Government Pressure and the First Amendment in Bristol, CT

After more than a year of the issue first surfacing, the Bristol Press has made a change to their format
that will forever change the public dialogue in Bristol, CT. The change brings some civility to the comments section but is the downside worthy of the measure? Many elderly residents and those whom have shunned the popular social network of Facebook will forever be absent from public discourse in the forum. The change also leaves municipal employees fearful of retribution from disclosing their personal opinions regarding government overreach and improprieties. However, political insiders and special interests have applauded the change as productive to the promotion of Bristol's downtown revitalization. It is this particular issue that drew my attention at the start of the government's advocacy for such. In fact, it is my contention that the issue brought the actions of some local officials and stakeholders beyond the constitutional limitations of government intervention of free speech.


Video Credit Nutmeg TV Public Access (Fair use all rights reserved)

The action spurred one of the most commented stories of all time in the Bristol Press and was featured in the headlines of the popular Connecticut news source aggrage site "The Capitol Report". Those opposed to the project were seemingly "called out" as toxic to public view while those anonymously slandering "the naysayers" were left apparently unscathed.

The declarations of certain public officials has in fact resonated in my mind for quite some time, inspiring not only my newly found inspiration to advocate in defense of my rights but to commemorate the anniversary of the event in an address to the council.



The change of the new source's format could not come at a more awkward time as pointed out by local victim of abuse of private property rights. . This culmination of discontent was fueled by the disgust of commenters as an apparent extension was already decided behind closed doors. The comment thread had also escalated to a concerted effort to stop the development by way of referendum blocking a change in city ordinances regarding the planning region bringing the Fastrak to downtown Bristol. From what I can see, the story has apparently since disappeared from the internet, comments and all. I do however have an archive of the story from last year, which I will include directly in this blog for a brief period to reflect on those who will forever left out of the conversation. I'm guessing there will be much less of it at the expense of the people of Bristol.

You can view an archive of the story by clicking here.