Who pays for free speech?
Last weekend, an attendee at the Wisconsin-Nebraska game in Camp Randall wore a costume depicting President Barack Obama with a noose around its head, with a second person depicting Trump, holding the noose. The fans were asked to remove the noose by stadium officials; however, they were allowed to stay in the stadium. The Wisconsin State Journal reported that they were later photographed walking around the stadium with the noose again. The University’s response on the issue outraged many in the community and across the country. The university defended their decision on free speech grounds, stating that once the fans had removed their masks, they were not in violation of stadium policies.
While this act was called free speech by some, UW student Eneale Pickett received death threats for his clothing line featuring a “All White People Are Racist” shirt. His page was also removed from Etsy, a platform where he sold the shirts.
Lilada Gee is joined in the studio by Reverend Dr. Alexander Gee Jr. and UW students Eneale Pickett and Alexandra Adams.