Who Enforces Criminal Speech?

Picture courtesy of freespeechdebate.com

Picture this: eight college guys decide to play a pick-up basketball game at the local playground. As competitive sports often do, things get a little heated between teams. One 18 year old freshman calls another player a “bitch.” A nearby resident walking her dog in the playground hears the verbal jawing and calls the police. When the officer arrives, she points the freshman out and explains what horrific things she heard. The police proceed to arrest the freshman and bring him to jail. 

Seems pretty ridiculous, doesn’t it? Well, if Mass Representative Dan Hunt gets his way, this scenario and others like it, will be playing out all across Massachusetts. To say Hunt and his cronies have their priorities straight would be a tale of fantasy. Hunt claims house bill H.3719 was the brainchild of an unnamed constituent and he is merely doing the work of the people. I find that difficult to believe. Hunt is a lawyer by trade and proud graduate of Suffolk Law School. One would think a Suffolk trained member of the bar would scoff at a constitutional amendment altering suggestion from a constituent. But, of course this is 2019 and the criminalization of name-calling plays right into the modern day victimization culture. 

What’s ironic is Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins (the county Hunt represents) refuses to prosecute so-called minor crimes like shoplifting and assault on a police officer. I wonder if she is on board with unconstitutional word control? If the above basketball scenario plays out and DA Rollins finds our freshman in her court, will she refuse to prosecute such a low-level offense? I’m not so sure. My guess is a law like this plays right in Rollins’ wheelhouse...as long as the suspect fits her form of criminal justice warrior reform. -RJD

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