ACLU sues AATA over refusal of anti-Israel bus advertisement

Annarbor.com ^ | 11-28-2011 | Cindy Heflin

[Darren McCarty]

The ACLU has sued the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and CEO Michael Ford over the agency’s refusal to accept an advertisement calling for a boycott of Israel from pro-Palestinian activist Blaine Coleman of Ann Arbor.

The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Detroit alleges AATA violated Coleman’s First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to due process. It argues AATA’s policy is vague and overly broad. It asks the court to order AATA to display the advertisement under the same terms offered to other advertisers and to award Coleman damages, court costs and reasonable attorney fees.

..

Coleman sent AATA an email in December 2010 requesting information about how much it would cost to purchase an ad on the side or back of the bus that runs along State Street, South University, and North University on and near the University of Michigan campus, the lawsuit alleges. No one responded immediately, the lawsuit said, and Coleman sent several more emails in January and included a copy of the proposed ad with the words “Boycott Israel, Boycott Apartheid,” and a cartoonish black-and-white image that depicts a skeleton-like figure holding a skull in its right hand and a bone in its left.

..

The lawsuit alleges that AATA “almost never rejects advertisements for failing to comply with its advertising policy” and offers several examples to support that claim. As evidence, it notes that advertising policy prohibits ads supporting or opposing any candidate for political office or any ballot proposal, but the lawsuit alleges AATA ran political campaign advertisements supporting Joan Lowenstein and Margaret Conners for district court judge in 2008.

The suit also notes that AATA has accepted ads from religious organizations and run ads with messages such as “Breastfeeding makes babies smarter,” and “Two-Faced Landlords Can Be Stopped. Housing Discrimination Is Against the Law.

[Darren McCarty]

Blaine Coleman may be a real schmuck, but that doesn't matter. This one's going to be interesting. The question here is what other bus advertisements have been approved and what ones have not. AATA has to be consistent.

[raygunfan]

wait till an actual anti muslim ad tries to go up, let’s see the aclu chime in, in favor of it...

[AppyPappy]

Ironically, the ACLU is suing the Giles County School board for allowing the 10 Commandments to be posted in a school.

[JoyjoyfromNJ]

for your review & possible ping.

Note the route the bus will travel: near the University of Michigan, which has a large Muslim population.

[SECURE AMERICA]

Hate speech is not protected by the First Amendment.

[Darren McCarty]

Hate speech is indeed protected. Most think it isn’t but that is a myth.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

I won't even mention the possibility of anti terrorist ads. Like anti Hamas, or anti Hizbollah, not anti Islam. Wait for the pro Israel ads, which someone might attempt to place. We'll see what the ACLU says.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Darren McCarty. A-squared news.

[grellis]

MICHIGAN PING LIST

Please freepmail me if you wish to be added or dropped from the mitten ping.

[stayathomemom]

Note the route the bus will travel: near the University of Michigan, which has a large Muslim population.

That route circles through the main part of campus, which is very busy with students. It's very inflammatory action on his part. There are lots of Jewish students on campus, too.