A-A-Ron

The more I think about it, the more inspired I am by @ogafroman’s saga. He was the victim of a wrongful raid by police. His property was damaged, and money disappeared after the raid. He could have stayed quiet. He’s quite successful. In the grand scheme of things, the missing $400 might not seem like a big deal (leaving aside the property damage & trauma of being raided). But he didn’t. He spoke up. He made several music videos criticizing the police, the officers, the “informant,” and the judge who issued the warrant. The videos made a splash. And what happens next? The officers sued Afroman because they didn’t like his criticism—accusing him of defamation. Again, Afroman could have stood down. He could have taken down the videos. Once again, he stood his ground. The officers took him to court. They made their case claiming defamation and false light. Afroman took the stand. And he was clear: he was exercising his First Amendment rights after government officials wronged *him*. This was a First Amendment issue. The officers were trying to silence him and his ability to parody/criticize the officers. A jury of Afroman’s peers sided with him. All charges against him were dismissed. Bravo to Afroman. Standing up for yourself in the face of wrongful government action is never easy. The First Amendment is designed to protect our ability to speak freely—perhaps nowhere more clearly than when we speak out against the government itself. And that’s exactly what Afroman did here. Afroman is a Free Speech Hero.

@courtsidemenace