A Chicago attorney who filed for a preliminary injunction as part of a federal lawsuit against the Village of Broadview over its recent restrictions on protests near the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility appeared Thursday to discuss the ongoing matter.
“My hope and expectation is that a federal judge will sustain the rights to ordinary working people to exercise their first amendment rights other than the restricted hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” Robert Held, a Chicago Council of Lawyers board member and activist said during a short media briefing Thursday outside the facility, 1930 Beach St.
Held filed a motion for a preliminary injunction last Friday but a federal judge has yet to rule on it. Held’s lawsuit was filed Oct. 27 and aims to overturn Mayor Katrina Thompson’s executive order establishing time limits and designated areas for protests outside the facility in Broadview.
The suit argues limiting protests to select zones and within the hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., doesn’t provide a reasonable alternative for people to protest who work “traditional employment hours” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“I want to emphasize that the first amendment isn’t something that has a time clock,” Held said Thursday outside of the ICE facility.
The Village of Broadview hasn’t immediately responded to requests for comment on the filing for a preliminary injunction.
Additionally Thursday, Held called on Gov. JB Pritzker to make plans on joining protesters at the Broadview site in what he described as a “defining moment for a generation.”
“His absence from this site is telling,” Held said. “Where we are right now defines how our nation is going to look like.”
He also stressed the importance of protesters knowing their rights and “standing up, speaking out and staying informed.”
“Talk to your neighbor, talk to your politicians, talk to the federal agents,” Held said. “Because if we acquiesce then we’re left with a society that someone else is imposing upon us.”
Contributing: Violet Miller