Alderman Joe Moore
- Suppressor of Free Speech!
Sunday, January 12, 2003 3:29 PM - ALDERMAN JOE MOORE (49th Ward - Chicago, Illinois) threatened to withdraw from public debate and sue the principals responsible for managing WWW.FORUM49.ORG
The excerpt below is one of the latest from a message board thread (BACK FENCE) on the forum. Click on the link below to read the full list of postings directly related to the excerpt.
From Forum49.ORG
(Posted by C.G.)
We agree, then, that individuals have a constitutionally protected right to anonymous political speech. Perhaps we might also agree that rights are illusory if there is no good place to exercise them effectively.
If Forum 49 should act on Joe's advice, what venue or method would you recommend to individuals who wish to express their opinions regarding the current state of the 49th Ward to their fellow citizens? It's awfully cold to stand in the park and accost passersby. One could distribute anonymous leaflets on the sidewalk, but it's really cold there, too. And a lot of people are afraid to talk to strangers, especially when The News-Star's 24th District police blotter lists robbery after robbery every week. Plus, there's no assurance that the people you approach even remotely care about the aldermanic election – traditionally, voter turnout has been low in the 49th Ward.
Forum 49 provides “a nontraditional forum for public discourse” which allows people who are interested in the 49th Ward to exchange their opinions about it. Its policy allows, some might even say encourages, individuals to participate anonymously in public, political debate regarding the state of the 49th Ward. Open to anyone with Internet access, The Forum facilitates the free expression of individuals’ opinions regarding the 49th Ward.
Joe’s actions, on the other hand, do not reflect a strong commitment to free speech. Joe (whose “State of the 49th Ward” event was held on private property and charged admission) publicly encouraged the board of Forum 49 to revise their policy and prohibit anonymous posts. He also privately threatened to sue them if they did not exercise their legal power to censor a particular anonymous post because of its content. In short, he has done what he can (a) to end people’s access to a viable forum for anonymous political speech regarding 49th Ward affairs and (b) to prevent a particular individual from anonymously expressing an opinion about him.
Like every other individual, Joe has the right to express his opinions. But he is, after all, the alderman, i.e. our representative to our municipal government. Thus, I want him to defend not only the letter, but also the spirit of the First Amendment. If Joe disagrees with someone’s opinion, he should demonstrate why that person is wrong; not try to shut them down using any available means.
I repeat: Of course, the Forum is not a true public forum because it is not owned by the Government. And the Constitution does not prohibit the board of Forum 49 from making any law “abridging the freedom of speech” because Forum 49 doesn’t have the power to make laws. Yet, The Forum’s stated purpose and function are to serve as a virtual public forum for the discussion of matters relating to the 49th Ward, including and especially politics. Thus, I stand by my original statement: I find it difficult to respect an elected official – who is after all paid to represent the interests of their electorate – that suggests those very people should voluntarily relinquish [any facet of] their Constitutional right of free speech in order to “elevate” public discourse.
- E-mail us: Chicago's 49th Ward MudZappers > Ward49_MudZapper@Yahoo.COM
WINDY CITY TIMES GETTING IT RIGHT
and
The Chicago Tribune Endorses WHO?!
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Joe's Dive into NUMEROLOGY
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Joe's THEORY OF RELATIVITY
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JOE TAKES A FLYING LEAP
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Witchy City Times
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WalWHO? Joe steps in it, deep.
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JOE'S THE BEST FRIEND A COP NEVER HAD!
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STRANGE BEDFELLOWS IN 49th WARD!
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TOM BRADLEY - ONE SHORT YEAR AGO...
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Sandy Goldman Rocks Rogers Park!
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JOE SUPPRESSES FREE SPEECH! AGAIN!
JOE'S 2003 CHALLENGERS:
TOM BRADLEY
MICHAEL HARRINGTON
KAREN HOOVER
GRADY HUMPHREY
TOPICS ON WWW.FORUM49.ORG - 49th Ward Aldermanic Election - 2/25/2003
