Superior Court Judge Monica Marlow ordered a halt on the Shasta County Redding Library's policy that states groups handing out leaflets must stay in a special 66 square foot area outside the library after the library was sued separately by the American Civil Liberties Union of California and the North State Tea Party Alliance.Damn, that was a long sentence.
Seems the library wanted the annoying people handing out political materials to stop annoying their patrons, wrote up a policy, and got sued for the policy by the annoying people and a normally clear-headed organization that is not the Tea Party. The argument is all about free speech, which is great, but also about solicitation, which is arguably not great. I am fine with people handing out leaflets and flyers and whatever else they want, but get the hell out of my face when I am looking for a book or want some peace and quiet with my laptop in the library.
Yes, free speech should reign at the library. No, I should not have to have someone pushing the information in my face unless I ask a rather tenacious librarian for it.
Redding.com