Hardly anyone used the ' free speech zones ' at the conventions . The zones were set aside for protesters , free to voice their views . Protesters complained zones were too far from the action in Tampa , Florida . The lawsuits that followed established that officials in Seattle had a right to declare parts of the city off limits to everyone for security reasons , but were wrong to target just the protesters , Sobel said . Free speech zones first established in 1988 in Atlanta amid controversy over segregation .
Hardly anyone used the ' free speech zones ' at the conventions . The zones were set aside for protesters , free to voice their views . Protesters complained zones were too far from the action in Tampa , Florida . Free speech zones first established in 1988 in Atlanta amid controversy over segregation .