Little Rock man banned from City Hall after threat says free-speech right denied

Luke Skrable of Little Rock holds a sign protesting City Manager Bruce Moore and Mayor Mark Stodola on Tuesday evening near City Hall in downtown Little Rock.
Luke Skrable of Little Rock holds a sign protesting City Manager Bruce Moore and Mayor Mark Stodola on Tuesday evening near City Hall in downtown Little Rock.

The man convicted of threatening Little Rock City Manager Bruce Moore has taken to standing outside City Hall with a large sign saying Moore and the mayor "hate free speech" as he challenges a ban keeping him out of the building.

Luke Skrable, convicted of two misdemeanor counts of terroristic threatening in July 2015, has been banned from entering city buildings since January 2015 after he sent an email to Moore that said in part, "Your days are numbered."

This year, after successfully completing probation and paying all court fines, Skrable requested that the ban be lifted. Moore denied the request, and Skrable is now appealing the denial to the city Board of Directors.

The board didn't discuss the issue at its regular meeting Tuesday. Mayor Mark Stodola told directors he would wait a week, and if he hadn't heard from any of them that they wanted to lift the ban, he would have the city report back to Skrable that his appeal was denied.

In the written appeal, Skrable's attorney Ed Adcock asked city directors to promote the free and open exchange of ideas, no matter how bothersome that might be at times.

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"I have little doubt that, from time to time, many of you have found Luke to be a monumental pain. I am equally sure that, from time to time, many of you may have thought of Luke as rude and, possibly, insulting," Adcock wrote. "I completely understand that your first impulse may be to make life simpler and keep a bothersome fellow like Luke out of board meetings. That being said, I am asking you all to keep an open mind and seriously consider Luke's petition to lift the ban currently in place against him, not so much for his benefit but for a larger principal."

Skrable often visited City Hall and aired his complaints during the public comment portion of board meetings. He took to writing lengthy emails to public officials several times a week, sometimes calling them names. He also filed numerous public records requests with the city.

When the mayor wouldn't allow him to speak on a repeat issue at the January 2015 board meeting, Skrable slammed his fists on the podium and raised his voice. A police officer escorted him out of the board room.

Later that night, he sent the email to Moore. Skrable contends that he meant Moore's days as city manager were numbered, and that he wasn't threatening to harm Moore. That defense didn't hold up at his 2015 trial in district court or his appeal in circuit court last year.

Skrable is now complaining that the city has taken away his First Amendment right to free speech because he can't express his views at neighborhood meetings hosted at a city community center or at the board meetings at City Hall.

He is suing the city in federal court over the matter. City Attorney Tom Carpenter said the ban is justified because of Skrable's threats, and that he can still exercise his free speech rights by writing or calling city leaders about his opinion.

He is barred from contacting Moore.

Adcock said Moore's claim that he fears Skrable is important, and noted that the city has an interest in maintaining order at board meetings. But, he said, that should be weighed against what is lost by banning Skrable.

"You as the city's policymakers must balance the interests of Mr. Moore and staff against the rights of a citizen to exercise his First Amendment rights," Adcock wrote, adding that "it is unlawful to infringe upon a citizen's First Amendment rights if government's countervailing interests can be served in a less restrictive manner."

As a compromise, Adcock proposed the city lift the ban only on nights when the city board meets or a neighborhood association meeting takes place, require Skrable to enter through the front lobby and pass through a metal detector, and have an armed police officer monitor Skrable's behavior.

Adcock also pointed out that Skrable has already complied with the ban for 27 months.

"Ask yourself just how weighty a piece of flesh the city may take before its actions become punitive, not correctional, motivated by personal animus rather than legitimate considerations of the public's interest," he wrote.

Skrable has been inside City Hall in recent months, at the request of the city attorney, to meet regarding his pending lawsuit. The ban does not apply if city staff members request to meet with Skrable.

He has also been present in the same room with Moore during depositions for his lawsuit.

Adcock called his client "intense," "rude" and "somewhat arrogant and self-serving," but he said Skrable never "actually harmed anyone and never directly threatened anyone."

"I can assure you that Luke will not give up, and, despite all setbacks, I am committed to continuing to advocate on behalf of Luke's right to exercise his constitutional rights, this despite the acerbic nature of his personality," Adcock wrote.

Metro on 03/13/2017

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Luke Skrable of Little Rock carries a sign Tuesday near City Hall protesting his prohibition of attending any city government meetings.

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