Veteran Threatened with Eviction Sues to Wear Trump Hat at Veterans Home
Johnny Fuselier is a Vietnam veteran, a U.S. Navy retiree, and a paying resident of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport, Mississippi (AFRH). As a longtime supporter of President Trump, he wants the freedom to wear a Trump hat and other political apparel at the federally run facility. But AFRH prohibits veterans from wearing or displaying political slogans. When Mr. Fuselier defied the ban by taping political signs to his orthopedic walker, officials at the home threatened to evict him.
The reason for the ban? AFRH says it just wants to make sure the veterans “get along.” But in Mr. Fuselier’s 10 years at the home, he’s never seen a conflict over resident political expression. And the Supreme Court has made clear that government facilities cannot ban political speech simply because it might be controversial.
It is troubling that any Americans’ constitutional rights could be violated so flagrantly. Denying those rights to the very men and women who took up arms to protect them is indefensible. That’s why American Dream Legal filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the political slogan ban on behalf of Mr. Fuselier and the 494 residents of the veterans home.
