Motorist Who Flipped off Cop Gets $50,000 From City

[StlouisX50]

http://www.onpointnews.com/NEWS/Motorist-Who-Flipped-off-Cop-Gets-$50000-From-City.html

[Google Adsense]

[The Chariot]

Got mixed feelings on this one.

They shouldn't have arrested him, but things like flipping off, cussing at and being rude to cops is just plain stupid and asking for trouble.

Also, I believe in free speech, but $50,000 feels a lot like a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton shakedown.

So, again... can see both sides of this.

[StlouisX50]

Got mixed feelings on this one.

They shouldn't have arrested him, but things like flipping off, cussing at and being rude to cops is just plain stupid and asking for trouble.

Also, I believe in free speech, but $50,000 feels a lot like a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton shakedown.

So, again... can see both sides of this.

I can't believe you would side with an officer on this one. No matter who you are its freedom of speech either way and to be harassed by a leo over your freedom should justify the leos mistake and represent other officers across the US. to uphold the constitutional rights as this is their job. It was a violation of rights in this case and the officer was wrong!

[STiMULi]

Motorist Who Flipped off Cop Gets $50,000 From City

The link was funky

I liked this as well

Cops Seek Immunity for "Flipping Off" Citation

Cops Seek Immunity for "Flipping Off" Citation

"Flipping the bird" is clearly protected speech. But the city of Pittsburgh is continuing to fight the civil rights suit of a motorist who was cited for directing his middle finger at a police officer.
The citation alleged that David Hackbart violated a subsection of Pennsylvania's disorderly conduct statute which applies to a person who “uses obscene language, or makes an obscene gesture” with an intent “to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating the risk thereof ...”

Hackbart flipped the bird at Sgt. Brian Elledge during an altercation over a parking space with another motorist in April 2006. After prosecutors dropped the disorderly conduct charges, he sued the city in February 2007, arguing that Elledge retaliated against him for “engaging in constitutionally protected speech.”

Courts have found that the display of the middle finger is not “obscene” and falls “squarely within the protective umbrella of the First Amendment.”

http://www.onpointnews.com/NEWS/cops-seek-immunity-for-qflipping-offq-citation.html

More at the link directly above.

"I was not flipping you the bird, I was giving yuo the finger. I was hoping that you would then give it to the chief for me."

[FlyinZX-10R]

50K is nothing, one of my LEO friends said the average payout for constitutional rights violations is like 2 million dollars. It should be a large amount to discourage government officials from violating your rights. Whats more important than your rights? Flipping the cops off, while very disrespectful and rude IMO, is freedom and speech. There was a case where some officers stopped a motorist cuz he flipped them off and I believe they broke his arm. He sued and won and the court agreed that it was his right to flip off the police, as the police were part of the government and he was free to criticize and show tell him his opinion of them by flipping them off.

[STiMULi]

Honestly, I am a waver.

I can't help myself. It is my way of telling them "I knew you were there so since you are... Hi!"

[lastelement21]

Flipping off a cop ruins the 'stealth' aspects of your car, I usually ignore the cop entirely after checking my speed, act like any other sheep

Seriously tho, the cop should not have written him a ticket for expressing his honest opinion of a government entity, the court was correct to protect the citizens right to free speech.

[The Chariot]

Got mixed feelings on this one.

They shouldn't have arrested him, but things like flipping off, cussing at and being rude to cops is just plain stupid and asking for trouble.

Also, I believe in free speech, but $50,000 feels a lot like a Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton shakedown.

So, again... can see both sides of this.

I can't believe you would side with an officer on this one. No matter who you are its freedom of speech either way and to be harassed by a leo over your freedom should justify the leos mistake and represent other officers across the US. to uphold the constitutional rights as this is their job. It was a violation of rights in this case and the officer was wrong!

Read what I said again.... I didn't "side with an officer." I said I saw both sides.

They shouldn't have arrested him for it, since its free speech, but the money still a lot like a shake down. Everything these days is about suing someone for cash. Its almost like people want something "bad" to happen to them because its their jackpot. It was a mistake on the officers part, but not a $50K mistake by a long shot, especially since the courts have ruled in some cases that the middle finger is not free speech, and in others that it is, depending on the circumstances, so there's a gray area where someone can make a legitimate mistake.

Again, I state this... whether or not the guy had a Constitution right to do it, he's still a dumbass for doing it.

[MOPARado]

Lets face it, there are arrogant ego eccentric LEOs out there who have grand deluvial visions that they're to be respected and bowed to as the royalty they feel they are,
never mind 1st Amendment concerns.
:

[The Chariot]

Lets face it, there are arrogant ego eccentric LEOs out there who have grand deluvial visions that they're to be respected and bowed to as the royalty they feel they are,
never mind 1st Amendment concerns.
:

True. That also applies to a lot of non-LEOs as well. Ask someone in line to stop being rude to the clerk who's trying to help them, and put down the cell phone for a minute because the line is backing up and you'll see a prime example of a "my stuff don't stink" attitude. Got lots of those around here. One of them got pretty huffy at Publix not long ago after I said "you're welcome" when they paid with a food stamp card.