Women cite free speech rights in fight against tickets

An attorney representing three women issued municipal citations for disorderly conduct following a fracas at the Dec. 2 Port Washington Common Council meeting said he will fight the tickets based on First Amendment considerations.

Attorney Dan Adams said he hopes to persuade special prosecutor Tim Algiers to drop the charges against Christine Le Jeune, Julianne Wanderer and Paula Butler.

“I’m hopeful it will not need to go to court,” Adams said Tuesday, noting the First Amendment allows people to speak their minds.

Even if officials don’t like what they say,  “that doesn’t make that speech illegal,” he said.

Adams said he was “outraged” when he saw videos of the women’s arrest “merely for voicing their opposition to the proposed Vantage Data Center.

“After seeing the video, I agreed to represent the three women pro bono due to the important First Amendment values at issue in their cases — namely that citizens have the right to peacefully assemble, petition their government and speak up — without being subjected to violence and prosecution.” 

Le Jeune, a founder of Great Lakes Neighbors United, a grassroots organization opposed to the Vantage Data Centers Lighthouse Campus in Port, spoke against the data center at the Dec. 2 meeting, telling officials people are angry that their voices weren’t heard.

As she returned to her seat, she shouted “Recall” several times. Port Police Chief Kevin Hingiss asked Le Jeune to leave the meeting, and when she refused he and another officer physically removed her from her seat, angering the crowd of about 50 people.

As police attempted to remove Le Jeune, the other women tried to prevent police from removing Le Jeune, holding onto her while she was on the ground.

The women were then handcuffed and removed from the meeting.

Adams said he and Algiers will have a pretrial meeting in March.

A special prosecutor was assigned to the case because City Attorney Matt Nugent witnessed the incident.