Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by janrinok on Tuesday May 07 2019, @09:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the coming-down-firmly-on-the-fence dept.

Submitted via IRC for Fnord666

Law enforcement officers tend to frown on citizens interfering with their revenue generation. This has led to a number of First Amendment lawsuits from people arrested for warning others about [check notes] the existence of police officers in the vicinity.

One citizen was told as much when he was arrested for holding up a sign reading "Cops Ahead." One cop kept on script, referring to the man's actions as "interfering with an investigation." It wasn't an investigation. It was a distracted driving sting. The cop actually hauling him to the station was more to the point, telling the man he was arresting him for "interfering with our livelihood." First Amendment violation or felony interference with a business model? Why not both?

A lawsuit was filed in 2018 seeking a declaration that honking a car's horn is protected expression. And, all the way back in 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed over citations and arrests for flashing headlights to warn drivers of unseen officers.

A federal judge has decided -- albeit not very firmly -- that at least one of these actions is protected by the First Amendment. Wisconsin Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker says flashing your headlights to warn drivers of speed traps is expressive speech -- something cops would be better off not trying to punish. (via Volokh Conspiracy)

Source: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20190502/05382642129/federal-judge-says-flashing-headlights-to-warn-drivers-hidden-cops-might-be-protected-speech.shtml


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 08 2019, @03:02PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 08 2019, @03:02PM (#840794)

    If, alternatively, you've only had experience with police that actually protect and serve then it feels far less acceptable to you. Respectfully, I disagree.

    Even if someone hasn't personally been abused by cops, speech is speech and they should be in favor of the first amendment. Why do so many people need to personally experience something bad before they become wary of it? Critical thinking is not a required skill in schools, and it shows.

  • (Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday May 09 2019, @01:58AM

    by ElizabethGreene (6748) Subscriber Badge on Thursday May 09 2019, @01:58AM (#841135) Journal

    Why do so many people need to personally experience something bad before they become wary of it?

    Honestly, Ignorance. Social cues in my environment taught me that Officer friendly was helpful and could be trusted. Confronting the primacy of that that narrative caused/causes serious cognitive dissonance.