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Florida gov. declares state of emergency before Richard Spencer speech

Gov. Rick Scott on Monday declared a state of emergency in Florida's Alachua County three days ahead of a scheduled speech at the University of Florida campus in Gainesville by the white nationalist Richard Spencer.

The governor's order, Number 17-264, gives all state agencies the power to suspend rules and regulations, including for purchasing, travel and personnel actions. Scott also activated his authority as governor to spend surplus money as he deems necessary.

UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes said Scott's action wiIl make it easier for the state-funded university to seek reimbursement for some security costs.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...of-emergency-before-white-nationalist/2341264
 

Blizzard

Banned
I'm surprised and sad they even gave him a platform at UF.

Are the extra security costs to protect from any would-be punchers?
 

Buckle

Member
Uh....

Pardon my ignorance here - but why not just cancel the fucking speech?
Much easier for the university to just give a nazi a platform and cross their fingers nobody gets hurt because they allowed a monster to incite hate speech in their state.
 

KDR_11k

Member
Uh....

Pardon my ignorance here - but why not just cancel the fucking speech?

Universities are bound by the first amendment. Though I don't think anything in there says speakers have to be protected from the mob...
 

Blizzard

Banned
Universities are bound by the first amendment. Though I don't think anything in there says speakers have to be protected from the mob...
Then how come a bunch of other universities have cancelled speeches? The first amendment doesn't say a given university has to give a particular speaker a platform, does it?

*edit* I see BlueLiquid's post because the venue is paid for. If federal judges start taking the side of nazis, times are going to get real dark. The judicial branch has been one of the few things holding the country together in the last 10 months.
 

Sylas

Member
Then how come a bunch of other universities have cancelled speeches? The first amendment doesn't say a given university has to give a particular speaker a platform, does it?
Depends on if it’s a state-funded institution or not. If it is, they have to observe the first amendment as they aren’t a private institution.

The law needs to be blind as possible until hate speech becomes punishable. Otherwise things get really messy when you have conservative judges making calls.
 
They can say no, and have a fight in court. But they're fucking cowards.

They did say no. They are in the process of being sued. It's possible their general counsel/outside legal saw what was going to happen, though. If there isn't a direct disruption to the class environment in a college setting, public colleges have very little ability to restrict speech. And yeah, given our great system, clear hate speech is protected too.

An error of our ways. Or a feature. I don't know.

Edit: Yeah, didn't see that a federal judge in the Auburn situation provided some now recent precedent on this. UF would lose and lose badly. Then have to dole out money to them more than likely in the process - in addition to hosting them.
 
Then how come a bunch of other universities have cancelled speeches? The first amendment doesn't say a given university has to give a particular speaker a platform, does it?

I'm not sure, but maybe because this is for a public university, instead of a private one?
 

Blizzard

Banned
I'm not sure, but maybe because this is for a public university, instead of a private one?
Yeah, someone pointed it out earlier. I didn't realize there were rules that public universities are required to allow anyone to be hosted and say anything at their venues as long as they've been paid for.
 
I'm not sure, but maybe because this is for a public university, instead of a private one?

Yeah, the public ones that have tried to ban him and his group have been sued. And it looks like in one case, Auburn University lost in federal court over the matter. Private schools can do whatever they want. Public ones are bound by our increasingly shitty constitution.
 

TS-08

Member
Then how come a bunch of other universities have cancelled speeches? The first amendment doesn't say a given university has to give a particular speaker a platform, does it?

Those universities may have been private or may have just decided to assume the risk of litigation.

Generally speaking, a public university cannot engage in viewpoint discriminate with respect to a forum it provides. So it wouldn’t be a test of whether the university is required to provide such a platform or forum, but whether the University is engaging in such discrimination by deciding certain speakers or topics cannot use the forum it provides.
 

Davilmar

Member
On whom is the question. I can't imagine local Gainesville cops are going to want to beat up too many students considering it's going to blow back in their faces. If cops are imported from out of town, who knows.

In my experience both going to the University of Florida and living in Gainesville, I wouldn't be too confident of that.
 

Zoso

It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time.
So University of Florida has to allow this event and is responsible for the $500,000 security bill? That's fucked up.

No one at our university invited Mr. Spencer, nor is anyone at UF sponsoring this event. UF has been clear and consistent in its denunciation of all hate speech and racism, and in particular the racist speech and white-nationalist values of Mr. Spencer. I personally find the doctrine of white supremacy abhorrent and denounce all forms of racism and hate.

If you are like me, I expect you are surprised and even shocked to learn that UF is required by law to allow Mr. Spencer to speak his racist views on our campus, and that we are not allowed by law to bill him for the full costs of keeping our campus safe, which exceed more than a half million dollars.
http://statements.ufl.edu/statements/2017/10/personal-message-from-president-fuchs.html
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
People should pelt his racist ass with rotten veggies and show him just how much they don't want him there.
 

Vire

Member
State of emergency for a guy giving a speech. I think this tells you everything you need to know.

Shame that UF couldn't outright cancel this garbage.
 
Or.......

We could classify White Supremacists, Nazi's and the KKK as terrorist organizations (that they are) and treat them the same fucking way we would treat ISIS if someone invited them to speak at a college.

But that's crazy talk. White supremacy will always defend its own no matter what.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
First Amendment goes both ways.
There was a time when Universities would do everything in their power to not host people standing up for gay or minority civil rights. I'd even argue that that's still the case in other venues. The fact that Spencer can invoke free speech rights as well is an unfortunate side effect of a very necessary amendment.
 

Late Flag

Member
If federal judges start taking the side of nazis, times are going to get real dark. The judicial branch has been one of the few things holding the country together in the last 10 months.

Federal judges are always going to take the side of Nazis when the question is whether they enjoy the same first amendment rights as everybody else. Skokie settled this back in the 1970s.
 

Slayven

Member
Federal judges are always going to take the side of Nazis when the question is whether they enjoy the same first amendment rights as everybody else. Skokie settled this back in the 1970s.

I mean yeah white dudes upholding the power of a document written for white dudes back when they were kings and everyone else was property
 

Blizzard

Banned
There was a time when Universities would do everything in their power to not host people standing up for gay or minority civil rights. I'd even argue that that's still the case in other venues. The fact that Spencer can invoke free speech rights as well is an unfortunate side effect of a very necessary amendment.
Federal judges are always going to take the side of Nazis when the question is whether they enjoy the same first amendment rights as everybody else. Skokie settled this back in the 1970s.

Both of you seem to be assuming that the judicial branch will treat both sides fairly, legally, and equally, though. :p I'm suggesting they could conceivably start favoring nazis in the future, particularly if Trump fills enough judicial spots, and white supremacy continues to flourish.

At one time I'd think this would be extremely unlikely, but now I think it's a small possibility.
 
There was a time when Universities would do everything in their power to not host people standing up for gay or minority civil rights. I'd even argue that that's still the case in other venues. The fact that Spencer can as well is an intentional feature of white privilege.

FTFY. You're welcome.
 
On whom is the question. I can't imagine local Gainesville cops are going to want to beat up too many students considering it's going to blow back in their faces. If cops are imported from out of town, who knows.

I'm sure someone is going to come in here and tell me how wrong I am, but the cops in Gainesville are generally good people. Gainesville as a whole is an incredibly liberal place even when not taking into consideration the students there. The city removed it's one Confederate statue like one or two days after the Charlottesville event. Even if the police wanted to be thugs there would be consequences here for their actions.

I thought this event got cancelled? What changed did they just end up delaying it?
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
Both of you seem to be assuming that the judicial branch will treat both sides fairly, legally, and equally, though. :p I'm suggesting they could conceivably start favoring nazis in the future, particularly if Trump fills enough judicial spots, and white supremacy continues to flourish.

At one time I'd think this would be extremely unlikely, but now I think it's a small possibility.
Of course they won't. That's why the law is necessary. Trump would declare every Trump protest as hate speech if he could.

FTFY. You're welcome.
Under that assumption, Spencer and his ilk don't need the legal system to do whatever they want. It's everyone else that needs the protections.
 

Vire

Member
The good thing is that Dick Spencer is speaking in a pretty liberal area. I would be genuinely surprised if there is a good turnout.
 
Or.......

We could classify White Supremacists, Nazi's and the KKK as terrorist organizations (that they are) and treat them the same fucking way we would treat ISIS if someone invited them to speak at a college.

But that's crazy talk. White supremacy will always defend its own no matter what.
No lies found.

This certainly is a feature of the US, not a bug.
 
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