A conservative social media personality is claiming in a viral video that her free speech rights were violated after her interactions at the Downtown Lakeland Farmers Curb Market on May 17.
Kaitlin Bennett has since developed a following for her right-wing internet videos, mostly showing her walking around college campuses asking students provocative questions on culture-war issues, often with a dose of sarcasm. Critics commonly accuse her of deceptively editing her videos and baiting her interview subjects.
In recent months, she has posted similar videos from protests around the Lakeland area by left-leaning groups opposing President Donald Trump, often dressing to look like one of the protesters. In one such incident, in Lakeland’s Freedom Park, a protester was arrested after Lakeland police say she threw some of Bennett’s signs in a nearby hotel swimming pool.
On her Liberty Hangout TV Facebook page this week, Bennett shared a video in which she has a verbal conflict with Julie Townsend, the executive director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority, over interviewing individuals for her shows at the May 17 farmers market.
In the video, Townsend is first seen speaking with Bennett asking her to move out of the street to the sidewalk to continue her interviews. When she refuses and moves off, Townsend can be heard saying “Well then I’ll just disrupt you.”
The Lakeland Gazette reached out to Townsend asking for comment on her interaction with Bennett, and Townsend or any other LDDA Directors refused to respond.
Bennett’s video later shows Townsend approaching her as Bennett spoke with two Black women at the farmers market. Townsend said the group was obstructing foot traffic and a vendor’s booth, asking them to move to the side. Bennett asks her to stop interrupting and uses it as a talking point for whether “White people harm America.”
Lakeland police officers later approached to speak to Bennett about complaints filed with the market and made by vendors’ WhatsApp text chat about, “saying hateful things about deportation and hateful statements.” The officer states the LDDA desired to have Bennett trespassed from the market and warned her if she returns, she may be arrested for trespassing.
“Lakeland Police Department told me to leave and threatened to arrest me. The city workers who run the farmers market didn’t like that I have conservative opinions,” Bennett said in the video.
The City of Lakeland issued a statement at 6 p.m. May 21 confirming police officers responded to one or more incidents at the May 17 farmers market “involving an individual conducting interviews and recording video of attendees.” The statement never directly names Bennett.
The city’s statement said “A selectively edited version of the footage was later released publicly.”
Lakeland said the officers asked Bennett to remain on the sidewalk to avoid disrupting market vendors. The city said that no one was trespassed from the farmers market.
“The City of Lakeland fully supports the First Amendment rights of all individuals and does not discriminate based on the content or viewpoint of anyone’s speech,” reads the city’s statement. “The Lakeland Police Department remains committed to responding to all service calls and will continue to enforce all applicable City ordinances and State Laws.”
A police officer can be heard in the video telling Bennett the city’s code does contain a provision that makes make it illegal to obstruct a public road or sidewalk under Chapter 90.
“It shall be unlawful for any person to place or cause to be placed upon the public streets or sidewalks, or any place where the public has a right of passage, any structure, object or obstruction of any kind whatsoever except as provided herein…” reads the code.
This law has been used by Lakeland Police Department to trespass homeless people from public parks, including Munn Park, for placing a backpack or duffle bag on the sidewalk.
Bennett said that in a later encounter with officers, they did ask her to step off to the side, which she claims to have done, pointing to her video as evidence.
Bennett openly questions officers on whether her First Amendment rights allow her to talk with other people on Lakeland’s public roads and sidewalks in her video. She asserts it does.
LDDA’s special permit covers curb to curb
The LDDA, which is a specialized taxing district that acts independently of the city, obtains a Special Event Permit from the city in order to host its farmers market every Saturday, from 6 a.m. setup to 3:30 p.m. for breakdown.
Under the permit, the LDDA has the city’s permission to close down Kentucky Avenue to vehicular traffic from Lemon Street north to Oak Street. It also closes the intersection with several ancillary streets, including part of Cedar Street and Trader’s Alley to help protect vendors and pedestrians.
In inquiring what areas fall with the LDDA’s market, an explanation previously provided from LDDA to the City Clerk’s Office for the permit states, “please note the market boundaries are curb to curb along Kentucky Avenue; sidewalks are not included in the street closure request,” according to city spokesman Kevin Cook.
“At the moment, my legal counsel is still exploring my options and advising me on my course of actions,” Bennett said via social media message.
