Brown University's protest disregards the FA.

There are few places in America where individuals are encouraged to develop and exercise independent thought than in our country’s Universities. So on Brown University’s campus on Tuesday, administrators and event planners were stunned when students acted with such disregard towards the first amendment during the speaking of a guest on campus, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

Kelly, who intended to speak to the students on the subject of the NYPD’s controversial “crime fighting efforts”, which involve the “stop and frisk” policy. Barely able to start his speech entitled “Proactive Policing in America’s Biggest City”, Kelly was relentlessly booed and interrupted by his audience. The interruptions were so disruptive that the event was eventually canceled.

What interested me in this event was that there were two opportunities for the infringement of ones freedom of speech. The students could have been forcibly removed from the lecture, as it was causing a disruption to the speaker and those who wished to hear him speak, but then the students could have claimed that their rights were infringed upon. Alternatively, Kelly could claim that his rights for free speech were infringed because the overthrowing of the students silenced him and canceled his promotional event.

According to the New York Daily News, one student shouted during the event, “It’s not a dialogue, it’s not a discussion,” one heckler yelled. “He doesn’t get to say s—“ (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/brown-students-shout-commish-kelly-talk-article-1.1500618). One student replied in Kelly’s defense, “The way to reach progress is not by fighting, not being angry, but . . . . ” Unfortunately, one voice of reason wasn’t able to finish his thought before being interrupted by a heckler who yelled: “Go write an essay or something!” I don’t necessarily believe that the students should have been dragged out to preserve the speakers ability to speak, but I do believe that students who attend such a reputable institution would have chosen to act in an alternative way to get their message across.

            A statement made by the university president eloquently expressed this sentiment.

“The actions that led to the closing of this afternoon’s lecture prevented any exchange of ideas and deprived the campus and the Providence community of an opportunity to hear and discuss important social issues,” said Christina H. Paxson, Brown’s president, in the statement. “The conduct of disruptive members of the audience is indefensible and an affront both to civil democratic society and to the university’s core values of dialogue and the free exchange of views.” http://www.nationalreview.com/phi-beta-cons/362594/brown-u-students-cant-handle-free-speech-william-gonch 

            In a group’s quest to exercise their free speech, to voice their displeasure with the Commissioners implemented policy, it can be argued that they violated the right itself by silencing those they disagreed with. If I had the opportunity, I would ask the students if they really believed that this was the most effective way of disapproving of a states policy.