We have previously seen cases involving the arresting of citizens who merely warn others of a speech trap. Despite rulings that correctly recognize such acts as free speech, the arrests continue. The latest is a woman in Houston, Texas, Natalie Plummer, who was jailed for 12 hours after she held up a sign to warn drivers about a speed trap.
Plummer was riding her bike when she spotted the speech trap. She quickly drew up a make shift sign on a grocery bag to warn off drivers saying ‘Speed Trap!!’ in large letters. A police officer arrived and seized the sign. Plummer was charged with walking in the roadway
She says that the officer first went through her backpack and then arrested her for felony obstruction of justice.
The Houston Police Department is insisting the officer was right to arrest Plummer because her presence in a place without a sidewalk was endangering herself and others. I wonder how many such arrests the police in Houston make each day.
Such actions constitutes core free speech in my opinion. The charge seems rather transparent as an effort to retaliate for that speech. Plummer insists that she did not step into the street, but it is also unclear why such an offense would not be handled with a warning. She also says that the Houston police officer broke her two cellphones.
Many of these arrests are based on laws that prohibit the flashing of lights near other cars — laws that seem rarely enforced except to penalize citizens who warn other citizens. With more cities in the red, police are increasing the use of speed traps to extract money from citizens. These laws allow officers to criminalize speech between citizens — with the acquiescence of municipal and state officers.
Source: Daily Mail
IT’S FREE SPEECH…AND I’M A CONSERVATIVE!
Then you should NOT vote for GOPers if you believe in free speech.
good job girl, dont back down. the police`s job is to slow traffic down, so you was doing what they were suppose to be doing. in there eyes you was stopping them from makeing money. and you slowed people down and you did it for free. now whos the good one. YOU are. dont let the cops rail road you. you are alsome, and i like your spunk
What out-of-staters should recognize is that while Texas is still a very conservative state, the libs have taken over the cities of Dallas and Houston (took Austin long ago). Conservatives still outnumber them but have moved to the suburbs so if you read about “The City of Houston” or “The City of Dallas”, these are Sheila Jackson-Lee and Eddie Bernice Johnson sympathizers.
If I complete my metaphor guess can only add 2 more states and that would taje too much hard thinking ((*_*))
leejcaroll, 🙂 I was wondering how I could logically get Florida in there but the only schemes I could come up with were arbitrary and ended up with everything south of the Mason-Dixon line being thrown into the bargain. I was OK with that but then the problem spiraled totally out of control because I couldn’t think of how to get the OTHER, northern and western states I’d like to see gone into the mix. LOL
Jeremiah 5 >>;26For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
27As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
28They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
29Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
King James Version
The end thereof is judgment day because humans did not judge themselves. God light I promises will be the end of the wicked that lay in wait to catch humans.
Lottakatz, I see you and raise you with Florida ((*_*))
I thought it was a typo at first when Prof. Turley called it a ‘speech trap” but it makes sense to call it that; i was seeing it as a speed trap issue.
When I was at an Occupy event in Phila. the cops kept telling us to not get off the sidewalk. Even when no one was they formed a line of 17 officers standing in front of us, ostensibly so we would be safe from the cars, which wiuld have been nice and considerate but for the fact that none of us were in the street and they effectively blocked us from being seen, by anyone other then them. Seems the sidewalk is a cop’s excuse to withhold your civil rights.
Tangential to the free speech issue, in which this woman’s right were more that violated, is the question of speeding in general. We understand why police must enforce speed limits as a matter of public safety. Speed traps cause drivers to slow down and that was their original intent….supposedly. The reality is that traffic stops have become money making propositions for many localities. In New York, it was understood for years that highway police had ticketing quotas and would find reasons to stop and cite drivers. We’ve all heard about various localities in the South that are enriched by ensnaring out of State drivers and forcing them to pay outrageous fines. If speed traps were solely to promote safe driving then notification of their existence would serve a meritorious cautionary service, yet by charging people giving such warning the traps true purposes are revealed.
There is another scam which is going on now with out of state drivers. The local cops issue a speeding ticket, the ticket gets paid, and the town or state refuses to acknowledge that payment. They simply keep it on the books as an unpaid ticket. This happened to a friend of mine who got a speeding ticket in Wyoming, paid it that same week with a money order.
Then for a number of years she had let her drivers license lapse, and when she applied for a new license ten years later, her name came up as not having paid the ticket. She was rather upset since she knew she had paid it at the time. So to get it cleared, she had to pay AGAIN. Then after having paid TWICE, the state of Wyoming refused to credit her again and would not acknowledge her letters, phone calls, etc.. So she had to send a copy of the money order herself to the Texas DPS to prove she had paid, and as yet we still do not know if the DPS has cleared her record. To add insult to injury, she paid an extra $2 dollars to Wyoming to expidite the clearance. They did not even do that.
The solutioin is to terminate the reciprocal tagging of drivers licenses for unpaind tickets from out of state, to limit them with a statute of limitations of five years. The records should be cleared by then and terminate the scams like this. She is also Hispanic which I think played a part since they figured she would not nor could not contest this or make a stink about it.
The bully religion … stamp out the weak … wee the people.
ARE,
Oddly, things seem to be getting better all over—especially in terms of people being nicer to each other.
The “American” style has made a great change in all under
30 here in Sweden.
Doubtful it is the system which is getting better.
Texas has gotten better since I have been here starting in 1972. It used to be that cops routinely would murder people such as Jose Campos Torres and get no more than a slap on the wrist. Now they do have to fear that they will be held accountable for their criminal acts. It also took a Federal trial to bring the cops to justice when they murdered Randall Webster after a high speed chase.
I hope that the ACLU will do more than they usually do and take her case pro bono and also sue the offending cops as well as demanding criminal charges against them.
Our legislators are 99% of Americas problems.
The “give back” (what territory in exchange?**) should be caveated by a clause declaring all Republican residents to be automatically non-repatriable. We don’t want them back.
**I suggest Yucatan and Oxaca.
What Gene said. Texas needs to be reminded that citizens do have rights.
She is lucky no drugs were “found” in the backpack.
Eventually developers of navigation apps like Waze will be pressured by government to turn off police warning features. While using Waze, a driver who passes a speed trap can simple say “Report police” to the app, and the location will be tagged and shared with other users who approach the report point. That happens until other drivers report that the police are no longer present when the warning pops up.
Well there is a movement well underway in Mexico to repatriot Texas…… But, it would include All of the original taking……. Almost equal to the size of the Louisiana Purchase……..
Back to the story….. Broke 2 phone…. Arrested for walking felony obstruction of justice…… Could the tables be turned and these officers arrested for obstructing justice?
How about Bush, Cheney, Rove, Bybee, Yoo, Gonzalez…… Just to name a few….. Right…. We are suppose to be compliant….. I forgot…..
Harassment, plain and simple.
___
Gene, maybe if we offer a ‘twofer’, take Texas and we’ll throw in Arizona. 🙂
Dear Mexico,
Would you like Texas back? The rest of us are willing to make a deal.
Signed,
The Other 49 States of the United States of America (and Puerto Rico).
Ad hominem/statem or unsubstantiated opinion?
This was in Texas. ‘Nuff said.