This is a photo of the sign. It quotes from the Constitution and says that anyone “born in another country” should “go back to your land.” Also: “The principle of free government[] adheres to the American soil. It is [embedded] in it, immovable as its mountains.” It suggests that America is, or should be, a “white” country. This is political speech expressing anti-immigrant and racially tinged sentiments. But it is still political speech.
There are conflicting reports about where the signs appeared. This report says they appeared on a local information board and a tree.
If the signs only appeared on places that are generally considered appropriate to post neighborhood signs, they would seem to be core political speech protected by the First Amendment. There is no “inappropriate” speech exemption in the First Amendment; the point of it is to protect speech that someone views as “inappropriate.” If, on the other hand, the defendant posted those signs on someone’s front door, that might reasonably be viewed as a targeted threat.
The arrest happened in San Leandro, Calif. In 1970, San Leandro was 97% white. Today, according to the Census bureau, the white population of San Leandro has shrunk to a fairly small minority of 23%. This is a big change over one person’s lifetime.
The defendant is lucky she didn’t post “It’s okay to be white signs.” If she had, the FBI would have been dispatched to investigate such a grave offense against modern political orthodoxy.
This is a photo of the sign. It quotes from the Constitution and says that anyone “born in another country” should “go back to your land.” Also: “The principle of free government[] adheres to the American soil. It is [embedded] in it, immovable as its mountains.” It suggests that America is, or should be, a “white” country. This is political speech expressing anti-immigrant and racially tinged sentiments. But it is still political speech.
There are conflicting reports about where the signs appeared. This report says they appeared on a local information board and a tree.
If the signs only appeared on places that are generally considered appropriate to post neighborhood signs, they would seem to be core political speech protected by the First Amendment. There is no “inappropriate” speech exemption in the First Amendment; the point of it is to protect speech that someone views as “inappropriate.” If, on the other hand, the defendant posted those signs on someone’s front door, that might reasonably be viewed as a targeted threat.
The arrest happened in San Leandro, Calif. In 1970, San Leandro was 97% white. Today, according to the Census bureau, the white population of San Leandro has shrunk to a fairly small minority of 23%. This is a big change over one person’s lifetime.
The defendant is lucky she didn’t post “It’s okay to be white signs.” If she had, the FBI would have been dispatched to investigate such a grave offense against modern political orthodoxy.