Editorial Commentary
What happened to James Mauricio inside the Lorain City Hall should shake every citizen who still believes in freedom. A man was jailed for thirty days, not after a trial or hearing, but after a hallway confrontation that never belonged in court. Cameras show no disturbance, no trial in progress, no law being broken — only a judge acting as if his personal authority outweighed the law itself.
That is not justice. That is tyranny in miniature.
And it mirrors a larger problem in Lorain’s public buildings. Too often, citizens are treated as intruders in places that belong to them. I’ve walked those same halls and seen how easily people are searched, stopped, or questioned for no lawful reason. I’ve had to remind officers that City Hall and the courthouse are not private fortresses. They are public institutions, paid for by the people, and open to the people.
The United States Constitution is not optional.It is not a suggestion or a fairy tale. It’s a living document that embodies our rights as citizens and human beings.
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and the right to petition government without fear.
The Second Amendment secures the right to defend oneself. The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches. The Fourteenth Amendment promises due process before liberty can be taken.
When government officials ignore these protections, they break their oath and violate the very contract that binds a free society.
But here’s the truth many have forgotten: your freedom doesn’t exist because government grants it. It exists because you claim it. When a public servant crosses the line, it is the citizen’s duty to calmly and clearly say, “No. This is unjust. I am free.”
That’s not rebellion. That’s responsibility.
Freedom isn’t something the government gives you. It’s something you already have, and it only survives when you refuse to let anyone take it. The Constitution was written to restrain power, not to decorate walls. When officials forget that, it’s up to the people to remind them.
Standing up for your rights isn’t rebellion. It’s the very definition of being an American. You don’t need permission to speak, to assemble, to question authority, or to demand accountability. Those rights belong to you by birth, not by approval.
If you stay silent when your freedoms are tested, you help bury them. But if you speak, show up, and stand firm, you keep them alive — for yourself, your neighbors, and everyone who comes after.
That is what it means to be free.