Fri, Jan 8th 2021 10:49am
Tim Cushing
It should be pretty clearly established by now that giving the finger to public officials (in every case listed here, police officers) is protected expression. Even if the expression isn t protected, it sure as shit doesn t justify detainment, arrest, or the seizure of someone s property.
Decisions have been handed down by both state and federal courts saying giving a cop the bird is protected expression. And if it isn t necessarily protected (due to courts not seeing anything that justifies deciding this point in certain), it s pretty clearly not evidence of any criminal act, no matter how much offended cops wish it to be.