The tradition of protesting in the United States is older than the country itself. From the Boston Tea Party to the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter to #MeToo, civil disobedience is woven into the American experience. The First Amendment protects citizens’ right to assemble and express their views through protest. However, police and other government officials are allowed to place certain narrow restrictions on the exercise of free speech. This distinguished panel comprised of First Amendment and human rights scholars, a civil rights practitioner, and a journalist will provide a historical timeline of the law of protests, how protesting has changed with the impact of social media and extensive media coverage, and the tensions that arise between the desire to protest and law enforcement’s challenges in maintaining order. The goal of the panel discussion is to provide insight as to the issues surrounding protests from the perspective of the media, the citizen protesting, and law enforcement managing the event.

Melanie Reid, Lincoln Memorial University

Akram Faizer, Lincoln Memorial University

Kathy Park, NBC News

Dr. Elvin Evrim Dalkılıç, University of Bilkent

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