A visit from Sheriff Arpaio, sans protesters and signs
Legend View
When Sheriff Joe Arpaio attended MCC on Tuesday, March 25 to speak on immigration, of course, he attracted much attention.As usual, he drew his supporters and the usual crowd of hecklers. However, this time his hecklers were missing something; their own devices.
Due to a recent stint at ASU, police wouldn’t allow for any protesting while he spoke to the crowd at a session hosted by MCC’s College Republicans.
The extreme measures taken to protect Arpaio’s right to free speech were security measures to prevent the same spectacle that occurred at ASU.
Arpaio often draws strong reactions from supporters or protesters, but the events at ASU forced him off the stage as protesters sang their own anti-Arpaio version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Being forced off the stage may inhibit Arpaio’s own right to free speech, but taking away a student’s right to protest his speech, inhibits their first amendment rights.
In such cases, it’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. As granted by the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, all citizens of the United States have their right to free speech.
So whose rights are being violated here, if any?
The sheriff is so harassed by his protesters that his free speech is violated, but concerned citizens attending his speeches aren’t allowed to protest, so their right is violated as well.
To skate around the controversy, MCC’s campus security decided to allow protest signs on the perimeter of the campus, but not on sidewalks leading into the building where Arpaio was scheduled to speak.
Right or wrong, it may have been the best solution to the issue; everyone’s free speech was, in some diluted way, protected.
But maybe next time we can all just agree to disagree, silent or protesting.
