Dissent on Michigan campuses is becoming rare due to heavy-handed rules – and student demanding their constitutional rights – as NAACP is asked to look at Finlandia University – and students at Grand Valley State University say anti-trump protestors were given free reign while they have been confined and halted under threat of arrest
The Speech Zone Policy: Grand Valley State University Students Tim McKeeby and Joe Tucker are demanding their rights
Something tells us Finlandia University may see itself in federal court soon
By Greg Peterson
U.P. Breaking News
Owner, News Director
906-273-2433
(Grand Rapids, MI) – Today in federal court Two Grand Valley State University students took their own administration to court over freedom of speech issue – and whether university bosses can set arbitrary speech zones – all but hidden from view
Those students – Tim McKeeby and Joe Tucker – are “interested in speaking with other students at GVSU regarding important issues” about the U.S. Constitution “including the students’ constitutional rights of speech and assembly.”
“In furtherance of this desire,” McKeeby formed Turning Point USA (TPUSA) as a student group at GVSU. The campus is located in Allendale, MI about 12 miles west of Grand Rapids.
This following an anti-Trump rally that was allowed by GVSU – under the approving eyes of officials. But these two GVSU students were told they could not talk to their peers in a public forum of their choosing.
U.P. Breaking News paid the feds for this – so we are sharing it with you:
Grand Valley State University Students Tim McKeeby, Joe Tucker lawsuit over trustee’s restrictive “Speech Zone Policy” – lawsuit and exhibits:
The case “arises from policies and practices of Grand Valley State University “GVSU” and public officials employed by the University that restrict the expressive rights of students,” the suit states.
“The University’s Free Speech/Open Forum Areas Policy” regulates “expressive activity on campus, limits expressive activity to two small areas on campus and requires students to obtain the prior permission of the University before engaging in speech in the two small speech zones.”
“The Speech Zone Policy” grants University officials “unbridled discretion to restrict the content and viewpoint of student speech,” the lawsuit states.
On October 17, 2016, McKeeby and Tucker “were on a large, open walkway in front of the Student Services Building on GVSU’s campus talking with students about their First Amendment rights under the United States Constitution” and giving students a chance to “write messages on a large beach ball” dubbed the “Free Speech Ball.” McKeeby, Tucker, and two others “were not blocking access to buildings or pedestrian traffic,” the lawsuit states.
“GVSU administrators and campus security approached Plaintiffs and the other individuals and informed them that they were violating the Speech Zone Policy and they were not allowed to conduct expressive activity in this location on campus,” the lawsuit alleges. “The GVSU administrators and campus security instructed Plaintiffs and the other individuals that they must immediately stop engaging in the speech activities or they would be arrested for trespassing.”
“The police officers stated that they would be arrested for trespassing and again ordered them to stop talking with students in that area,” the lawsuit alleges. “Although Plaintiffs disagreed with the unconstitutional order, Plaintiffs complied with the order and stopped talking with students outside of the speech zone”
The Speech Zone Policy:
The Speech Zone Policy restricts student speech and other expressive activity to two small areas on campus:
The first speech zone is the “circle drive/sidewalk area around the Cook Carillon Tower.” square (Exhibit 3), and the second speech zone is “the academic mall area within 50 feet of the sculpture Transformational Link (blue metal building),” the lawsuit explains. “The two speech zones combined equal less than a third of an acre which comprises approximately 2/100th of a percent of the GVSU campus.”
“On November 16, 2016, Mr. Tucker observed a large crowd of students holding signs and marching around campus outside of the two small speech zones protesting the recent election of Donald Trump,” The lawsuit states. “The student protestors stood directly outside of the Student Services Building” shouting slogans such as “Donald Trump go away. Racist, sexist, anti-gay.”
“The protestors even went inside of the Student Services Building for a period of time,” the lawsuit states. Tucker observed “students in front of the Student Services Building for a period of time” and those anti-Trump protestors “were never approached by any GVSU administrator or campus police officer or ordered to stop engaging in these speech activities outside of the speech zones.”
——-
Turning Point USA at Grand Valley State University Plaintiffs Tim McKeeby and Joe Tucker:
v.
The Trustees of Grand Valley State University:
Victor M. Cardenas, David S. Hooker, John C. Kennedy, Mary L. Kramer, John G. Russell, Megan S. Sall, David L. Way, and Kate Pew Wolters — all individually and all in their official capacities as members of the Board of Trustees of Grand Valley State University;
THOMAS J. HAAS, President of Grand Valley State University, in his official and individual capacities;
GAYLE R. DAVIS, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs of Grand Valley State University, in her official and individual capacities;
BOB STOLL, Associate Dean of Student Life at Grand Valley State University, in his official and individual capacities,
Upper Peninsula Breaking News by Greg Peterson 