After pretty much exhausting the subject of Free Newspaper
Distribution Wednesday with a rousing session on Bruno Behrend’s
Extreme Wisdom on AM1120 discussing the Chicago Ban, syndicating a few
articles and answering emails to follow up on the story, I was pleased
to see that WTTW Chicago Tonight, and Phil Ponce also thought Freedom
of the Press to be a worthy topic for discussion for a civic affairs
program.

Alderman Manny Flores who was one of the co-authors of the ban, Ordinance 10–8-272,
and Ron Roenigk, publisher of the free publications Inside and Inside
Lincoln Park appeared to cheerfully disagree about the Ordinance,
while Phil Ponce lobbed happy questions about how this can be settled
in a way that both parties are happy. Mr. Roenigk rightly noted that
he would not be happy until the ordinance was completely removed.

Ald. Flores made a most bizarre remark that “The City is in no way
telling the newspaper how it has to distribute their material”, which
is of course nonsense, as the City is in a very specific way telling
the newspapers how to distribute their material. Flores did grant in
his ordinance that commercial transactions between businesses and
newspapers would be allowed, sparing a complete shutdown of the Press.

Tellingly, Ald. Flores did not seem the least bit concerned that he
was violating the First Amendment. Announcer Ponce gave the distinct
impression that the First Amendment was negotiable, and that the
“litter problem” may necessitate a curtailment of our basic civil
rights.