THE FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH CONTINUES IN THE CAPITOL
ACLU Represents Accountability Now in Free Speech Lawsuit Against D.C. NPS
Accountability Now is a grassroots organization of volunteers maintaining an ongoing, permitted demonstration against the Trump administration. Their overall mission is to hold government officials accountable for their actions.
Randy Kindle is representing Accountability Now in the lawsuit against the National Park Service. Representing them are the big guns. The ACLU.
The American Civil Liberties Union remains a pillar in the ongoing fight for civil liberties, and as the Trump administration continues their attacks on those looking to exercise their constitutionally protected rights, they have shown up to represent a group that has been doing their own part in the fight for civil liberties.
Randy is a friend. I’ve interviewed him many times and have attended multiple protests and events with him. This interview was different though, as it could only be conducted with the ACLU of DC present. Along with Randy, I spoke with Senior Communications Strategist Yvonne Slosarski and the ACLU-DC Staff Attorney Laura Follansbee.
The lawsuit deals with two signs created by Randy and displayed at the Accountability Now encampment. The signs in question allege sexual misconduct by President Trump and his complicity in the criminal content within the Epstein Files.
In April, the National Park Service told the demonstrators to remove the signs and then threatened further action, saying they were legally obscene and therefor not protected by the first amendment.
“Which is untrue,” Laura said. “The signs are not legally obscene and are protected free speech.”
“I’ve seen all manner of signage alleging crimes by the President and those in his administration,” I said. “Graphic photos of war crimes of the worst kind at countless permitted protests that take place in DC without National Park Service taking action against them. Randy, why do you think they singled in on those two signs specifically when I know there’s been signs of mangled bodies of children calling out the Trump administration for genocide and things like that?”
“I think what we’re seeing here is going to be a larger crackdown on the First Amendment rights and rights to protest in DC,” Randy said. “Since Accountability Now has been down at George Meade and prior to that when other organizations have been at, you know, Columbus Circle, really made a huge impact. And, you know, you’re right. The signs are not unique. They’re not, you know, these are not something that hasn’t been said before. If you look at the right to life protest, a lot of them will carry signs of unborn fetuses or things like that. So kind of grotesque things also or what people would would find offensive. But I think this is a larger crackdown on those First Amendment rights. And we are on the corner of Pennsylvania Constitution and Third right outside of the Capitol. All of these politicians, they see our signs all the time. The White House, they’ve seen our signs, you know, so you can’t you really can’t avoid it. And I think with it, you know, even though they are small signs and we’re we’re kind of a small organization, I think by our location, we have a larger voice. And I think we caught their attention and we made them mad.”
I asked Randy if he believed this blatant attack on free speech to be a testament to the organizations effectiveness and level of influence they garnered while being in the area.
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” he said. “We are always going up to Congress, with different groups, you know, lobbying. We go up there. We’ve participated in civil disobedience on the Hill. I’ve been I’ve been arrested for protesting the Iran war. And so, you know, our our protests and our tactics have been effective and we’ve gotten quite a bit of attention. We know we know that Pete Heggseth knows who we are. Right. J.D. Vance knows who we are. Things like that. And Russell Vought knows who we are. Definitely. So, you know, so we definitely have their attention. So I think the way we’re protesting is really getting under their skin and being effective.”
“It’s absolutely wild the amounts of threats against free speech that we’re seeing,” I said while finishing the interview. “If Trump, the President of the United States, with all the responsibility in the world, were innocent of these alleged crimes, you’d think he’d be willing to sit with investigative journalists and answer to these allegations in full, especially with just how extensive those allegations are. But instead we’re seeing things like this.”
“Yeah,” Randy said. “People get upset at the signs and not the crime.”
Before finishing the call, the ACLU representatives told me another first amendment lawsuit they have taken on. One involving the group of veterans who maintained presence in Washington DC after the deployment of the National Guard. In the wake of the Trump administration working to normalize military presence on civilian streets, these veterans would follow them while playing the Imperial March from Star Wars. A harmless act but nonetheless one that ended in someone being charged.
Yet, another instance of the Trump administration’s constant intent to squash dissent while violating our constitutionally protected rights.
In these unprecedented times, it is our collective responsibility to exercise those rights and continue to fight for them. I, for one, am glad the ACLU is on the case.