Dickinson is a Christian who wants to share
his faith publically with others, and on October 3, 2016, went to North Seattle
College, a public college, for this purpose. To avoid trouble, he contacted
campus security about where on campus he could speak, and was directed to an
outdoor courtyard in the middle of campus containing a sign designating it as
the area for free speech. Dickinson soon shared his views there, orally
engaging students with his natural voice about the merits of his Christian
faith. He caused no disturbance, and several students listened to what he
had to say.
However, a short while later, campus security
approached Dickinson, and notified him that he would not be allowed to continue
with his message because someone who had passed through the courtyard
complained about it. Due to the complaint, Dickinson’s message was deemed
a “disturbance”, and campus security forced him to leave. Not wanting
trouble, Dickinson left. But, subsequently, he received a trespass notice
advising that he was permanently banned from all areas of campus, including the
free speech zone.
CRE sent a letter to the college, requesting
they rescind the unconstitutional ban on Dickinson’s speech, but the college
declined. CRE filed suit to restore Dickinson’s free speech rights.
“Once the government opens up an area for
speech, it cannot perpetually ban speech from occurring there because someone
does not like it,” said CRE Chief Counsel Nate Kellum. “Censoring Mr.
Dickinson’s speech because someone complained, the college has effectively
turned its free speech zone into a speech-free zone for Mr. Dickinson.”
Center for Religious Expression is a
servant-oriented, non-profit 501(c)(3) Christian legal organization dedicated
to the glory of God and the religious freedom of His people. For more
information, visit http://www.crelaw.org.
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