{"id":2634889,"date":"2026-07-24T17:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T21:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignshiloh-hendrix-wont-be-the-last-victim-of-the-lefts-fight-to-criminalize-speech\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T17:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T21:38:17","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignshiloh-hendrix-wont-be-the-last-victim-of-the-lefts-fight-to-criminalize-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignshiloh-hendrix-wont-be-the-last-victim-of-the-lefts-fight-to-criminalize-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Hendrix Won&#8217;t Be Last Victim Of Left&#8217;s Fight To Criminalize Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignshiloh-hendrix-wont-be-the-last-victim-of-the-lefts-fight-to-criminalize-speech%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=2634889&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 article discusses a legal case involving Shiloh Hendrix, who was recorded using racial slurs during a confrontation at a playground in Rochester, Minnesota. Hendrix admitted to calling the Somali child and Sharmake Omar, who recorded the incident and later threatened to post the video. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosis-speeches-across-europe-interrupted-by-pro-palestinian-protesters\/\" title=\"Pelosi facing disruptions from pro-Palestinian demonstrators during European ...es\">incident sparked debates<\/a> about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/states-push-to-rein-in-big-tech-as-federal-gears-grind-slow\/\" title=\"States Push to Rein in Big Tech as Federal Gears Grind Slow\">free speech rights<\/a>, with Hendrix being found guilty of disorderly conduct toward Omar but only guilty of disorderly conduct toward the child, resulting in fines, probation, and community service. The author emphasizes that the First Amendment protects speech even when controversial or offensive, and critiques the prosecution&#8217;s attempt to label Hendrix&#8217;s words as \u201cfighting words\u201d or violence, arguing that her words did not provoke immediate violence. The piece also critiques broader narratives that equate speech with violence, citing examples from educational institutions and public figures, and warns that conflating speech with violence can justify censorship and conduct that undermines free expression.Ultimately, the article advocates for preserving the distinction between offensive speech and violence, highlighting the importance of free speech protections in a free society.  <\/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<div>\n<p>While at a Rochester, Minnesota, playground with her son last April, Shiloh Hendrix watched as an 8-year-old Somali child allegedly ran to her diaper bag and stole something. Hendrix reportedly shouted at the child and called him the n-word. A fellow Somali bystander, Sharmake Omar, began following and recording Hendrix and asked if she called the child a racial slur. Hendrix confirmed she did, and then called Omar the same slur as well. During this interaction, Hendrix is seen walking away from the Somali nationals.<\/p>\n<p>Omar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2025\/05\/battle-of-the-shiloh-hendrix-fundraisers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> Hendrix that her speech was \u201chate speech\u201d and that he would post the video for the world to see. (Notably, Omar was <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/Mqb0X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged<\/a> in 2022 for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. The charges against him were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaaltv.com\/news\/rochester-sexual-assault-case-dismissed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">later dismissed<\/a> \u201cin the interest of justice.\u201d) <\/p>\n<p>And the world did see it \u2014 and had the opportunity to judge for itself. Whether viewers of the incident condemned her, criticized her, or defended her, it was all their prerogative to have their own First Amendment thoughts on her use of her First Amendment right. It\u2019s how free speech works.<\/p>\n<p>Yet on Thursday, the government also decided that it should get to judge Hendrix\u2019s First Amendment right. Hendrix was found not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mprnews.org\/story\/2026\/07\/24\/shiloh-hendrix-found-guilty-in-rochester-racial-slur-case-of-one-count-of-disorderly-conduct\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">guilty<\/a> on disorderly conduct toward the child but guilty on one count of disorderly conduct toward Omar, who taped a portion of the incident. Hendrix was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, placed on probation, and ordered to complete community service. Her defense attorney reportedly plans to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n<p>Defending Hendrix\u2019s constitutional rights requires no defense of her language. The First Amendment was not written to protect only the speech that is approved by an ever-changing society. If free speech requires the government to rubber-stamp its morality, then there would be no reason for the First Amendment in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors attempted to get around Hendrix\u2019s First Amendment right by arguing her use of slurs amounted to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kttc.com\/2026\/07\/20\/understanding-legalese-disorderly-conduct-charges-minnesota\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fighting words<\/a>\u201d (which are not protected by the First Amendment since they can provoke immediate violence). But the video makes such an argument hard to believe. Omar is the one who approached Hendrix, followed her as she walked away, recorded her, and repeatedly goaded her into saying the word again. Hendrix never advanced toward Omar. In fact, the only thing that Hendrix\u2019s words provoked was content creation for Omar, who purposely goaded her into saying the slur again so that he could make viral content.<\/p>\n<p>But this case represents the logical conclusion of the left\u2019s insistence that \u201cspeech is violence.\u201d Such a claim creates the permission structure for censorship and punishment: If words are violence, then silencing and punishing the speaker is justified. It\u2019s the entire reason the left constantly uses that phrase whenever it wants to force ideological conformity.<\/p>\n<p>The University of Colorado Boulder<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/cu-boulder-advises-students-assume-others-are-transgender-nonbinary-use-gender-neutral-pronouns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> said<\/a> that refusing to use a mentally ill person\u2019s preferred pronouns can be an \u201cact of violence.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fire.org\/news\/your-words-are-violence-cornell-students-shout-down-ann-coulter-latest-hecklers-veto-roil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ann Coulter<\/a> was shouted down by students at Cornell who claimed, \u201cYour words are violence!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In both cases, the \u201cspeech is violence\u201d iterations had the same effect: They justified (at least in the left\u2019s minds) censorship. The label of \u201chate speech\u201d serves a similar purpose. It allows someone to shut down any argument or discussion or even justify violence by accusing someone of being hateful \u2014 even though the First Amendment does not have a hate speech exception and the Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fire.org\/research-learn\/hate-speech-legal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has repeatedly affirmed<\/a> this.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, then-MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/divisive-figure-media-ghouls-rush-to-smear-charlie-kirk-after-horrific-assassination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Kirk was \u201cone of the most divisive \u2026 figures \u2026 who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech\u201d and that \u201chateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tyler Robinson is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-journal.org\/article\/charlie-kirk-murder-speech-violence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/tyler-robinson-text-messages-roommate-charlie-kirk-shooting-suspect-rcna231732\">said<\/a> that Kirk \u201cspread too much hate\u201d and that \u201csome hate can\u2019t be negotiated out\u201d and then allegedly followed that conclusion to its (in his mind) logical endpoint.<\/p>\n<p>Kirk\u2019s assassination is the ultimate consequence of pretending that speech and violence are interchangeable. If someone\u2019s words are violence, then actual violence is justified. If someone\u2019s speech is \u201chateful,\u201d uses it to create the moral permission structure for others to respond to said \u201chate\u201d speech as they see fit.<\/p>\n<p>Words may be offensive and rude, but they are not violence. Free societies ought to preserve that distinction. Omar was free to call Hendrix\u2019s speech hateful. He was free to publish it and let the public judge her. But what should concern everyone is that the government thought it should punish her too.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hendrix\u2019s free speech and government punishment debate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2634890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-2.43.49-PM-scaled-e1784918715329-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[6371,32311,83156],"class_list":["post-2634889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-censorship","tag-free-speech","tag-hendrix"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-2.43.49-PM-scaled-e1784918715329-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634889","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2634889"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2634893,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634889\/revisions\/2634893"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2634890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2634889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2634889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2634889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}