A Lieutenant at the York County Prison stopped a man from filming the facility while standing on the public sidewalk. The man said he intended to educate people about the First Amendment, which grants people freedom from religion, freedom of religion; freedom of speech, freedom of the press; and freedom of assembly.
Tom Shirey, the man who was stopped from filming the prison, said he goes to public areas and films to see if he gets challenged. A quote that Shirey stated that resonates with me is “if you don’t use your rights, you tend to lose them” (Scolforo, 2020). Like this instance, Shirey is using his rights in order to see the response he gets from the police. Not many people use their rights the way he does; moreover, the police are probably not used to seeing this. Although this is not ordinary, the police should be cognizant of what the First Amendment institutionalizes and what Shirey can and can’t do in the area surrounding the prison.
Since the sidewalk is public property, Shirey has the right to film the prison from that location. This public forum is protected for free speech activities, as long as they remain peaceful.
Above is the video of a Lieutenant stopping Shirey
Speaking of public forums, there are ‘free speech zones’ at public universities in order for students to express their rights. These zones started around the time of the Vietnam War because universities had to contain anti-war protests. Some states and universities are eliminating these zones, and states such as North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arizona restrict the use of free speech zones.
I feel that we shouldn’t need these free speech zones in order for students to express their beliefs. We are allowed to speak our minds; however, if someone were to speak of attempting violence, then that is when something should be done to stop them.
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