Name: Protesters argue against Oklahoma County resolution limiting free speech
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Protesters argue against Oklahoma County resolution limiting free speech

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Kayla Branch Demonstrators occupied an Oklahoma County commissioners meeting Wednesday to protest a resolution that would regulate free speech on county property.The protest pushed the resolution’s sponsor, Court Clerk Rick Warren, to withdraw his support for the proposal. But the resolution will still be discussed by commissioners after a 2-1 vote to defer the item to a special meeting Friday.Commissioners Kevin Calvey and Brian Maughan voted to defer, and Commissioner Carrie Blumert voted against deferring.Blumert said she will not support any version of the resolution, which would restrict where protests could happen on or near county-owned property, limiting gatherings to six outside areas near the county jail, the courthouse and other buildings.It also restricts demonstrators from gathering within 25 feet of a building entrance or exit and allows any judge to decide whether a protest must end because of “excessive noise.”The resolution notes that the county supports the rights of people to engage in free speech, but public property must be used for “conducting the lawful functions of government without undue interference.”The intention is to keep jury trials from being disrupted when they resume next week, and Maughan said this is not the first time such a proposal has been discussed. Maughan indicated he'd be open to an amended resolution.After the resolution was deferred, some demonstrators got up to leave the room, saying “This is against the constitution,” and “You are all fascists.”One demonstrator, Jess Eddy, was escorted out and arrested on a complaint of disrupting state business without authorization, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Mark Myers.The meeting continued, and minutes later a large group of demonstrators came back with posters, chanting “We stand together for our First Amendment rights.”The group then gathered near the front entrance of the Oklahoma County annex building for several hours.Adriana Laws, president of the Collegiate Freedom and Justice Coalition, said the resolution would directly impact her group, which has been peacefully protesting outside the courthouse every Monday for several weeks.“We don’t break any laws or obstruct any traffic in or out of the building,” Laws said. “But they are directly targeting us by trying to make it to where we can no longer protest here, and if we do, they’ll restrict our space. I feel like it is unconstitutional … so we came out today to stand against what they are doing.”Warren said he had been asked to place the resolution on the commissioner’s agenda by other county officials ahead of jury trials resuming. He then talked with demonstrators, who assured him they would not disrupt the trials, and later withdrew his sponsorship.“My sole focus is to ensure delivery of fair and impartial due process in the upcoming jury term,” Warren said in a statement. “However, I’ve been assured by a leader of the group of citizens who showed up today that it is not now nor was it ever the group’s intent to disrupt jury trials.“As a result, I have withdrawn my request for this resolution.”Regardless, the item has appeared on the Friday meeting agenda without a known sponsor, and commissioners will likely vote since jury trials start the following Monday.Another issue demonstrators pointed to was the lack of public comment during the meeting.Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, public comment has been suspended at county meetings. Blumert has pushed for public comment to be reinstated, but that has not yet happened.Blumert said there are several problems with the resolution. She noted it did not go through the county’s normal vetting processes, and there are legal concerns over whether it is constitutional.“It’s horrible timing to try to propose something like this when there are lots of protests happening that are protesting how people are being treated in the jail, how people are being treated by police officers, how people are interacting with the whole justice system,” Blumert said. “And that resolution is trying to limit that, and I don’t agree with that.”Demonstrators made it clear they plan to attend the Friday meeting and protest the resolution again.

Kayla Branch Demonstrators occupied an Oklahoma County commissioners meeting Wednesday to protest a resolution that would regulate free speech on county property.The protest pushed the resolution’s sponsor, Court Clerk Rick Warren, to withdraw his support for the proposal. But the resolution will still be discussed by commissioners after a 2-1 vote to defer the item to a special meeting Friday.Commissioners Kevin Calvey and Brian Maughan voted to defer, and Commissioner Carrie Blumert voted against deferring.Blumert said she will not support any version of the resolution, which would...

Protesters argue against Oklahoma County resolution limiting free speech

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