Millie on the Village Green August 25, 2018
I went out on Saturday to photograph the "Move-to-Remove" group in my town because I haven't photographed them for a while. They meet every Saturday no matter what the weather. Millie, the woman in this photograph, was concerned that her sign promoting the work of the Parkland High School students against gun violence was too long for passing cars to read it. So, I photographed her holding it.
There is an admirable earnestness in how these people approach their weekly standouts on the Village Green. They stay informed about what is going on in our politics and when they disagree they make signs and gather on the Green to peacefully share their opinions with everyone driving by. This, I believe, is what the writers of the first amendment intended citizens to do with their freedom of speech.
It is absurd that our courts have ruled that money is a form of free speech and that billionaires are simply exercising their first amendment rights when they bribe politicians and tilt the outcome of elections with large, undisclosed amounts of cash. Their money is corrupting our democracy. Billionaires should be restricted to standing on the Village Green and holding up their homemade signs just like the rest of us.
Maybe you disagree with Millie, but she is an American peacefully and defiantly expressing her opinion in the public square and her right to do that is what makes America great.
Monte