Still Fighting For Our First Amendment Rights in DC

From Tom Fitton’s NewsMax article

In our fight for our First Amendment rights, Judicial Watch filed an opposition to a request to dismiss our civil rights lawsuit against Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other responsible D.C. officials who failed to grant us permission to paint “Because No One Is Above the Law!” on a D.C. street.

We told the court that Mayor Bowser and the other D.C. officials acted arbitrarily and engaged in prohibited viewpoint discrimination in failing to grant our request.

The lawsuit (Judicial Watch. v. Muriel Bowser, et al. (No. 1:20-cv-01789)) arose after two political messages – “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police” – were painted on 16th Street NW, across from the White House.

Here’s the history.

On June 5, 2020, after days of protests and riots in Washington, D.C., led by the Black Lives Matter movement, a team of artists, residents, District employees, and demonstrators painted “Black Lives Matter” and the District’s crest, which resembles three stars above an “equals” sign, on 16th Street NW.

The following day, demonstrators painted “Defund the Police,” a key demand of the Black Lives Matter movement, alongside the “Black Lives Matter” message. The District government admits that the demonstrators lacked permission to paint “Defund the Police” on the street. To a reasonable viewer, the entire message can be read “Black Lives Matter Equals Defund the Police.”

Read More Here.