Friends of the Freedom Center,
It would almost be funny if it wasn’t true, but the Big Government war on lemonade stands continues. As we have said from the day we filed our Cookie Stand case, the Mills family and the Freedom Center of Missouri are on the cutting edge of an issue with important national implications. To the best of our knowledge, no one else in the country has taken it upon themselves to stand up for property rights by demanding that the courts rule on the constitutionality of these government shutdowns. We are the shock troops in this battle.
The forces lining up against us are formidable. Just today we discovered that the City of Hazelwood has lined up four attorneys from two different firms in order to preserve the City’s authority to deny private property owners the right to use their property even the most simple and harmless of ways. The City’s taxpayer-funded team includes the 2011 “St. Louis Municipal Lawyer of the Year,” who is consistently honored by Best Lawyers Magazine, as well as another highly-regarded municipal attorney who is also regularly honored by the same publication. Fortunately, we have the Constitution on our side – and no number of legal mercenaries can change the fact that the City is trying to prevent Girl Scouts from selling cookies for charity!
I’m going to ask a favor of you. Please pass this message along to everyone else you know who believes in the constitutional protection of property rights, and especially pass it along to anyone you know in the media. People must know what is happening all over our country, and they need to know that the Freedom Center is fighting for all of us. We hold the constitutional – and moral – high ground, but this is shaping up to be a tough, expensive fight and we need all the support we can get. Thank you so much for being part of our team. With your help, freedom will prevail!
For Liberty,
Dave Roland
Director of Litigation