Keep speech free

Idea suggests protesters reimburse government

When one thinks about challenges to “free speech,” the mind conjures images of the thought police listening for a misstep or jack-booted censors burning books. “Free speech” does not, however, usually make one think of dollar signs.

But dollar signs are what the National Park Service (NPS) had in mind when it recently floated the idea that protesters demonstrating on the National Mall reimburse the federal government for the provided support and security.

The NPS maintains this is not a formal proposal, but merely an idea that is open for public comment until Oct. 15. “At this point we’re just asking the question,” NPS spokesman Mike Litterst told The Washington Post.

Well, ask no longer, NPS, because this is a terrible idea.

Requiring money from those who wish to exercise their constitutional right to free speech in the seat of our federal government would be an egregious overstep by the NPS and could limit the potency of demonstrations on the Mall. It seems unlikely that the NPS’ proposal is even constitutional. Some jurisdictions throughout the country maintain permit fees and other nominal charges necessary for putting on a demonstration — charges which are dubious in their own right.

But the cost of limiting citizens’ ability to exercise their right to free speech would bear a major civic cost. Imagine if such an impediment had prevented the March on Washington in 1963 or the Women’s March on Washington in 2017 or the March for Our Lives this past spring. Millions of Americans could have been prevented from expressing their political opinions in the heart of the nation’s capital. This would be an affront to our civil liberties.

Hopefully, plenty of Americans will chime in during the open-comment period for this awful idea. The NPS needs a reminder that this country prefers its free speech to be free.