Faced with cancelling their forums on controversial topics or signing up for a million dollar liability policy at increased rates, the Long Island Progressive Coalition's Huntington Chapter, decided to sue the Huntington Public Library. The Library folded when faced with the suit prepared by lawyers from the Suffolk New York Civil Liberties Union. The victory of the Huntington chapter of the Long Island Progressive Coalition can be cloned according to Marc Klein of the Huntington LIPC. In a conversation with our reporter, Klein suggested that organizations across Long Island who are unable to use publicly funded facilities for their meetings could use the work of the lawyers who prepared to sue the Huntington Library. Contact the LIPC at 516-541-1006 ext 11 for more information.
* Excerpted from the Long Island Progressive Coalition newsletter "LI Action" for April, 2006:
by Marc Klein, Huntington Chapter, Long Island Progressive Coalition
It could be observed that after a 9 month conflict, the Suffolk NY Civil Liberties Union , on behalf of the Long Island Progressive Coalition, was days away from filing a lawsuit in Federal Court against the Huntington Public Library, when the library retracted its policy of banning groups wishing to meet in its facility unless the groups had a $1,000,000 liability policy; thus freedom of assembly and speech were restored.
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The battle for access to taxpayer supported facilities is just beginning and the public's understanding and help are essential if arbitrary policies barring free speech are to be successfully exposed and challenged.
What happened in Huntington? In September of 2002, the Huntington Chapter of LIPC applied for use of the library to conduct a debate concerning the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The Huntington Library's director rejected the application, labeling the LIPC a 'partisan organization' and thus not entitled to access. The chapter ... notified the Presdent of the library's Board of Trustees that the director was erroneously maintaining that the right of free speech is dependent on the source of the speech .... and in violation of the .. spirit and letter of the first ammendment. ... members of the chapter and a Suffolk NY Civil Liberties Union attorney met with the director, who reversed her decision and permitted the debate to go forward.
Thereby began a two and one half yar monthly series of forums entitled "Patriot Games", dealing with the war on terrorism ... causes and consequences and issues of democracy and social justice.
[ the forums continued but the Library required that the Chapter have $1,000,000 in liability insurance. The Chapter, although they had the insurance, protested and the forums continued until the insurance policy ran out. Renewal would have been at an increased premium.]
The Library denied the request [to continue without the insurance] and thereby put and end to the monthly series of "Patriot Games".
The chapter staged a number of protests, maintaining that usage of public building, built for the public, with public funds, and with public meeting rooms, was protected by the first amendment and that the library could not vitiate the chapter's civil liberties and that freedom of speech could not be predicated on the ability to purchase insurance and that usage must be made available to the public equitably on a first-come first-serve basis and not be dependent on the wealth of a group or its connections. In short, neither the library nor its insurance carrier could erase first amendment protections or crate a usage-charge reminiscent of a voting "poll tax".
The library board remained unmoved by public protestations till the Suffolk NY Civil Liberties Union informed it that the LIPC was about to file a compaint in Federal Court. ... shortly after the .. Board of Trustees...officially rescinded it liability policy.
... Yet the problem is not over. Other Nassau and Suffolk public venues are denying or making it difficult for groups to assemble and speak. If you have had a problem obtaining public space, notify the LIPC. ... "
The Patriot Games Forums are scheduled monthly. They are at the Library at 338 Main St. (Route 25A) in Huntington Village.
Contact Marc Klein at playfair6@aol.com
