CHICAGO — After large scale protests and clashes with supporters led Donald Trump's campaign to cancel the presidential candidate's Chicago rally, observers from both sides of the aisle were quick to criticize the city for blocking "free speech."
To be clear: the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly from laws passed by Congress that would prohibit them. As a refresher, here's the full text:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Voices from one side drowning out their opponents do not constitute a Congressional act to silence Americans seeking to voice their opinions.
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But as Trump fans and foes took to social media this weekend to slam Chicago and its residents for "blocking free speech," residents pushed back, defending the city's stance on censoring unpopular opinions with a familiar face as a case study: Samuel Chambers, Chicago's "State Street Preacher."
A meme featuring Chambers circulated locally after Trump's rally was canceled and was shared more than 3,000 times:
Chambers has been preaching on State Street six days a week for 45 years, armed with a microphone and a small, portable speaker.
His strong religious views and propensity to comment on the behaviors of passerby have made him a polarizing figure on State Street, but aside from a recent 2014 scuffle, his commentary has been largely uninterrupted for decades.
As the viral Facebook meme argues: "anyone thinking Chicago denies Freedom of Speech doesn't know this guy."
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