Why Is Woodstock City Hall Shutting Down Free Speech?
Tonight I joined the Cherokee Democrats at their regular Friday night tabling downtown. These are neighbors who volunteer their time, set up a simple table, hand out flyers, and talk with people about what’s happening in our city. This is political speech in a public space—the most protected speech under the First Amendment.
But in Woodstock, City Hall is putting those rights at risk.
About a month ago, one of the main volunteers told me police shut him down after a complaint claimed the table was “illegal.” That was false. He was on public property, not blocking anyone. People could walk around freely. And he didn’t just shrug it off—he worked it out directly with the city. They confirmed that the table could be set up on the grass right next to the sidewalk, but not on the sidewalk itself. He is a smart man, and I have no doubt he was meticulous in confirming those instructions and approvals. I’ve seen it myself.
Tonight it happened again. According to the very polite and professional officer on duty, the order came directly from the City Manager to the Chief of Police. The excuse? That it came from the railroad, claiming we were on their property. It strains belief. Who at the railroad is monitoring a folding table at 8 PM on a Friday night in the middle of downtown? Earlier that evening, police had to tell parents to get their toddler off the actual tracks. That was a real safety concern. We were nowhere near that. We were set up right by the sidewalk, speaking with people safely on the pedestrian path.
So why was the railroad suddenly the problem? The pattern makes it look less like confusion and more like a pretext to shut down Democrats exercising their rights.
And here’s the kicker: last time, the volunteers were told they couldn’t be on the sidewalk but they could be on the grass. Tonight it flipped. Sidewalk off-limits. Grass off-limits. At some point, the constant reversals stop looking like confusion and start looking like harassment.
That is unconstitutional.
Here’s why:
Political speech on sidewalks is at the very heart of the First Amendment. The government cannot restrict it based on content.
Woodstock’s own “special events” ordinance currently classifies even small First Amendment activities like a single table as “events” that require a permit if they “affect the ordinary use” of sidewalks or streets. The ordinance explicitly says, “Freedom of Speech events are not exempt.” That means handing out a flyer could technically require a seven-day advance permit. Courts have consistently struck down schemes like this as overbroad, unreasonable, and unconstitutional.
Complaints are being used selectively. If you’re anti-MAGA, you get shut down. If you’re part of Trump’s crowd, nobody bothers you.
As an activist, I have directly experienced the City of Woodstock — including the City Manager’s office, the council, and the mayor — support or enact policies designed to cripple free speech. That is a violation of constitutional rights, plain and simple. And it is the kind of thinking you expect in Russia, not in a free American city. Combine that attitude with the City Manager’s willingness to pass railroad claims down to the police, and what you have is a city government undermining the rights of its own citizens. I’m not saying the City Manager lied, but it strains belief that the railroad was monitoring a table next to a sidewalk at 8 PM on a Friday night.
This is not about safety. This is about silencing dissent.
And that is exactly why I’m running for mayor.
I am grateful to the Cherokee Democrats for standing firm, week after week, against this nonsense. They are anti-MAGA, and so am I. And I’ll say this clearly: when the Cherokee Republicans finally stop bending the knee to Trump and start standing with real patriots, I’ll welcome their support too.
Woodstock belongs to all of us. Free speech belongs to all of us. And I am not going anywhere.
