Slashdot Mirror
Man Defends His Right To Flip Off the Police
46-year-old Robert J. Ekas has filed a federal lawsuit to defend his First Amendment right to express himself by flipping off police officers. The trouble started in July 2007 when Ekas opened his sunroof and extended a middle finger to a deputy. The deputy turned on his flashing lights and pulled Ekas over. He was cited for an illegal lane change and improper display of license plates. He was acquitted of the charges. “I did it because I have the right to do it. We all have that right, and we all need to test it. Otherwise we’ll lose it," Ekas said. He claims the police have been harassing him ever since.
I got first post!
My favorite quote doesn't fit into 120 characters. Now no one will like me.
Just because somebody else is being a dick, it doesn't make it ok for you to be a dick too! This rule applies to both sides in this dispute, as it does to both sides in the majority of disputes.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I think any judge would allow that flipping off an officer of the law is probably cause to assume that the flipper is under the influence. The officer can now pull over said flipper and administer a field sobriety test. Pass or fail is a judgment of the officer, so needless to say, flipper fails. See where this is going?
more cowbell
Only a white guy is going to flip off a cop and think he should should get away with it. The rest of America knows you'll get shot in the back for pulling that shit.
If you want cops shooting people, this is a great plan. Law Enforcement is able to conduct itself peacefully because they have the respect of the people. Blatant disrespect for them breeds contempt. Contempt for the law or agents of the law create volatile situations. Cops have guns and the law on their side. who wins? noone.
So do you think it's ok for someone doing the legal act of expressing their opinion (whether positive or negative) should be treated by an illegal act (false arrest and police harassment) by the same people that are supposed to uphold and enforce the law?
I've been in several cities, and the cops vary significantly.
One city the cops were friendly people that everyone trusted (mostly).
Another one, the cops usually shot first, traveled in packs, scared everyone, but they did their jobs.
My current city, they are lazy shits that won't even show up to a report of gunshots fired or walk/drive the one block to check to see if the car wreck has any survivors unless they think they can write a ticket.
There are exceptions everywhere, and those 3 are only a sampling of the spectrum of enforcement quality communities have to deal with.
By the way, I've asked many cops around the US what the badge means to them.
Oddly, they all said that it was "a license to drive fast".
I'm a bit disturbed by the reaction of slashdot posters on this one. Don't you find it the least bit disturbing that police officers are willing and able to use their power (as granted to them by the American people) for purposes besides enforcing the law? That they can and do use their power to inflict personal vengeance on someone for not showing the "proper respect"?
Sure, it's probably a bad idea to go around flipping off people in a position of authority, as someone is bound to abuse their authority for retribution eventually. However the poster is correct that he has a constitutional right to speak his mind, be it verbally or with hand gestures. What's next? People who speak out against the government being locked up on trumped up charges, perhaps? I know that happens too, but it isn't right, it isn't legal, and it certainly is against what we as a country stand for.
Come on, slashdotters... We speak out against other countries for Internet censorship, and for locking up journalists for political reasons. This is no different. Please, stand up for your rights.
Interesting. In Germany, insulting somebody is something you can be fined for - not only for insulting police officers, also private persons. Fines vary of course according to circumstances (e.g. your income), but can easily reach several hundreds or thousands of euros. According to some websites I just checked, flipping off a police officer has already cost some people up to 4000 euros.
I was at one of the many suburban festivals around Chicago several years ago, and a teenage girl was wearing a homemade shirt that said "Fuck the Police". At first she was just walking around in front of little kids wearing it, until one of the parents of the kids got a pair of officers and complained. The cops walked over, and this girl stood right in front of them, and the cops told the parent there was nothing they could do. The only things the Mom could do is either move her kids away from this teenager, or deal with the teenager herself. I suppose she could have taken a picture of the teen and gone to the local high schools, see if they knew her, and see if the schools were willing to contact the teen's parents.
Robert J. Ekas is obviously the American representative of what will become a worldwide movement.
In South Africa, a university student who may or may not have flipped off the police in a presidential cavalcade was summarily arrested, had a bag put over his head and was detained while his home was searched. Nice.
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-02-19-no-middle-finger-to-prez
Fortunately the media kicked up a big fuss about it. It's not illegal to be rude.