{"id":2232669,"date":"2024-04-29T12:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T16:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disruptive-protests-are-not-a-constitutional-right\/"},"modified":"2024-04-29T13:00:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T17:00:40","slug":"disruptive-protests-are-not-a-constitutional-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disruptive-protests-are-not-a-constitutional-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Protests must adhere to the Constitution"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisruptive-protests-are-not-a-constitutional-right%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2232669&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The text discusses disruptive protests,\u2063 citing examples of activists\u200d obstructing traffic for various causes. It highlights the harm caused by such actions and debates the constitutional rights of\u200b protesters, emphasizing the need for lawful and non-violent demonstrations \u2064within regulatory frameworks to prevent chaos \u2063and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-protesters-blocking-roads-extremists-harassing-others-at-colleges-not-tolerated-in-florida\/\" title=\"DeSantis: Florida Does Not Tolerate Road Blockades or Campus Harassment\">uphold public safety<\/a>. The piece \u2063advocates for appropriate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rioters-smash-windows-force-businesses-to-board-up-in-downtown-portland\/\" title=\"Rioters Smash Windows, Force Businesses To Board Up In Downtown Portland\">law enforcement responses<\/a> to deter disruptive protests effectively.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/%20\"><span>The Washington Stand<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   April 29, 2024 at 8:10am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>I remember the first time I saw leftist protesters snarling traffic. The cause of the moment was climate, I believe, and the bright-minded activists decided to protest the use of fossil fuels by causing tens of thousands of cars (and buses) to idle on the highway.<\/p>\n<p>It was an early Monday morning and organized squads of protesters deployed to shut down intersections in D.C., with commuter traffic in all directions. Some activists <a href=\"https:\/\/wtop.com\/gallery\/dc\/photos-shutdown-dc-protests-disrupt-monday-morning-commute\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">chained\u00a0themselves<\/a> to a sailboat they hauled in to an intersection to hinder any removal effort. That was in the heady, pre-COVID days of September 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Since the pandemic, such disruptive protest tactics have exploded exponentially. Today, they occur so frequently it\u2019s hard to keep track of them all. On April 15 alone protesters shut down the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nydailynews.com\/2024\/04\/15\/brooklyn-bridge-shut-down-by-hundreds-of-pro-palestinian-protestors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brooklyn Bridge<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcbayarea.com\/news\/local\/san-francisco\/protest-golden-gate-bridge\/3510362\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Golden Gate Bridge<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/2967951\/make-blocking-traffic-a-federal-crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Philadelphia\u2019s city center<\/a>, and airport access roads in <a href=\"https:\/\/abc7chicago.com\/ohare-airport-chicago-traffic-protest-kennedy-expressway-i90\/14668476\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chicago<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/seattle-news\/law-justice\/what-we-know-about-the-protest-that-shut-down-sea-tac-airport-on-monday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Seattle<\/a>. The rationale for the protests keeps changing \u2014 climate, abortion, identity politics, Gaza \u2014 but the tactics (and, I suspect, the activists, too) are largely the same.<\/p>\n<h3>Disruptive Protests Harm Society<\/h3>\n<p>It should go without saying that such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hilarious-anti-israel-protesters-harvard-struck-2-m-sprinklers-cold-night\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">disruptive protests<\/a> are unmitigated evils. They channel the activists\u2019 displeasure with some public policy or state of affairs by inflicting unrelated harm on innocent passersby.<\/p>\n<p>These and likeminded protests explicitly aim to force their causes upon people in a totalizing fashion, such that ordinary Americans cannot travel to work, visit the pediatrician,\u00a0enjoy a <a href=\"https:\/\/fox59.com\/news\/protestors-demand-ceasefire-in-gaza-during-nba-all-star-weekend-in-indianapolis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sporting event<\/a>, or\u00a0celebrate a <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/commentary\/proterrorist-mob-darkens-christmas-tree-lighting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">religious holiday<\/a> without caring about Gaza, or carbon emissions, or whatever is chic to rage about this week.<\/p>\n<p>To the extent they succeed in totalizing their political issue, they degrade our civic life. But more often such intrusive protests only succeed in infuriating their victims; particularly with street blockades, most of the gridlocked drivers are too far away to even be aware that there is a protest.<\/p>\n<p>Public sentiment against these radical protests is so intense that the libertarian-leaning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/2967951\/make-blocking-traffic-a-federal-crime\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington Examiner<\/a> recently\u00a0proposed\u00a0making it a federal crime to block traffic.<\/p>\n<h3>Poor Police Responses Encourage Disruptive Protests<\/h3>\n<p>In the #ShutdownDC protest mentioned above, D.C. police initially scrambled to block off streets \u2014 from commuting drivers, not the protesters. City police and U.S. Capitol Police eventually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/climate-change-protesters-plan-to-flood-downtown-dc-streets-monday-morning\/2019\/09\/20\/6b088e94-dbd9-11e9-89d4-37d5ffcac6f4_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arrested 32 protesters<\/a>, but that was a fraction of the activists who broke the law that morning. This type of response from law enforcement has become routine at these protests.<\/p>\n<p>I contend that this type of response has contributed to the rise in these types of protests. Not only does it make law enforcement agents complicit in abetting the protesters\u2019 illegal, disruptive designs, but it also fails to hold the protesters accountable for their flagrant lawbreaking and the harm they cause to innocent victims.<\/p>\n<p>For these reasons, when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/standoff-in-n-c-leads-to-deaths-of-2-deputies-3-civilians-including-suspect\/\" title=\"Standoff in N.C. leads to deaths of 2 deputies, 3 civilians including suspect\">law enforcement agencies respond<\/a> to blockade protests in a tepid and unhurried manner, they incentivize more, similar misbehavior in the future.<\/p>\n<p>City authorities would disagree with this characterization of their behavior. People have a constitutional right to protest, they would respond, and the government\u2019s primary duty in such situations is to keep the protests from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/segment-california-violent-crime-goes-off-rails-crew-targeted-crooks-broad-daylight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turning violent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Before addressing the constitutional claim, consider a counter-example.<\/p>\n<h3>Florida Handled Protests Differently<\/h3>\n<p>In addition to street blockades in New York City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Seattle, you probably haven\u2019t heard that protesters also blockaded a street in <a href=\"https:\/\/flvoicenews.com\/we-drag-these-people-pro-palestine-protestors-manually-removed-from-miami-streets-by-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miami, Florida<\/a>. You haven\u2019t heard about it because it received virtually no media attention, and it received virtually no media attention because it did not result in an hour-long traffic jam.<\/p>\n<p>The reason for this different outcome is the different reaction by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-to-congress-enact-major-restrictions-on-constitutionally-protected-second-amendment-rights\/\" title=\"Biden To Congress: Enact Major Restrictions On Constitutionally Protected Second Amendment Rights\">law enforcement authorities<\/a>, both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pro-palestinian-agitators-attempting-block-miami-road-find-things-different-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miami Police<\/a> and Florida Highway Patrol. In preparation for expected disruptive activity, Florida law enforcement agencies had staged officers with riot gear on-hand.<\/p>\n<p>As long as the approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.megynkelly.com\/2024\/04\/16\/megyn-slams-anti-israel-protesters-in-nyc-miami-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">150 protesters<\/a> demonstrated peacefully, the police did not bother them. But whenever the protesters attempted to block traffic, police on horseback and motorcycles quickly closed in and dispersed them. (Apparently this took place along eight-lane <a href=\"https:\/\/www.local10.com\/news\/local\/2024\/04\/16\/police-arrest-several-protestors-for-blocking-traffic-in-downtown-miami\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Biscayne Boulevard<\/a>, the bayfront highway providing north-south access, near Miami Dade College, the Miami Heat Stadium, and Port Miami.)<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Should other states follow Florida&#8217;s lead on protests?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Due to this proactive policing, only seven people managed to do something foolish enough to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.local10.com\/news\/local\/2024\/04\/16\/criminal-charges-filed-against-miami-pro-palestine-protesters-for-blocking-roadway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">get arrested<\/a>. Aided by someone in a pickup truck, these individuals suddenly took large PVC pipes and connected their arms together with them (to impede police efforts to break them up). They then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.local10.com\/news\/local\/2024\/04\/16\/police-arrest-several-protestors-for-blocking-traffic-in-downtown-miami\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lay down in a crosswalk<\/a> at Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast Third Street, blocking not the highway \u2014 there were too few of them \u2014 but the entrance to Bayside Marketplace, a shopping center connecting to a marina and park.<\/p>\n<p>But the police were having none of it.<\/p>\n<p>After the demonstrators refused an order to depart from the crosswalk, the police took steps to remove them forcibly. With two or three officers to each demonstrator, the police <a href=\"https:\/\/flvoicenews.com\/we-drag-these-people-pro-palestine-protestors-manually-removed-from-miami-streets-by-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">picked them up in a unit<\/a> \u2014 while their arms were still linked together with the PVC pipes \u2014 and deposited them on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Florida, we drag these people out of the road and arrest them,\u201d Bryan Griffin, Communications Director for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/desantis-sends-national-guard-florida-braces-migrant-surge-haiti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/a> of Florida, posted on the social media platform X along with a 39-second video of the police response in Miami.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In Florida, we drag these people out of the road and arrest them. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XU6ZUUf9xX\">pic.twitter.com\/XU6ZUUf9xX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BryanDGriffin\/status\/1779972576422322354?\">April 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Then the police could disengage them from one another and arrest them for impeding traffic, while also allowing traffic to carry on as before. Those seven individuals have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.local10.com\/news\/local\/2024\/04\/16\/criminal-charges-filed-against-miami-pro-palestine-protesters-for-blocking-roadway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">charged<\/a> with second-degree misdemeanors, and in Florida prosecutors are likely to follow through on those charges.<\/p>\n<h3>Protesters Have No Constitutional Right to Block Traffic<\/h3>\n<p>But, what about the protesters\u2019 constitutional right to demonstrate? This is what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/leftists-hate-christianity-kryptonite-marxism-filmmakers-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">left-wing activists<\/a> assert to justify their illegal demonstrations. Some local and state officials also appeal to this to plead that they are helpless in the face of illegal, disruptive protests.<\/p>\n<p>This right relies upon the <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/constitution\/amendment-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">First Amendment\u2019s<\/a> protection for \u201cthe freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances\u201d (modern protest activism rolls these distinct and separate activities into one) from congressional interference, and which courts have ruled also apply to states under the <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/constitution\/amendment-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fourteenth Amendment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, like other First Amendment freedoms, the right to protest is not absolute. The freedom of the press does not provide absolute immunity from libel suits.<\/p>\n<p>The right to free speech is subject to\u00a0content-neutral regulations\u00a0on the time, place, or manner of the expression. Protests also may be limited by <a href=\"https:\/\/firstamendment.mtsu.edu\/article\/time-place-and-manner-restrictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">content-neutral regulations<\/a>, such as that protesters must state their intentions and obtain a permit beforehand, must confine themselves to a certain location, and must disperse at a certain hour.<\/p>\n<p>The propriety of neutral regulations is implied by the language of the First Amendment itself, when it recognizes the right of the people \u201cpeaceably\u201d to assemble. At the very least, it requires that protests must not become violent and implies that they may not include otherwise unlawful activity.<\/p>\n<p>Protests that aim to blockade streets violate laws against blocking streets \u2014 laws which are operational in nearly every jurisdiction. Such laws impose a commonsense \u201cplace\u201d restriction on the protesters: You may not protest in the street because that is where cars travel, but you may protest next to the street on the sidewalk, which is designed for foot traffic.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, activists have a right to assemble, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/democratic-governor-criminalizes-free-speech-law-establishing-soviet-style-snitch-hotline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speak freely<\/a>, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. These rights combine to give them a right to stage a protest, but it does not give them the right to stage an unlawful one.<\/p>\n<p>In Florida, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">law enforcement officers<\/a> did not abridge the constitutionally guaranteed rights of protesters, but they did prevent them from or arrest them for unlawful activity. This example proves that it is possible, with vigilant policing and quick responses to criminal activity, to permit protests without enabling activists to achieve their unlawful goal of blocking public roads.<\/p>\n<p>Other states and cities should take note and take notes. Allowing protesters to snarl traffic and cripple other people\u2019s activity is a conscious policy choice, not a constitutional necessity.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article appeared originally on <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Stand<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-45743\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45743\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45743\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45743\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>  The Washington Stand is Family Research Council\u2019s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a commentary on April 29, 2024, at 8:10 am by The Washington Stand, the author recalls encountering leftist protesters disrupting traffic over climate concerns. Activists aimed to protest fossil fuel usage by causing a massive idling of vehicles, prompting reflection on the impacts of such disruptive actions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3102,"featured_media":2232671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Let-Gaza-Live-Hosts-Pro-Palestine-March-In-Park-City-Utah.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2232669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Let-Gaza-Live-Hosts-Pro-Palestine-March-In-Park-City-Utah.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2232669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2232671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2232669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2232669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2232669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}