Rensselaer County Legislature tables First Amendment resolution after public objections

At its October meeting, the Rensselaer County Legislature voted 11-8 to table resolution P 4 14 25, a measure titled “affirming support for the United States Constitution and the First Amendment,” after public comment and an on-the-floor attempt to amend the measure.

The resolution, introduced on the agenda as P 4 14 25, drew a public comment from Reverend Victor Patterson, who urged legislators to oppose the measure as written because, he said, it “uses the language of liberty to lift up the name of Charlie Kirk, a man whose public record is filled with statements that demean, divide, and disrespect communities like mine.” Patterson, who identified himself in remarks during the public comment period as a pastor and a military veteran, said the…