GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Grand Rapids City Commission was notified by letter from the non-profit free speech watchdog Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression that their rules for public comment were unconstitutional.
The letter from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression – or FIRE – was included in the most recent city commission meeting last week. At issue, the letter states, is “the Commission prohibits ‘[m]aking impertinent, slanderous, or profane remarks” at its meetings.”
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The letter to the Grand Rapids City Commission was part of an effort to contact 20 Michigan cities and towns and notify them about similar issues with their public comment rules.
According to FIRE, Clinton Township bans talk of excrement, “disrespectful” references to the supernatural and “personal attacks.”
Southgate City Council bans “vulgar, obscene . . . or otherwise inappropriate language or gestures.”
The city council in Romulus doesn’t allow comments about racial, ethnic, religious, sexual or national origin “overtones.”
Rochester Hills doesn’t allow “inappropriate” public comments at its meetings, according to FIRE.
“Public office doesn’t come with the power to muzzle the people you serve,” said FIRE Director of Public Advocacy Aaron Terr. “These cities should immediately repeal their unconstitutional public comment rules to avoid being dragged into court. Otherwise they won’t just be violating the First Amendment — they’ll be writing checks to the constituents they tried to silence.”
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Steve Guitar, spokesman for the city, just said the city received the letter.
FIRE filed a similar suit in November 2022 against the city of Eastpointe. In April 2024, FIRE said it settled the lawsuit and the city of Eastpointe agreed not to enforce its unconstitutional ban on speech, allowed citizens to criticize public officials, agreed to pay $83,000 in court costs and apologized to residents.