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Kevin Egler, a 45-year-old teacher, is fighting a ticket he received for posting a sign that said "Impeach Bush" in a public garden, according to The Plain Dealer.
The Record-Courier says Egler was accused of "advertising on public property" and faces a $125 fine if convicted of putting the sign on public land near an intersection in Kent, Ohio.
Man fights ticket for putting anti-Bush sign on public property - On Deadline - USATODAY.com (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/man-fights-tick.html - broken link)
I can agree with that. He would probably get the same ticket if he posted the sign on his own private property if the sign is in public view outside of his house, which I wouldn't agree with.
Leaving private propery unattended on public land is as good as littering. If he wants to protest by carrying the sign, then that should be fine, but not abandoning it for the muncipality to remove and dispose of. If he wants greater exposure for his message without having to attend it then he should buy or lease private space for such a purpose.
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Originally Posted by thepizzaguy
I can agree with that. He would probably get the same ticket if he posted the sign on his own private property if the sign is in public view outside of his house, which I wouldn't agree with.
Well no actually. Signage on private land is an entirely different matter. So long as his sign is in agreement with signage ordinances, he can say whatever he wants so long as it isn't seditious or libelous.
The test of law that arises by this matter is what if everyone were permitted to place signs on public property? In that case you'd have so many signs that people wouldn't be able to walk on the property. Now if the municipality allows the realtor signs without leasing the land for commercial purposes to the realtors and discriminates against Egler, then he's got a case because the law is treating the realtors preferentially and that's unconstitutional. In fact, to uphold the law, the realtors should be fined and forced to remove their signs as well. If not, then Egler and everyone else who wants to plant a sign on public land should be entitled to do so.
This incident reminds me of the time the Friends Of the Earth (FOE)asked for permission to erect a banner across the high street where I live. That banner saying to appose the contruction of a mighty industrail complex (that was anticipated and admitted by the developers to be a huge polluter) right in the middle of a residential area.
Shortly after erection of the banner supporters of the scheme said it had political overtones and according to the rules this aspect was against the rules and demanded it be taken down.
In spite of the weakness of the political argument it was after a week taken down amid great publicity and so served it's purpose admirably in two ways. It highlighted that opponants of the scheme were not given a fair hearing (the press had given scant coverage to the oppenants but supported the scheme heavily)and that supporters had the ear of the local district council (the authority decidng the banner question) in more ways than one.
This guy has done his cause a lot of good by way of infamy, very clever whether you agree with him or not.
Kevin Egler, a 45-year-old teacher, is fighting a ticket he received for posting a sign that said "Impeach Bush" in a public garden, according to The Plain Dealer.
The Record-Courier says Egler was accused of "advertising on public property" and faces a $125 fine if convicted of putting the sign on public land near an intersection in Kent, Ohio.
Man fights ticket for putting anti-Bush sign on public property - On Deadline - USATODAY.com (http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/man-fights-tick.html - broken link)
The key word here is PUBLIC property. If it was ok to go posting crap all over the place, then I am gonna advertise my business on public land and you guys have to be ok with it?
Nah. No one wants public spaces to turn into free advertising fields.
And the ONLY reason this is getting any coverage in the media is because it is anti-Bush and the media loves it. I bet the ACLU will come down and fight for this guy, but if it was a "Support The Troops" or "God is Love" or "Deport Illegals" or "Homosexuality is a sin", the ACLU would want to have the person ARRESTED for the sign.
And the ONLY reason this is getting any coverage in the media is because it is anti-Bush and the media loves it. I bet the ACLU will come down and fight for this guy, but if it was a "Support The Troops" or "God is Love" or "Deport Illegals" or "Homosexuality is a sin", the ACLU would want to have the person ARRESTED for the sign.
Would you feel the same way Nirvana-Guy if you didn't think you were in the minority group?
I don't get it. In order to be advertising he would have to be offering a service or product. This seems more like political speech protected by the first amandment. I would think the issue would be with him leaving a sign behind, rather than carrying it around.
My comment is more like he would get a ticket from the one cop in town who found the sign offensive. Not that the sign was illegal, or that he had broken a law.
I didn't think about adding cop into the mix. I just assumed everyone understands that cops give tickets even when tickets are not called for.
I am not a law student, or admit to knowing much about it. I know more than most, but I am no expert, and I know less than I think.
In a lot of cities, it's actually illegal to post signs for even a yard sale or daycare. Doesn't matter what was on the sign, but rather what IT was. A sign illegally posted. If there's a law against it, just because it says "Impeach Bush" doesn't mean it should be exempt from the law.
Why is it that people try to avoid the law by trying to say that their rights are being violated? The only reason this is getting any coverage is because of what the sign said. If it was a stay-at-home mom putting a sign up for daycare services it wouldn't have made news. But rather, an angry mother's blog.
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