Protect Free Speech and Cultural Expression For more than a year, the City of Madison has slowly been co-opting our public spaces and constricting free speech and artistic expression. In a blatant violation of 1st Amendment rights, activists have been fined hundreds of dollars for chalking on the sidewalk and selling political literature*. Now, the City of Madison has proposed imposing fees on artists and musicians. State Street has long been a meeting place of culture and dissent in Madison. We wonâ