by Douglas Finlay
A former Army soldier born and bred in Bellmore who saw combat during the Iraqi War told Bellmore Life he believes his First Amendment rights to free speech were violated when he was removed from the Bellmore Family Street Fair on Sunday, October 26, after displaying photos of wounded soldiers.
There to put faces and family names to otherwise “abstract numbers” of soldiers whose names are known only in The Military Times magazine and nowhere else, Christopher Goldsmith said he was verbally accosted by a member of the Bellmore Chamber staff who told him to leave because he did not have a permit to be there.
He added that the Bellmore staffer continued using intimidating language in front of Nassau police even after they were called by Mr. Goldsmith’s father.
As a trained soldier, Mr. Goldsmith deemed the intimidation as hostile intent but he removed his material and left the fair because he did not have a permit to display at the fair.
A Bellmore chamber member who wished to remain anonymous told Bellmore Life that the normal procedure for getting a space at the fair is to put in an application, pay a $100 fee and attend a couple of meetings. “I never saw this soldier at the meetings.”
A 2003 graduate of Mepham who joined the Army in 2004 and was stationed in Iraq in 2005 on patrol duty, Mr. Goldsmith said he was originally given a space for the September 27 weekend fair date but was removed from the list for the October 25 weekend “because they said they had no space,” and because they said his message would offend the veterans’ groups already set up, such as those from the Vietnam War vets.
When he asked the chamber if he could use any free space he found at the fair, “they answered no,” he said.
Mr. Goldsmith believes he was disccriminated against, adding that “if anyone has earned a right to criticize this war it is me,” he said.
Mr. Goldsmith told Bellmore Life he quickly contacted the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which then faxed the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores to ask them to reveal the process for selecting people for the fair.
Chamber responds
The chamber, in a prepared statement, said:
The Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing the interests of businesses within the Bellmores. From its beginning more than 20 years ago our policies for participation in the fair have been the same: Our members are given priority for participation at the fair. We offer remaining sites to nonprofit organizations at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis, dependent upon space availability.
Iraq Veterans Against the War was the last nonprofit organization to request a space at the festival, originally scheduled for September 26 and 27, submitting its application just one day before the fair. Had the fair taken place as scheduled, Iraq Veterans Against the War would have been provided a space.
The festival was cancelled due to severe weather conditions and was postponed until October 25 and 26, Due to circumstances beyond our control, the festival was reduced in size, thereby excluding some previously permitted participants. Since Iraq Veterans Against the War was the last nonmember application to be submitted, it was the first participant to be removed.
Our rules and regulations have always clearly provided that 1) No one may share their space with another, and 2) No one may allocate the area in front of their business to another.
For this reason, Iraq Veterans Against the War was not permitted to share space with another organization. Display space at the festival is granted to local not-for-profit organizations without discrimination as to their message.
The requirements are that there must be space available, that their displays are not offensive to the large number of young attendees that come with their families, and that the rules are followed.
Our volunteers work very hard for more than a year to provide a safe, fun, family oriented street fair for both our community and the surrounding communities. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, our rules and regulations must be strictly enforced.
The Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores has no political position and endorses no political party or candidate. The window display in the building where the chamber sublets space belongs to the landlord, not the chamber.
We regret any inconvenience caused to Iraq Veterans Against the War, but they were given the same consideration as all others wishing to participate.