Since when is supporting Troy Davis illegal?

ON JUNE 22, I was among members of South Carolina Against the Death Penalty handing out fliers in support of Troy Davis, a man accused of murdering an off-duty Savannah, Ga., police officer in 1991. After coming within days of being executed three separate times, Troy has finally won the right to present evidence in court this week that he and his lawyers believe will show his innocence.

We started at one of the city bus stations. Public property, right? Wrong! Or so a security guard said when we persisted in standing up for our First Amendment rights. He badgered us and took out his handcuffs. When we continued to hand out fliers, he took them out of the hands of bus patrons.

When I called the police, the officer agreed that we were on the sidewalk, which was city property. But he disagreed with my opinion that we were being harassed. I suppose I ought to study up on laws in the City of Columbia.

We continued to pass out fliers on this day of action in support of Troy Davis. If the security guard took the time to read the flier, he may have learned that he was actually committing two acts of injustice.
Marc LaFleche, Columbia, S.C.