Reply #102: up to a point, yes, that's the way it SHOULD work....

[mike_c]

Look, I give public presentations just about every day. I know how crappy it is to have a jerk in the audience. But that's just part of the landscape in public forums.

Addressing your specific example: guy goes to a city council meeting and espresses his frustration loudly and angrily. The proper way to deal with that situation is to confront him civilly-- as long as he is not breaking the law, threatening anyone, etc, then he is being a nuisance, and skillful public speakers can deal with nuisances, even when they are utterly intractable-- you just have to let them say their piece, over and over if necessary, and if you acknowledge them you have a chance of salvaging the situation. So up to that point, I say yes, our nuisance is entirely within his rights and the matter does not need recourse to law enforcement. If no one attempts to use force, there will not be any need for the latter part of your scenario.