We read:
"Seattle police are finding new ways to keep the latest “Occupy Wall Street” movement, and it’s sympathizers, in check. According to KOMO, police began pulling over cars Friday that honked in support while driving by Occupy Seattle demonstrators:
“Starting at 11 p.m. Friday, police started pulling over and ticketing drivers who honked as they drove past protesters."
Occupy Seattle has made their presence known at Westlake Park in the Emerald City for over a week. According to Seattle PI, the supervisor of a Westlake coffee shop “owned by a giant worldwide Seattle-based coffee chain” said business is booming during the protest.
Source
Since the purpose of a horn is to warn other drivers of imminent danger, it seems not unreasonable to penalize improper use of it
24 comments:
The horn has always been used to gain attention despite the laws that are in place trying to restrict it to the narrow attention form of warning.
Arresting people for using their horns to offer support (even to idiots like those protestors) is definitely an attempt to limit free speech.
To use your horn as a sign of protest, rather than to warn of danger, is a violation of the traffic laws in most states. And being issued a summons for a traffic violation is (not) an arrest.
The police are agents of the government in power - not servants of the people as they should be, and whose taxes pay their wages.
Expressing support for a political movement via the use of a horn is political "speech" as defined by the Constitution even if it is annoying. If those ticketed were to challenge on those grounds, they would most likely win although, it might turn out to be a fairly expensive battle.
Yeah - you can have all the theoretical rights in the world, but when you have to prove them in practice (courts of law) it can be more expensive than you can afford - so in reality rights are indeed theoretical!
Banning the use of horns as "political speech" while the car is in operation on public streets may very well be an appropriate "time and place" restriction. Do you really want to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to find out?
I very much doubt a "constitutional challenge" based on "free speech" would get very far - especially if the appellate courts decide in favor of the state interest.
The "Occupy Whatever" movement is yet another reason to see the democrat party for the idiots they are. Despite that, tooting one's horn has been a form of celebration, attention-getting, or just form of protest for many years now and I see nothing wrong with it. Leave them alone and let them fail once again without any help.
This seems oddly similar to the flashing the lights story.
Once again, there has to be a good government interest in making a restriction on a something like this.
I can't see where there is any government interest in preventing the speech of blowing the horn.
"...it seems not unreasonable to penalize improper use of it."
Correct, but the police would be practicing selective enforcement, since this type of horn honking has traditionally been ignored by the police. You would have to create a law specifically prohibiting something that is truly disruptive.
The more telling part of the article is that these idiots protesting corporate greed still choose to pay 7 dollars for a cup of coffee. Imbiciles
HONK IF YOU DONT WANT OBAMA REELECTED
Even though I think the OWS people are ignorant dirty communists with no more a message than "Gimme" (Give me) I think that citing people for "voicing" support via car horn is a petty violation of the freedom of speech.
ticket away, they're breaking the law. Noise pollution is very real yet liberals love spreading it.
Anonymous said...
"The police are agents of the government in power - not servants of the people as they should be, and whose taxes pay their wages..."
Actually, their own taxes pay their wages. The police are servants of the law, not the people. And those laws are made by politicians "elected by the people".
Matt said;
"You would have to create a law specifically prohibiting something that is truly disruptive..."
There are many laws already on the books in many communities prohibiting "loud and disturbing noise". In NYC, blowing your horn "for reasons other than danger" will get you a $50. summons. Would these stand up to a court challenge? Let us know how you make out. ;)
The protesters are making nuisance of themselves and the horn honking just adds to it. It is the perfect opportunity for the cash strapped city to generate a little more revenue by ticketing the horn honkers.
I guess the original teaparty protesters in the 1770s were just being a nuisance to the authorities and should have been thoroughly suppressed!
"The protesters (OWS) are making nuisance of themselves and the horn honking just adds to it."
But the Tea Party protesters are just hunky dory. Your bias shows, dude.
Of the people
By the people
For the people
The Tea Party Protesters did not camp out for weeks costing police and cities millions of dollars. DUDE
@4:08 - I do not mind paying taxes to support the effort. Just be happy that YOUR taxes are paying for Bush's two wars.
The Tea Party Protesters did not camp out for weeks costing police and cities millions of dollars.
Yeah, so?
You said that right annon 6:12 the tea parties havnt been camping out getting in peoples way and stinkin up the place
Flag burning
Stripping
Racial slurs
Communist rhetoric
Satanic church services
KKK marches through Jewish neighborhoods
All protected by the 1st Amendment.
But honking your horn to show your support of a political demonstration isn't?
Preposterous...
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