ACLU: Pennsylvania police cite hundreds just for cursing

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

Pennsylvania police wrongly charged hundreds of people with disorderly conduct for swearing, the American Civil Liberties Union said in a pair of free-speech lawsuits filed today.

ACLU lawyers reviewed 770 disorderly conduct citations issued by Pennsylvania State Police in a recent one-year span. They said they found that while officers applied the law correctly in some cases, the majority involved profanities and other legal, non-obscene speech.

The lawsuits' plaintiffs are a pizza delivery driver briefly jailed for cursing at a local officer over a parking ticket and a Luzerne County woman cited by state police for hurling a derogatory name at a swerving motorcyclist.

Pennsylvania's disorderly conduct statute carries a possible 90-day jail term and $300 fine. The woman paid $1,500 to fight the ticket, while the deliveryman lost $560 in wages and had to pay a $75 towing fee, the suits state.

"You absolutely cannot cite someone just for uttering a profanity," said ACLU lawyer Marieke Tuthill.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15070613

[Orrex]

1. Well this Pennsylvanian sez fuck that.

[slay]

3. Awww...

:hug:

[HughMoran]

2. What the Fuck?

[Mojeoux]

4. When the MC5 used to perform "Kick out the Jams, Mutherfuckers!,"

there was a judge that said that they could not say "Mutherfuckers" while performing on stage.

At every performance a flank of officers were sent to make sure they didn't say "mutherfuckers!"

At that time, it had been determined by the SCOTUS thanks to the ACLU, that the members of the

audience were perfectly free to say "mutherfuckers" in public, all they wanted.

The result was that when the MC5 started the song with, "Kick Out the Jams!," the entire audience

would turn and point at the cops and yell "mutherfuckers!" right in time with the beat.

This went on until the officers complained to the judge and the gag rule on the MC5 was rescinded.

Detroit Rock City History!!

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[Mari333]

5. That was a GREAT story!!!

[Tempest]

9. Awesome story

Thank you for sharing that.

[Mojeoux]

10. It was funny and it went on for months.

This new millennial bla bla about cussing is curious. It's always a rightish/religious move to

suppress potty mouthes.

But they all thought it was hilarious when Darth Cheney said "go fuck yerself."

Someone earlier mentioned the inherent hypocrisies involved in maintaining a repug-teabagger

mind-set.

[dipsydoodle]

6. What I actually said officer was

"No you can't"

[alp227]

7. Really, is it worth it to overcrowd jails just to teach people not to cuss?

I'm sure that the taxpayers who've learned that their money's being used to do just that will want to scream "FUCK YOU!" to the government.

[KansDem]

8. Did the wealthy receive "courtesy notices?"

Rich Guy: "FUCK the poor!"
Officer: "Oh, oh...you mustn't say that. Here's a 'courtesy notice' reminding you to not curse!"

The community must be desperate to make up for lost tax revenues...