Opinion ID: 318460
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Conduct

Text: 13 A different issue altogether is raised in evaluating the 'conduct' of appellants at the table of the supervisors. Those who communicate ideas by conduct, such as picketing, are not afforded the same kind of freedom as those engaged in pure speech. Cox v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 536, 555, 85 S.Ct. 453, 13 L.Ed.2d 471 (1965). 7 Peaceful picketing in a location open generally to the public is protected by the First Amendment, absent other factors involving the purpose or manner of the picketing, Amalgamated Food Employees Local 590 v. Logan Valley Plaza, 391 U.S. 308, 313, 88 S.Ct. 1601, 20 L.Ed.2d 603 (1968). The picketing involved in the actions of appellants on July 16, 1971, however, carried with it a strong element of physical intimidation which brought it outside First Amendment protection. As Justice Marshall stated in Logan Valley Plaza, supra, at 321, 88 S.Ct. at 1609: 14 Thus it has been held that persons desiring to parade along city streets may be required to secure a permit in order that municipal authorities be able to limit the amount of interference with the use of the sidewalks by other members of the public by regulating the time, place, and manner of the parade. 15 Such 'time, place, manner' restrictions on picketing fulfill a reasonable and significant function. It cannot seriously be claimed that society has no legitimate interest in restricting the kind of expression manifested or accompanied by acts with a significant potential for physical intimidation. See H. Kalven, Jr., The Concept of the Public Forum, 1965 Supreme Court Rev. 1, 23 (1965). 16 One must distinguish between embarrassment and fear in the viewer, between content of speech and form of expression, or accompanying behavior. The point can be sharpened by supposing that appellants had engaged in picketing in an orderly fashion at the bank of the lunchroom-- a place and time not prohibited at the Bureau-- but instead of carrying general signs 'Pigs Off Census' had carried signs which identified Mrs. Stockwell and Mrs. Gans as persons responsible for 'racist' or discriminatory behavior. Those two ladies might well have been upset by specific references to them, and possible ridicule, but the assertion that displaying the signs warranted suspension would raise difficult First Amendment issues. Certainly the government is in no position to say generally that it will allow free speech in a location but only of the kind it finds welcome or laudatory. Women Strike for Peace, II supra, 472 F.2d at 1295-1296. 17 What makes this case different is that the conduct approached intimidation by being carried on at the table where the ladies were seated to eat the lunch they had bought. The difficulty, however, with the case before us is that the Census officials were not sensitive to First Amendment considerations, and did not carefully separate the speech and conduct components in analyzing the situation. 18 C. Possibility that Bureau suspension was based essentially on content of speech, rather than solely on 'manner of expression' and intimidating conduct. 19 The complaint lodged against appellants (JA at 20), and the proceedings within the Department failed to make clear just which element of the events violated the regulations, and it is thus arguable that the suspension is attributable to the words of the sign as well as to pure conduct. The regulation in terms prohibits 'improper language' as well as conduct. The Bureau's statement in response to questions of the appellants as to the nature of the complaint was as follows (JA at 35): 20 The mere display of the sign is, in and of itself, not the issue in your case. Rather, the issue is whether your conduct, considering the content of the sign, the manner in which you displayed it, and the circumstances in which you displayed it, and the effect of your displaying it, amounts to misconduct which violates common decency in employee relations. 8 21 However, we cannot decide the case upon this formulation of the Bureau's position, but must rather look to the subsequent proceeding at which this position and the underlying facts were ventilated, the evidentiary hearing held at the direction of the District Court, and on which the appeals examiner focused in making his decision. The examiner's 'Findings' stated the bare facts of appellants' conduct (Fdgs. 14-17) and then set forth the following: 22 18. The incident caused a silence to fall in the area immediately surrounding Sockwell's and Gans' table while spectators stared and strained to see what was happening. (Tr. 30, 52, 53, 57, 88). 23 19. Some of the spectators who were upset, shocked and surprised believed the incident humiliated Sockwell and Gans. (Tr. 34, 89, 98, 101). 24 20. The incident disrupted and prevented Sockwell and Gans from enjoying their lunch and resulted in their leaving their table and the cafeteria because of fear, embarrassment and humiliation. Sockwell and Gans statements, Exhs. X-1, X-2; Tr. 30, 32, 33, 35, 45, 48, 49, 51, 54). 25 The analysis of the appeals examiner is in his 'Conclusion.' Therein he states that 'pig' has derogatory slang usage, and sets forth the following key point (J.A. at 82): 26 In any event, 'PIG' is clearly a truculent epithet and it is understandable from this record how anyone who is anticipating a quiet lunch and suddenly, under unprecedented circumstances, becomes the target of an opprobious sign, could become apprehensive and upset. 27 Most significantly, the District Judge viewed the case as one of 'verbal assault.' 28 Although one finding of the appeals examiner used the word 'fear' (Finding 20), and his Conclusion used the word 'apprehensive,' it is striking that neither the findings nor the analysis focus on the nature of the conduct, but are replete with material on the 'humiliation' aspect of the incident. It is not easy to draw the line, but a line must be drawn between (a) the content of the sign (and conduct that merely signifies that its message is directed at the two supervisors) which is asserted to be offensive because of the humiliation and ridicule it produces, and (b) some additional critical element of conduct which shows that the suspension is grounded on more than humiliating speech. In the last analysis, since the record as it stands leaves us unable to say with confidence that appellants' words were not a cause of their suspension, we must see whether a governmental interest could support the five-day suspension ordered for the use of these words. Street v. New York, 394 U.S. 576, 589, 89 S.Ct. 1354, 22 L.Ed.2d 572 (1969). 29 This approach is consistent with the teaching of Street, where the information charged defendant with igniting the flag and publicly speaking contemptuous words about the flag. The state statute made it a crime to cast contempt upon the flag by words or act. The Court held that the record was insufficient to eliminate the possibility that the defendant was convicted either for his words alone, or for both his words and his act, and that in either event, whether the words were a sole cause or a concurrent cause of the conviction, the conviction could not be sustained unless the words uttered were not protected speech. 30