Remember the adage: dissent is patriotic? Unfortunately, it seems that dissent is only patriotic as long as it doesn't make us uncomfortable. As winter begins, government entities, including here in Maine, are trying to shut the Occupy Wall Street movement down.
The challenge for all of us is to remember that the First Amendment wasn't designed to protect only the speech that we find comfortable or with which we agree. The best test of our democratic principle of freedom of speech lies in our tolerance as a society for unpopular or minority speech.
That's why it's so upsetting to see the Portland City Council follow the lead of other cities across the country in considering shutting down OccupyMaine here in Portland. Of course, the tents in downtown Portland are disconcerting for many people. I walk through the Occupy encampment every day on my way to work, and every day, I am thankful that I have the good fortune to have employment, food, and decent housing. Every day, when I walk through the Occupy encampment, I am reminded that many of our friends and neighbors across this country are struggling to find work, housing, and adequate food.
Our legal director, Zach Heiden, will be testifying before the Portland City Council tomorrow night at 7 pm. I urge you to attend, even if you have a good job, adequate food, and housing or perhaps, especially if you are fortunate to have a good job, food, and housing. The City Council needs to see that this is not just about the Occupy protestors and where they will stay this winter. It's about all of us, as a democratic society. Sure, some of those tents may make us uncomfortable. They are even arguably an "eyesore," although as our public policy counsel, Alysia Melnick, pointed out today, "The sight of so many people giving up their time and their material comforts in support of a higher political purpose is beautiful."
The OccupyMaine movement will continue to have to work with one another and with city authorities to ensure that the health and safety of the protestors is secure. Our colleagues at the ACLU of Northern California who are defending the rights of protestors in Oakland and elsewhere said it best:
"In dealing with the Occupy movement, cities and universities have lost sight of the big picture. The biggest threat to the health and safety of our communities is not a tent on a lawn or students linking arms. The biggest threat to us all takes the form of a violent police reaction to peaceful political expression. We must do better."
