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The First Amendment Party

I need to share my experience on what I’m lovingly referring to as the First Amendment party (freedom of speech inside, freedom of assembly outside) that took place at the Community Center. To start, I offer a big thank you to the Guilford Police Department for protecting all of our rights on such a tense evening, but next time I encourage them make sure they remove the White citizens who create a disturbance and not just the Black citizen who is a peaceful resident of our town.

Secondly, though I value the First Amendment as much as anyone who is protected by it, I’m disappointed that this event took place when the rental form clearly states that “Parks and Recreation reserves the right to decline the rental of a room if the use of that room is not in the best interest of the community.”

I also want to acknowledge everyone who showed up to the First Amendment party: out-of-towners who needed directions to the bathroom, bouncers who kept children from meeting up with their parents inside, audience members who do not have dependents enrolled in our school district, the man who attacked my mental health by asking if I had taken my medications (Answer: Yes, because dealing with post-partum depression isn’t easy), whomever decided hide the truth in education by pulling down the blinds, and especially the hypocritical event coordinator who refused to let our signs be seen and our questions answered at this so-called community forum.

Last, to my friends and neighbors who were not afraid to make some noise and get into good trouble, necessary trouble, I am incredibly grateful for their presence there beside me.

Helena Santiago

Guilford