Kaitlin Bennett Wins Dismissal of Federal Protest Citation After $500 Fine Threat
Updated
Updated · WJXT News4JAX · May 15
Kaitlin Bennett Wins Dismissal of Federal Protest Citation After $500 Fine Threat
1 articles · Updated · WJXT News4JAX · May 15
A federal citation issued to Kaitlin Bennett after a January protest outside Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine has been dismissed, ending a case tied to an alleged refusal to obey a National Park Service order.
National Park Service officers had told Bennett and her camera operator to leave a permitted protest area and move to a designated “First Amendment area,” then cited her after repeated orders; the offense carried a possible $500 fine.
Bennett, whose Liberty Hangout YouTube channel has more than 1 million subscribers, argued she was acting as media on public property rather than as a counterprotester, and posted that she would fight the charge.
The dispute drew wider attention to how officials classify digital creators at protests and whether access rules are being applied in a content-neutral way on federal land.
What does this case's dismissal reveal about the legal line between journalism and protest on public land?
As global press freedoms decline, are U.S. park rules becoming a new battleground for journalists and activists?
Do designated 'First Amendment areas' truly protect free speech, or are they a tool for managing public dissent?