To: City Council of the City of Hoboken and Mayor Dawn Zimmer
Freedom of Speech Protects EVERYONE
Business Owners have the same constitutional rights that every citizen has. The Mayor's mission to revoke a business license because the owner's words are offensive is an obscene abuse of power.
Why is this important?
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
-Evelyn Beatrice Hall
There is no "hate speech" exemption to the First Amendment.
The Constitution defends this man's right to say what he said, however offensive it may be.
Just as it defends the equally ugly things that have been said to and about him in response to his actions.
It is not the local government's job to impede his Constitutional rights. That is a matter for the Supreme Court to decide how to enforce the First Amendment.
If we want to change the Constitution then that's up to Congress.
It is way beyond the scope of a local city government to decide which parts of the Constitution it wants to throw out because they don't like something that was said.
The appropriate course of action is to boycott his business if you disagree with his actions.
I'm sure the damage this man has done to his business with his careless words will ruin him anyway so that will take care of itself.
But I take HUGE exemption to his Constitutional rights being squashed by the City of Hoboken.
Hoboken is way overstepping their power and their actions and response to this matter. These actions are bordering on creating a police state.
I hope Hoboken will instead choose to defend the Constitutional rights of ALL of their citizens even the ones who say or do things they may not agree with, however unpleasant.
This man broke no laws and was acting within the bounds of his Constitutional right to free speech, the City of Hoboken has no standing to deny him those rights.
The citizens can decide to boycott him but the city cannot deny him his Constitutional rights.
-Evelyn Beatrice Hall
There is no "hate speech" exemption to the First Amendment.
The Constitution defends this man's right to say what he said, however offensive it may be.
Just as it defends the equally ugly things that have been said to and about him in response to his actions.
It is not the local government's job to impede his Constitutional rights. That is a matter for the Supreme Court to decide how to enforce the First Amendment.
If we want to change the Constitution then that's up to Congress.
It is way beyond the scope of a local city government to decide which parts of the Constitution it wants to throw out because they don't like something that was said.
The appropriate course of action is to boycott his business if you disagree with his actions.
I'm sure the damage this man has done to his business with his careless words will ruin him anyway so that will take care of itself.
But I take HUGE exemption to his Constitutional rights being squashed by the City of Hoboken.
Hoboken is way overstepping their power and their actions and response to this matter. These actions are bordering on creating a police state.
I hope Hoboken will instead choose to defend the Constitutional rights of ALL of their citizens even the ones who say or do things they may not agree with, however unpleasant.
This man broke no laws and was acting within the bounds of his Constitutional right to free speech, the City of Hoboken has no standing to deny him those rights.
The citizens can decide to boycott him but the city cannot deny him his Constitutional rights.