Our message regarding the attacks on Freedom of Speech could not have come at a better moment

USC Law Professor Jody Armour addresses ACLU gathering on the student demonstrations against Israel’s war against Palestinians

An important event occurred at my home in Mt. Washington last weekend in North East Los Angeles. It was the synthesis of many years of personal and collective effort to make a difference in this world, which is fraught with contradiction and malaise.

The ACLU of Southern California, Pasadena Foothills Chapter’s garden party on March 19th—cosponsored by the LA Progressive—was a phenomenal success! Over 75 people from around the area attended, including members, non-members, and neighbours, who were all extremely concerned about the threats our democracy is facing. And although I am serving as the Chapter’s current president, credit is due to our organizing teams and activists who have been at it for many years. It was a celebration of our work and a call to action for the immediate future of our imperiled democracy.

Our message regarding the attacks on Freedom of Speech could not have come at a better moment. Our speakers? On target. And a jazz trio that set the tone for the afternoon. And the food? A superb array of tacos and salsas, of course! And because we are in Los Angeles, on the land once the Tongvan nation, there is no debate regarding tacos. Siempre excellente!

The theme was about the current environment of profound threats targeting freedom of speech and the press, our cherished fundamental rights as Americans, which is the raison d’être for the ACLU. It must be said that the overall consensus of our audience, a diverse gathering of old and young, all united in the pursuit of a greater good. But there was something even deeper going on. Serendipity without work is nothing more than a daydream. We happened to find ourselves at the confluence of interconnected issues that collectively and in some ways sub-consciously were woven together by our efforts over decades of socio-political activism for social justice and in support of rational perspectives on war and peace. It expressed a desire to get to the heart of the matter, extracting truth from a torrent of distraction.

Our speaker line-up was compelling and well versed in the current moment of unrest across college campuses worldwide, featuring Estee Chandler, co-founder of Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles; USC Law Professor and student liaison Jody Armour; Constitutional expert and Past President of the ACLU of Southern California, Stephen Rohde; Vincent Di Stefano, National Director of Assange Defense; and Mohammed Tajsar, ACLU staff attorney specializing in national security issues and anti-Muslim biases.