The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

Billy Binion: Civil Liberties Don't Just Belong to the Rich

Oct 2, 2024

Billy Binion, a journalist at Reason known for his insights into civil liberties, discusses pressing issues of power abuse in law enforcement. He shares the story of Priscilla Villarreal, a citizen journalist challenging governmental authority, highlighting the fight for First Amendment rights. The conversation dives into the complex implications of self-defense laws and the misuse of SWAT teams. Binion also reflects on his contrasting experiences in California and Texas, and how today's Supreme Court is more bipartisan than often portrayed.

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INSIGHT

Exploiting an Obscure Law

The police used an obscure law, meant to prevent the solicitation of non-public information for personal benefit, against Villarreal.
They argued she benefited from increased Facebook followers, blurring the lines of who is a journalist.

INSIGHT

Free Speech Double Standard

Free speech is often supported in the abstract but not in practice.
Journalists often oppose free speech for others, especially citizen journalists they dislike, highlighting a double standard.

ANECDOTE

O'Keefe's Support for Villarreal

James O'Keefe, known for undercover stings, supported Villarreal's case despite their differing political leanings.
This shows free speech principles should apply to everyone, regardless of how unlikeable they might be.

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Today's guest is Billy Binion, who joined Reason's staff in 2019 after stints at an opera company (!) and as a contractor for NATO (!!). He has written blockbuster stories about the abuse of power by cops and courts, and he just produced an incredible documentary about a citizen journalist in Laredo, Texas, who sued the city after they arrested her for reporting on a couple of controversial local stories. It's a case that could have major First Amendment implications for independent reporters.

Nick Gillespie talks with Binion about what drives his interests in such topics as civil asset forfeiture, SWAT teams run amok, and people who get arrested after using unlicensed guns to ward off would-be killers. They discuss how, contrary to most news accounts, today's Supreme Court is less polarized than the country it serves. And they also talk about how Binion's time living in California and Texas back to back gives him a distinct perspective on blue and red America—and insight into what sort of government governs better, if not quite best.

0:00- Ad: St John's College
1:17- Introduction
2:24- Priscilla Villarreal documentary
9:55- James O'Keefe
14:56- Qualified immunity & absolute immunity
21:08- Charles Foehner self defense/gun possession case
23:16- LaShawn Craig self defense case
25:20- Dexter Taylor 'ghost guns' case
28:38- Civil liberties shouldn't be granted based on class
33:46- SWAT damage cases
42:38- Is policing getting better or worse?
46:18- Binion's background
49:48- Are the arts politically homogenous?
53:04- Being disillusioned by Los Angeles
57:08- Leaving California for Texas
1:01:41- Finding libertarianism
1:04:49- The Supreme Court is not 'radical'
1:09:08- The complicated story is more interesting

Today's sponsors:

St. John's College. Explore 3,000 years of human thought on campuses in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and in Annapolis, Maryland. From the Greek philosophers who are the wellspring of democratic ideals to America's founding fathers to contemporary critics who question everything: Each is welcome at St. John's College. In-person and online Master's degree courses are offered, too.
The Reason Speakeasy. The Reason Speakeasy is a monthly unscripted discussion in midtown New York City that doubles as a live taping of The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie. The next one is on Thursday, October 24, and features the Stony Brook sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, whose new book is We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. Tickets are $15 and include beer, wine, soft drinks, and light food. For more information and to buy tickets, go here. To watch or listen to past Speakeasys, go here.

The post Billy Binion: Civil Liberties Don't Just Belong to the Rich appeared first on Reason.com.