U.S. Town Accidentally Bans Freedom of Assembly

Gould, Arkansas, can lay claim to single-handedly turning the clock back on democratic rights by more than 235 years.

A rural town in Arkansas has passed an ordinance banning clubs from being formed without the permission of a majority of council members. The city council of Gould, population 1,100, passed the blatantly unconstitutional resolution against the wishes of the mayor, who's in a heated dispute with council over unpaid taxes. The resolution is aimed at a citizens' group that council says wields far too much influence in the farming community, but as the New York Times notes, it incidentally banned the creation of everything from baseball teams to Boy Scout groups. As to how the ordinance will be enforced, no one's quite certain, but it might not matter as the council says it's considering changing the wording to make it a little less draconian.