Opinion ID: 199869
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Validity of the Ban.

Text: Because the ban on leafletting, as written, is clearly content-neutral, and there is absolutely no record evidence to support an inference that Massport has applied it unevenly, we turn next to the reasonableness of the ban. At the expense of belaboring the obvious, we reiterate that leafletting is one of the most highly respected (and, therefore, highly protected) ways in which citizens may exercise First Amendment rights. See Grace, 461 U.S. at 176-77. Building on this sturdy foundation and highlighting the unobtrusive nature of the activity, NERCC suggests that an outright ban on leafletting never can be reasonable. We do not agree. NERCC bases much of its argument on the fact that the ISKCON Court invalidated a ban on leafletting in an airport. However, NERCC's attempts to reason from that analogy are unpersuasive. ISKCON did not go so far as to suggest that a ban on -23- leafletting is always unconstitutional. To the contrary, the case suggests that we should refrain from basing a reasonableness determination on any single factor (such as whether a ban involves leafletting or whether a non-public forum is a multi-purpose facility), encouraging us instead to weigh all the factors that point in favor of allowing speech against those that support the need for restrictions. See ISKCON, 505 U.S. at 690 (O'Connor, J., concurring). In this process, we bear in mind that while the regulation adopted by the State need not be the most reasonable of all available options, id. at 683 (plurality op.), the State's justifications must be solidly grounded. We hold, therefore, that a ban on leafletting in a non-public forum is not impermissible per se. See Hawkins, 170 F.3d at 1289-90, 1292 (sustaining a total ban on leafletting). We proceed from the general to the particular. As said, the Fish Pier accommodates multiple uses, and thus is distinguishable from the sidewalk in Kokinda and from other singlepurpose fora. See ISKCON, 505 U.S. at 688 (O'Connor, J., concurring) (making this distinction). But context in this type of case often involves matters of degree, and there is much less diversity of use on the Fish Pier than at a large international airport, see id. at 689 (noting that the airport terminal at issue doubled in brass as a shopping mall), in Boston's subway stations, see Jews for Jesus, Inc. v. Mass. Bay Transp. Auth., 984 F.2d 1319, -24- 1325 (1st Cir. 1993) (noting the presence of a myriad of . . . nontransit activity), or even at the Chicago Navy Pier, see Chicago Acorn, 150 F.3d at 702 (noting the existence of a shopping mall, an entertainment center, and an amusement park on the pier). The closest parallel is Hawkins, in which there were a comparable number of secondary uses: three commercial establishments incidental to the venue's primary purpose (a performing arts center). 170 F.3d at 1290. There, however, unlike in this case, the forum's primary use depended upon access by members of the public — yet the Tenth Circuit nonetheless found an outright ban on leafletting reasonable. Id. at 1289-90. All in all, the nature of the Fish Pier weighs quite heavily against NERCC's position. This brings us to Massport's rationale for barring the distribution of handbills on the Fish Pier.7 Massport has offered several reasons supporting the ban. Some of these reasons are of uncertain force in the First Amendment calculus (e.g., Massport's insistence that it may legitimately exclude leafletters from the Fish Pier because they are undesirable to tenants or because the Fish Pier is classified as a restricted area), and we do not dwell on them. Rather, we go directly to Massport's principal rationale: 7 Although the regulations cover the Fish Pier as a whole and apply not only to leafletting but also to other First Amendment activities, the parties focus on leafletting in the vicinity of the ECC. Accordingly, we limit our holding to that activity and place. -25- that public safety would be endangered if leafletting were allowed at the entrance to the ECC. As an abstract matter, this rationale stands on solid legal footing. See Hill, 530 U.S. at 715 (stating that protection of citizens' health and safety is within the government's traditional police power). In the particular setting, the rationale also withstands scrutiny: the fishing fleet generates a great deal of activity; there is a high volume of truck traffic; and there appears to be precious little room in front of the ECC. What space is available serves primarily as a roadway and truck turnaround. In these cramped confines, pedestrian safety and traffic flow are vital concerns. The validity of these concerns is underscored by the fact that, when Massport erected concrete bollards to protect the entrance to the ECC several years ago, the bollards were so severely damaged by trucks executing turnarounds that Massport had to remove them. Thus, although there are few, if any, problems intrinsic to the act of leafletting, safety is a plausible concern here. In an effort to parry this thrust, NERCC argues that Massport has exhibited a general disregard for pedestrian safety by allowing pedestrians to walk the length of the pier to attend events at the ECC (or, sometimes, merely to gaze at the harbor). NERCC's factual premise is sound: a pedestrian must traverse the interior roadway to reach and enter the ECC. But NERCC's suggested -26- conclusion — that Massport cares not a fig for pedestrian safety — does not follow. At most, NERCC's allegations suggest that a leafletting ban would not solve every safety problem on the Fish Pier. But even in a public forum, partial solutions may be acceptable. Globe Newspaper Co. v. Beacon Hill Arch'l Comm'n, 100 F.3d 175, 191 (1st Cir. 1991). In a non-public forum, the reasonableness standard is satisfied as long as there is a plausible basis for distinguishing between restricted activities and allowed activities. Here, there is such a basis for differentiating between leafletters and ordinary pedestrians. Given the peculiar setting of the ECC entrance, leafletters run a serious risk of obstructing vehicular traffic and distracting pedestrians as they traverse the roadway. We have said enough on this score. Massport's public safety concerns pass the reasonableness screen. Accordingly, we hold that Massport's interest in public safety in the context of a commercial fishery and truck depot justifies the outright ban on leafletting activity that it has imposed (at least in front of the ECC, see supra note 7).