FREE SPEECH TO BE TOPIC OF PROGRAM CANYONS INSTRUCTOR, LAWYER TO TALK.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer VALENCIA -- Many people believe free speech doesn't mean someone has the right to yell ``Fire!'' in a crowded theater. But how about protesting in a crowded mall? Robert Brode, an attorney and instructor at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. , has made such constitutional questions a focus of his career. As department chair for administration of justice and real estate at the college, Brode first studied free-speech rights on private property when he was a sergeant with the Burbank Police Department The Burbank Police Department is the police department serving Burbank, California. Tim Stehr became the Police Chief of the department on August 1, 2007. The previous chiefs were Thomas Hoefel, David Newsham and Glen Bell. . Individuals were trying to solicit money or get signatures for political petitions by standing in front of stores, prompting store owners to call the police. ``It all comes back to the California Constitution The California Constitution is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U.S. state of California. The original constitution, adopted in November 1849 in the U.S. , which gives the people of the state of California a lot more freedom to express themselves than the U.S. Constitution,'' Brode said. A 1980 U.S. Supreme Court ruling -- in a case involving anti-Vietnam War protests years before at a Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into -- found the state constitution permitted free speech on private property. And that case opened the way for individuals to solicit money for causes or petition signatures inside shopping centers. But a 1997 court ruling in the case of a union protesting outside Guess? jeans stores in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area came down on the side of mall and store owners. That gave mall owners new powers over solicitors, Brode said. Those included the right to designate areas of the mall where individuals could solicit, limiting the size of posters and even imposing blackout periods during the holidays. Brode, 61, praises the 1997 decision for bringing order to free speech conflicts within shopping centers. ``Today, it isn't as problematic as it used to be as a result of that,'' he said. ``And people aren't aware of that.'' Larry Mankin, executive director of the Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks a mall or store owner shouldn't have to be too accommodating to protesters on their property. But he added that free speech conflicts haven't been a problem at the Valencia Town Center or other area businesses. ``We're not much of a protest community,'' he said. Brode -- who also was a judge advocate general judge advocate general (J.A.G.) n. a military officer who advises the government on courts-martial and administers the conduct of courts-martial. The officers who are judge advocates and counsel assigned to the accused come from the office of the judge advocate with the 40th Infantry Division Support Brigade of the California National Guard The California National Guard is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of California. It comprises both Army and Air National Guard components. at Los Alamitos -- will hold a public presentation and discussion on free speech issues next month. Among the issues will be recent developments including privacy rights and the proliferation of security cameras in urban areas. ``Cameras are almost a given way of life in some places,'' he said. ``London, for instance, has cameras on almost every street corner, and police officers are watching them.'' Brode said he's concerned about how common cameras in public places are becoming. ``We as a country traditionally do not trust government, not just our own, we don't trust other governments as well,'' he said. ``And I think that's why it becomes an issue.'' alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 IF YOU GO Robert Brode will speak about free speech and constitutional rights at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at College of the Canyon's Performing Arts Center A performing arts center, often abbreviated PAC, is a multi-use performance space that can be adapted for use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music and theatre. in Valencia. The event is free. For more information, call (661) 362-3737. CAPTION(S): box Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion