Your readers will want to know that my Supreme Court case made the MN ACLU Highlights from 2016 newsletter: it states "Free Speech and access to government. In this case a woman was charged with disorderly conduct for exercising her free speech rights during a city council meeting. The city council wanted to move the area where the public could sit after there were numerous protest of their actions by city residents, even though the protests never interfered with city business. When a member of the community tried to articulate the point by silently sitting where the public used to be able to sit, she was arrested and removed from the public city council hearing. We argue that all charges should be dropped because her actions did not impede the ability of the council to conduct its meetings, nor did it prevent any other individual from exercising his or her free speech right." (State V. Hensel)
That speaks volumes.
Just four days prior, the former mayor's husband, mother-in-law and five others sat in the same area.
The Supreme Court ruling will be decided by March 7, 2017.
City Hall is where free speech should be at its zenith.
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Robin Hensel
Little Falls
