editorial 36 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com SNAPS QUEENS RAMONES EXHIBIT PHOTO BY RON TORINA Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @ queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@qns. com (subject: Queens Snaps). Keeping free speech free for all Free speech might be the most precious of all the inalienable rights we Americans hold dear. The ability for each of us to read, to think, to speak and to write without fear of government prosecution is something we must treasure, and never take for granted. There are exceptions to the rule, of course; you can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater or make verbal threats of physical harm to someone. Peaceful protest and petition, however, should not be legislated or outlawed, even if the protest centers on ideas we might oppose — or if the form of protest itself is objectionable. Last week, three bus loads of angry Maspeth protesters converged outside the Brooklyn home of Human Resources Commissioner Steven Banks to deliver personally their message of opposition to a proposed homeless shelter in their community. The protest was an inconvenience for the neighbors — and that arguably was the whole point of the protest. Some neighbors didn’t appreciate the noise the protesters made on their block on an otherwise peaceful evening. The day after the protest, Mayor Bill de Blasio himself — when asked about the protest in a radio interview — said the protesters shouldn’t have gone to Banks’ home, and should instead target him. “Come to City Hall, come to Gracie Mansion,” de Blasio said to the protesters who may have been listening. The Maspeth protesters criticized the mayor for his scrutiny, but nonetheless said they would take up the mayor’s challenge — but refused to rule out other protests elsewhere, including the homes of those involved in the ongoing shelter saga. We think the protesters should focus their anger on City Hall, but at the same time, we also believe they ought to be able to peacefully protest where they so choose in order to get their message across. That is their right as Americans. This episode is just another in an ongoing debate in this country over the meaning of free speech. For years, many Americans have sought to outlaw fl ag-burning and snicker at the very thought of a burning fl ag qualifying as free speech. Today, others criticize football players for kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem as a form of protest against police brutality. We should be disgusted at the thought of fl ag-burning, and we can shake our heads at those who refuse to stand for the National Anthem. We cannot, however, ban either action and still call ourselves defenders of freedom. The fl ag and the anthem are symbols of our freedom — but so, too, are expression and protest. THE QUEENS PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA ART DIRECTOR ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR ARTISTS STAFF REPORTERS DIGITAL EDITOR CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS EVENTS COORDINATOR ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH STEPHEN REINA RON TORINA, JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ, CHERYL GALLAGHER KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA SUZANNE MONTEVERDI KATARINA HYBENOVA CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI JACLYN HERTLING DEBORAH CUSICK CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com Entire Contents Copyright 2016 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. identify this PLACE Photo: Katrina Medoff/QNS
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