Cal State LA sued for allowing protesting students to block access to convervative speaker

Conservatives are suing California  State University Los Angeles for its actions or lack of action over an appearance by Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator. Shapiro and two right of center organizations are claiming that the school asked the sponsoring organization to pay $600 for extra security and allowed protesting students to block access to the speech. (LA Weekly, May 19, 2016, by Dennis Romero)

The conservative Young America’s Foundation who joined in the lawsuit was appalled that hundreds of protestors packed the student union and blocked access to the forum designated for Shapiro’s speech. “Students have a Constitutionally protected right to engage in free speech that school administrators don’t like. The cornerstone of higher education is the ability of students to participate in the ‘marketplace of ideas’ on campus. That marketplace depends on free and vigorous debate and the ability to offer diverse and competing views,” said the foundation in a press release. (The College Fix, May 20, 2016, by Jennifer Kabbany)