[Peace-discuss] Freedom of speech in CA (not in IL)

[Robert Naiman]

I saw WWJB last night (the last night, unfortunately, but I suppose
the movie will be available on video soon.) There was a scene in which
Rev. Billy was arrested. But they weren't just passing out leaflets.
:)

My only regret about the movie was that it didn't link to any
campaigns. No doubt this is in part a result of the lead time to
produce and distribute a Hollywood movie - by the time the movie is
out, the target of the campaign might have changed. (The movie did
give a good platform to the National Labor Committee talking about
sweatshops.)

Still, in the scene where Rev. Billy's companion bemoans that they
aren't having any effect, I couldn't help thinking, "that's because
you're not being strategic. you're not linking up with anyone and
you're swinging in all directions at once. the church of stop shopping
should link up with the coalition for immokole workers and go visit
burger king..."

On Dec 28, 2007 11:30 AM, Stuart Levy <slevy at ncsa.uiuc.edu> wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 28, 2007 at 11:14:35AM -0600, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> > [Local liberals are aghast at our suggestion that places like Lincoln
> > Square are "the modern equivalent of a town square or community meeting
> > place," but the California Supreme Court has grasped this obvious point.
>
> Who's aghast?  This sounds like the middle of a conversation I've missed.
>
>
> > (And  I do love the objection that protesters were attacking the shopping
> > center's "right to exist"; I wonder if that argument will be used
> > elsewhere?) Happy new year.  --CGE]
>
> Hope many of us saw "What Would Jesus Buy", which was at the New Art.
> Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir travelled across the nation,
> singing at shopping malls (and elsewhere) and encouraging people
> to recognize the scourge of consumerism and to Stop Shopping.
> No mention of legal action, but they were urged off the premises
> of every mall -- still, thanks to guerrilla theater tactics they
> were able to make their point.
>
> >       California's top court curbs malls seeking to limit boycotts
> >       Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
> >       Tuesday, December 25, 2007
> >
> > SAN FRANCISCO -- Labor unions and political protesters are protected by
> > freedom of speech when they leaflet shoppers at malls in California and
> > urge them to boycott stores, a sharply divided state Supreme Court ruled
> > Monday.
>
> Yep, this is great news.
>
>   [...]
>
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org