• Legal help is reportedly on the way for an Arizona resident arrested for criticizing her city government during a public meeting last week.
  • On Monday, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a First Amendment advocacy group, indicated plans to sue the city of Surprise after its mayor had local activist Rebekah Massie detained for scrutinizing a city employee during the locality’s Aug. 20 City Council meeting.
  • “The First Amendment protects every American’s right to criticize public officials,” FIRE Attorney Conor Fitzpatrick said in a statement given to The Federalist. “The last thing people should fear when they go to a city council meeting to make their voice heard is leaving in handcuffs.”
  •  Massie was arrested following the meeting and is currently facing class 1 and 3 misdemeanor charges, according to The Arizona Republic. Individuals deemed guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor could face up to six months in jail and be fined a maximum of $2,500. Those found guilty of a class 3 misdemeanor could spend up to a month in jail, face $500 in fines, and one year of probation.