Opinion articles provide independent perspectives on key community issues, separate from our newsroom reporting.

Letters to the Editor

All Points: The thin blue line and the First Amendment

Recently, several high-profile national incidents have bred great distrust between police and the public they protect. Here in North Texas, a teenager was charged with making a terroristic threat for posting a photo of himself holding an air gun pointed at a police cruiser on social media. Two members of an Arlington open carry group were arrested for videotaping police and allegedly interfering with their work. The arrests cause some to wonder whether First Amendment protections apply to such incidents. Where is the line between free speech and protecting the public?

Send no more than 150 words with your name, home address and telephone to letters@star-telegram.com. Deadline is Wednesday, publication Monday.

This story was originally published January 2, 2015 at 6:26 PM with the headline "All Points: The thin blue line and the First Amendment."

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