YAL leaders take Fight for Free Speech at Los Angeles Pierce College to Court!

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By Pooja Bachani

On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported the filling of a lawsuit by Young Americans for Liberty Chapter President Kevin Shaw against Los Angeles Pierce College, a member of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD).

Shaw started the YAL chapter on October 25, 2016 with the help of California State Chair Andrew Marc Di Giovanna and Leadership Institute field representative Gabriel Nadales . On November 2nd the three met to help Shaw recruit for his newly formed chapter.

Unbeknownst to them, whilst handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution they were ironically violating school policies that restrict free speech expression to a free speech zone, an area totaling approximately 616 square feet.

The three liberty warriors were told by a Pierce administrator they needed to acquire a permit and  move to the free speech zone, and they peacefully complied. Standing slightly outside the free speech zone, Di Giovanna, Nadales, and Shaw were accosted by the same campus administrator to stay within the lines and obtain a permit.

At this point Di Giovanna contacted YAL Director of Free Speech, Alexander Staudt for guidance and began recording the exchange between Shaw and the administrator. Shaw courageously asked the administrator which policies he was violating, why he had to leave, and what would happen if he didn’t comply.

These questions, generated by the Foundation of Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), help to identify not only the policy but also the supporting intent, and the extent of potential responsive university force.

The Pierce administrator refused to cite the specific policy, informed the YAL leaders that they would be escorted off campus if they refused to comply with the university’s demand for a permit. LA Pierce College falls under the jurisdiction of LACCD. There are a total of nine colleges in the LA area that follow the same unconstitutional policy restricting free speech.

Shaw’s lawsuit is the first of FIRE’s new Million Voices Campaign and is filed in partnership with Arthur Willner, a partner at Leader & Berkon LLP, according to FIRE’s website. The case challenges Pierce College’s unconstitutional free speech zone, permit requirement, and LACCD’s requirement that each university president designate a free speech zone

Di Giovanna and Shaw’s work at Pierce is the latest win in YAL’s Fight for Free Speech, a comprehensive effort to move the wheels of liberty forward, one unconstitutional free speech policy at a time.


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