Judge says, Louisiana woman can legally give neighbors the finger with lights.

[powderman]

Judge: Louisiana woman can flip finger in holiday lights  Published December 21, 2012
Associated Press    NEW ORLEANS –  A Louisiana woman ran afoul of police when she gave her neighbors an unusual holiday greeting, hanging Christmas lights in the shape of a middle finger.
Sarah Childs was in a dispute with some of her neighbors in Denham Springs, just east of Baton Rouge, so she decided to send a message with her decorations. Neighbors complained and police threatened to arrest her, so she and the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sued the city.
 
A judge ruled in her favor Thursday.
"I imagine it will be back up before too long," ACLU of Louisiana executive director Marjorie Esman said of the display.
Childs erected the lights on her roof last month. She has removed them twice - once after a police officer told her she could be fined and again after another officer threatened to arrest her, her lawsuit said.
 
U.S. District Judge James Brady issued an order temporarily barring city officials from interfering with the display. The two-page order said the city's "continued efforts" to prevent Childs from displaying her holiday lights will violate her rights to free speech and due process. He scheduled a Jan. 7 hearing in Baton Rouge.
Denham Springs attorney Paeton Burkett said the city will comply with Brady's order, but she declined to comment on the lawsuit.
"We're going to sit down with everybody involved and see if there's any merit to it," she said.
 
Mayor Jimmy Durbin and Police Chief Scott Jones, who are named as defendants, didn't immediately respond to calls seeking comment.
The suit said the police department dispatched an officer to Childs' home after several neighbors complained directly to the mayor. The officer told Childs she would be violating the city's "obscenity statute" and could be fined if she didn't take it down, according to the lawsuit. However, Denham Springs doesn't have an obscenity statute, the suit said.
 
Childs removed the lights but put them back up after the ACLU defended her in an open letter to the city. That time, the display showed two hands with extended middle fingers.
After another round of complaints, the city responded with a "collateral attack," issuing her two tickets, according to the suit. One accused her of obstructing the flow of traffic as she walked down the side of a street. Another ticket accused her of disturbing the peace while singing an impromptu song about her neighborhood dispute while standing in her driveway.
"Childs' impromptu song allegedly contained some obscenities directed at her neighbors, so the city cited her for simple assault," the suit said.
The ACLU would not say exactly what the neighborhood dispute was about, and a no one answered at a telephone listing for Childs.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/21/judge-louisiana-woman-can-flip-finger-in-holiday-lights/?test=latestnews#ixzz2FhJbc9Ko

[magooch]

So much for the Christmas spirit and neighborly love.

[powderman]

She clearly doesn't care about the message her stupidity sends to the neighborhood children. POWDERMAN. 

[kennyd]

Sounds like a nice peaceful neighborhood.  It is understood that if you cross the police, there will be a sudden flurry of petty arrests.  Too bad they can't do better.  I think the word is harrassment.  Maybe she isn't an ideal neighbor, but neither are they.


I used to want to put up a green pointy leaved herbal plant and the zigzag man in lights.  Be that would get trouble, too.

[45-70.gov]

POWDERMAN.


you can't post something lie this with out pictures!!!!

[powderman]

POWDERMAN.


you can't post something lie this with out pictures!!!!

 
HEH, there weren't any with the article. Hard for me to imagine anybody putting a message out like that for children to see. Whats that mean Daddy?? Are the other fingers cut off Mommy?? POWDERMAN. 

[finisher]

Things like that only have the power that thin skinned people give to them, the same as cussing.


They are just words in and of themselves.


I don't usually take my son to the local gun stores with me because I hear a lot of racial crap out of many of the customers.


It bounces right off of me and I prefer that my kids not have to hear it until they are old enough to understand and pity ignorance of that type but I'd be the last one to try and censor them. Like it or not, I swore an oath that is to me impartial and unconditional.


I've struggled with my sailors mouth throughout my lifetime and I have been better at times and worse. But I do try to be aware of it around the little ones. Unfortunately I am more conscious of it around other peoples kids than I am around my own. But I have rarely heard any profanity coming from them, even when they thought no one was listening. Yeah, I play cloak and dagger with my kids, but we make a game of it and they enjoy it... until. someone gets caught  .


But when my kids hear it from other folks, I don't usually get all bent out of shape because as I said before they are just words. They have no power until until some uptight control freak gives them that power over their emotions.


Seriously people. Is it that easy to emotionally manipulate the self righteous? Of course it is. And if they're going to give away so much power over their emotions and sensibilities as to infringe upon (unpopular) free speech, hell, why not have a little fun with them. I wasn't traumatized or corrupted by anyone's words when I was a kid (my corruption was self inflicted  )[size=78%]. [/size]
Mom installed an iron mind that was immune to such candy "tailed" sensitivities.

With a pile of coal one could make a diamond mine out of the south sides of some people. Sheesh.

I suppose  it's safe to say that your not a big George Carlin fan eh Powderman. .

[finisher]

Sounds like a nice peaceful neighborhood.  It is understood that if you cross the police, there will be a sudden flurry of petty arrests.  Too bad they can't do better.  I think the word is harrassment.  Maybe she isn't an ideal neighbor, but neither are they.


I used to want to put up a green pointy leaved herbal plant and the zigzag man in lights.  Be that would get trouble, too.

************
 I've seen worse on bumper stickers. Tight "tails" invite this sort of thing with their imposing self righteous attitudes.