Bare wall and lamppost space in Manhattan is prime territory for posters. It’s been that way forever. Concerts by unknown bands, art gallery openings and the like are promoted on any space available, which means anywhere the words “Post No Bills” can’t be found. Why those magic words work, I can’t say.
But in Bellmore, Long Island, posters of a different nature appeared. Via Eugene Volokh, Newsday reports:
A group of teens spotted Sunday evening slapping up stickers along a Bellmore street [including on a lamp post and a Chamber of Commerce sign] could be charged with felonies for posting white supremacist messages and images ….
One sticker, photographed and removed by police, reads “White Pride World Wide.” Another says “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Hitler.” A third shows a hand making an obscene gesture over a Star of David….
Whoever posted it could be charged under a state law prohibiting the posting of images of swastikas or nooses. The first-degree harassment charge carries a maximum sentence of 1 year in jail….
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How can such a content-based law be constitutional? Oh, I remember now how these bogus harassment laws work. They charge you and get you to plea to disorderly or whatever. Or you can choose to loose every penny you have fighting it while the DA trash plays with taxpayer bucks.
I of course don’t agree with the speech at issue. And of course that’s what 1-A is about, speech that’s not popular cuz if it were, we wouldn’t need the legal system to protect it.
Correct me I’m wrong. The US is not close to first place in freedom. The US is first in only three areas I’m aware of. Military spending, incarceration, and the one positive thing – movie and TV production.
That sums it up: If it wasn’t unpopular, it wouldn’t need protection.
I’ve got no idea how to measure freedom, but I’m fairly sure that it’s not measured by how many new criminal laws we can enact bearing the names of children.
It is amazing that people who will poster from the floor to the sky do obey “fly posting prohibited” notices (that’s the local version). I’ve noticed that in Glasgow, Scotland too.
Yeah. What’s up with that? It’s got some sort of magical power.