight on the First Amendment

By Celina Coming

The First Amendment is 45 words. 45 powerful words. But do you know what the First Amendment does and does not protect in the realm of online content, especially on social media? It might not protect what you think it does.

05.15.18

When Politicians Use Social Media to Silence Their Critics

By Celina Coming

It took many decades of lawsuits and court decisions to establish the parameters and boundaries of free speech in this country.  As a result, society has reasonably clear guidance on who can speak, when they can speak, where they can speak, and what they can say without running afoul of interference or punishment from their government.

03.09.18

Opinion: The Students are Right — Taking Action on Gun Violence Does Not Violate the Second Amendment

By Celina Coming

*This piece originally appeared in the Sun Sentinel on March 2, 2018 and was written by the ACLU of Florida’s Executive Director, Howard Simon and Political Director Kirk Bailey.*

After the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the world wept “not again,” routine talking points were dusted off, and thoughts and prayers rolled in.

03.05.18

To Be Obedient, or To Be Disobedient, That Is The Question

By Emma Keeshin

One of the most important rights we have in our democracy is the right to speak out on issues we care about. After 17 high school students and teachers were killed in Parkland, Florida on February 14, gun regulation quickly became one of the most discussed issues in the public sphere, and many students around the country began to speak out.

10.05.17

Ten Things You Need to Know about Jamil Smith

By Dan Rogan

08.09.17

Cleveland Mayoral and City Council Candidates Must Prioritize Police Reform

By Emma Keeshin

With so many candidates for Cleveland mayor and City Council this year, it can be hard to keep track of all of them. But something you must keep track of is their commitment to police reform in Cleveland.

That’s because Cleveland is in year two of a multi-year police reform process, known as the consent decree, which is overseen by a federal judge after the U.S.

04.07.17

How Many Strikes Until Chief Wahoo is Out?

By Celina Coming

The Cleveland Indians home opener represents spring weather, renewed hope for a World Series title, and an unfortunate social stigma. It has become impossible to overlook the controversy that the Chief Wahoo logo generates as it continues to perpetuate racism against Native Americans.

02.17.17

A Free Press: More Important Now Than Ever

By James Kosmatka

“But I want to just tell you, the false reporting by the media, by you people, the false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder…”

If President Trump feels hounded by the news media, imagine how they feel being threatened by the U.S.

01.13.17

Monitoring Assemblies and the Importance of Dissent

By Katrice Williams

The right to dissent is a founding principle of our country. Often, in the United States and abroad, powerful forces attempt to suppress speech in times of political tension or when people are making demands for change. Yet, this is exactly when speech and assembly are most important.

12.20.16

Will Ohio Follow Michigan’s Anti-Charity Lead?

By James Kosmatka

Several well-established nonprofit organizations in Michigan found their longstanding holiday fundraising drives put on ice this year by Bill Schuette, Michigan’s Attorney General. Media reports that several planned fundraisers—such as fire fighters’ “fill the boot” drive for Muscular Dystrophy Association or the Old Newsboys annual fundraiser—have already been shut down based on Schuette’s aggressive (and potentially unconstitutional) interpretation of a traffic law.

07.19.16

Open Carry at the RNC

By Joanna Saul

The RNC is barely underway and civil liberties are already at the forefront of the discussion.

Following the tragic shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association sent a letter to Governor John Kasich requesting that he outlaw open-carry in Cuyahoga County until after the RNC is over. 

07.13.16

RNC Protests Reflect Fundamental American Values

By Katrice Williams

For many Clevelanders, the Republican National Convention will be the first time they witness a major political event of this kind. The last time Cleveland hosted the RNC was in June 1936. The RNC will also be an outstanding opportunity for residents to join one of the greatest cornerstones of the American democratic process, watching the presumed Republican nominee, Donald Trump, become one of the nation’s presidential candidates.

06.01.16

“What’s wrong with the word HELP?”

By Eva McKnight

Jerry Hill has been holding a sign and pleading for help on the streets of Akron, Ohio for roughly a decade. He hates the label of “panhandler,” but was required to register as one in accordance with the city’s recently repealed ordinance, just to solicit donations so that he and his family could eat.

04.04.16

Take It Out of the Ballgame

By Steve David

Photo by Erik Dorst from Flickr Commons.

For many Clevelanders, Opening Day is a special holiday. They have survived another winter, so it’s time to celebrate.

And who could think of a better way to express your joy than by wearing racist symbols and yelling epithets at people trying to reclaim their history?

03.23.16

Should the Government Determine Truth?

By Shakyra Diaz

The Question

Should the people at the Statehouse get to decide what speech is true and what speech is false? Should state judges have the authority to declare that people cannot air certain ads, post certain billboards, or hand out certain leaflets during an election?

03.16.16

Whose Side Are You On? ACLU and Free Speech: Part I

By Maria Bruno

As an employee of the ACLU, sometimes talking about my job can be a challenge.  Those who have heard of the ACLU tend to associate us with “crazy liberals,” defending the KKK, or being anti-Christian.  These are not the easiest associations to shed.

11.30.15

Why Are Cities Making It Illegal To Be Poor?

By Shakyra Diaz

Last week, Christopher John White’s difficult life met a tragic end at the young age of 34.  For some time, Chris had been living without shelter in Columbus, Ohio. Official records state his address simply as “Streets of Columbus.” On November 19, Chris drowned after police attempted to arrest him for asking for help.

10.29.15

Asking for Help Is Protected Speech—Even If You Are Homeless

By Shakyra Diaz

Helping out a neighbor in need is one of the best things that we do as humans. It shouldn’t be a crime to ask for that help.

Yet Akron, Dayton, and other cities across Ohio and the country have passed laws that try to silence those in need from telling others about it.  

08.31.15

Ohio is a SLAPP Happy State

By Steve David

The First Amendment guarantees Americans the right to freedom of speech. Yet, ever since the U.S. Constitution was ratified 227 years ago, forces have been seeking to silence and control public discourse.

In recent years, wealthy individuals have undermined free speech by filing punitive lawsuits against their critics.

08.25.15

Rather than look to Tampa, Cleveland should throw away the repressive policing playbook for the RNC in 2016

By Steve David

Photograph courtesy of Lig Ynnek, Creative Commons

Earlier this month, a Cleveland.com article asked if Tampa’s approach to policing the RNC 2012 protests would “provide a blueprint for Cleveland as it prepares to host the next Republican National Convention a year from now?”

However, that may be the wrong question to ask.

08.19.15

Five Things You Need Know About Organizing Protest in Cleveland

By Steve David

If the new protest ordinance passed by Cleveland City Council raised alarms for you, you’re not alone. Whenever government does things at the last minute with no opportunity for public comment, appropriate reactions are usually skepticism and frustration.

But considering the old ordinance was full of vague language that left the door open to abuses by the city and police, the new rules are a net benefit—despite the bad practice of their passage.

07.10.15

Then and Now: Censoring Employee Speech

By Dan Rogan

The ACLU has always protected freedom of speech. Throughout history this has dealt with issues that were, at that time, considered uncomfortable.

Our future leaders, millennials, have been identified as the most socially liberal generation yet. So as social conscience is changing, uncomfortable issues are becoming comfortable, and those on the wrong side of history will be pushed out of the mainstream of our national zeitgeist.

06.06.15

An Open Letter in the Aftermath of the Brelo Verdict

By Adrienne Gavula

Editor’s Note: On May 23, Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo was acquitted in the shooting deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.

Dear Cleveland,

I was in class, listening with one ear to the live stream of the Brelo verdict on my laptop.

02.06.15

I Spoke From the Heart and Lost My Job

By Mike Brickner

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” 

Martin Luther King Jr.

King’s words echo in my ears whenever people state how we should be careful when we write or speak about what we truly believe in.

01.02.15

2016 Is Only a Year Away…

By Ellen Kubit

2015 is here. That means the 2016 presidential election is on the horizon.

Few people in Ohio want to begin thinking about the 2016 election cycle, especially on the heels of a midterm election. Between the countless advertisements, back-and-forth arguments, and non-stop campaigning, election years can be tiresome.