I read a story in the NY Times that was so shocking to me
that I actually gasped and covered my mouth with my hands.
Harry Brown of Canton, Ohio,
went to court for a routine hearing in which he would be the defendant. I
wonder if as Mr. Brown walked into the courtroom, he imagined that he might at
one point have his mouth taped shut – literally.
Talk about a violation of the 1st amendment right
to free speech… and the 14th Amendment right to due process… and the
4th Amendment right to be free from the use of excessive force. An arm of the government, Canton Municipal
Court Judge Stephen Belden literally prohibited Brown from speaking, denied him
due process by prohibiting his participation in his own hearing, and responded
to interruptions by taping his mouth shut. As I read through the article, I
slowly lowered my hands from my mouth, thankful that I didn’t have to tear tape
off of it that was put there by a judge.