Shouting Fire Documentary

Out of the four cases discussed in the documentary Shouting Fire (Ward Churchill, Debbie Almontaser, Chase Harper, and protesters at the 2004 republican convention), the one that was most important to me was the Chase Harper case.  This case pertained to me because it was about a public school student who wore an offensive t-shirt to school, and it helps me to understand my rights as a public school student.  The court found that his first amendment rights weren’t violated although he was expressing himself.  Surprisingly, this is the verdict that I was hoping for.  I felt that because his t-shirt said “Be Ashamed,” it became unprotected speech because he was actually attacking homosexual people, rather than just stating his beliefs.  The courts found this verdict, not necessarily for this reason, but because the school has the power to limit the freedom of speech for the safety and well-being of the students.  This case has helped me to understand how my freedoms are limited when I am at school.