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Federal Appeals court: You have the first amendment right to give any police officer a middle finger

OtherWorldly

Banned
Dec 3, 2018
2,857
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/15/7036...-driver-for-giving-him-the-finger-court-rules

PSA: DO NOT TRY THIS. YOU WILL NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH

If you've ever been tempted to make a rude gesture at a police officer, you can rest assured that the U.S. Constitution protects your right to do so, a federal appeals court says.

In the sequence of events described by the court, a woman in Michigan, Debra Cruise-Gulyas, was pulled over in 2017 for speeding. The officer showed leniency, writing her up for a lesser violation known as a "non-moving violation." As she drove away, apparently insufficiently appreciative of the cop's gesture, Cruise-Gulyas made a certain gesture of her own. Or as the court put it, "she made an all-too-familiar gesture at Minard with her hand and without four of her fingers showing."

Officer Matthew Minard was not amused. He pulled her over again, and rewrote the ticket for speeding. Cruise-Gulyas sued, arguing she had a First Amendment right to wiggle whatever finger she wanted at the police.

In a ruling this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit agreed. "Fits of rudeness or lack of gratitude may violate the Golden Rule," wrote Judge Jeffrey Sutton for the 3-0 panel. "But that doesn't make them illegal or for that matter punishable."
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Finger me if old
 
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maxxpower

maxxpower

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,575
California
I've always hated how cops expect you to show them the utmost respect yet they have never shown any respect for me and treat me like fucking scum. They're serving us, not the other way around.
 
Vermillion

Vermillion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,698
Ah yes. As a black man, I'll be certain to try this when I have a negative interaction with the police.
 

onadesertedisland

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,606
Um, I don't advise doing this. You might have a right to do so, but if a cop kicks your ass for doing it, if you even touch them back, you will go to jail.
 

onadesertedisland

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,606
maxxpower said:
I've always hated how cops expect you to show them the utmost respect yet they have never shown any respect for me and treat me like fucking scum. They're serving us, not the other way around.
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Police serve capitalists, not people. They protect capital and capitalists. For example, an alarm goes off at a bank, multiple cops show up immediately to protect paper, but someone breaks into your average person's house, they might not even show up.
 
Jam_Sandwich

Jam_Sandwich

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,339
Reminds me of that incident with that lad who had his camera knocked out of his hand and he did said gesture.

Does anyone have an update on his case?
 
Taki

Taki

Attempt to circumvent a ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,308
Someone do this and report back to the thread

Edit: don’t do this.
 
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borghe

borghe

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,112
no offense but this seems like a terrible thing to broadcast... like.. yes you have the right... and thankfully cops have NEVER unlawfully impeded our rights before......... man this first person to try this is getting his ass kicked.
 
nasirum

nasirum

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,800
Somewhere
Uh sure we have the right, but that doesn't change that the cop can drum up any number of charges and just arrest your ass for something else.
 
Aurongel

Aurongel

Member
Oct 28, 2017
6,367
Couldn't the cop just argue that the inflammatory act of giving them the bird constitutes a public disturbance? Shouting and screaming at the police can already land you in hot water so the line where legal free speech ends seems kinda fuzzy.
 
skillzilla81

skillzilla81

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
7,335
But, as a black person, the smallest movement is considered superhuman and threatening. So, in order to spare the lives of any officers, I'll just make sure I don't move. At all.
 
wenis

wenis

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,759
This is a rule for the whites correct?

can't imagine a melanated finger being able to do this one.
 
Alavard

Alavard

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,962
Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled a few years back that the police don't need to know the law, so good luck.
 
SArcher

SArcher

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Oct 26, 2017
2,669
Won't stop the police from murdering you though.
 
Jag

Jag

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,212
onadesertedisland said:
Police serve capitalists, not people. They protect capital and capitalists. For example, an alarm goes off at a bank, multiple cops show up immediately to protect paper, but someone breaks into your average person's house, they might not even show up.
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Not having cops show up at your house is probably the best result you could hope for.
 
Jesse_and_the_rippers

Jesse_and_the_rippers

Member
Dec 22, 2017
4,761
onadesertedisland said:
Police serve capitalists, not people. They protect capital and capitalists. For example, an alarm goes off at a bank, multiple cops show up immediately to protect paper, but someone breaks into your average person's house, they might not even show up.
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An alarm at a bank would likely indicate armed robbery with potential hostages, while a break in is usually reported after the burglar is gone.
 
Kylac

Kylac

Member
Oct 31, 2017
2,711
MA
Isn't there an old Colbert segment about some guy doing this? It's from like 7-8 years ago so I wouldn't even know how to find it. But yeah you probably shouldn't do this.
 
MonoStable

MonoStable

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,463
Wasnt a black guy literally tag teamed by a group of cops after flicking one off who snatched his cell phone camera?
 
BDS

BDS

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,845
Glad to know that your First Amendment right will be upheld when a cop kills you after you flip him off because he decided your middle finger was actually a concealed weapon and he was terrified for his life.
 
Protein

Protein

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,807
When white man does this, cop will ask, "what the--can I help you?"

When colored man does this, cop will see a G-virus appendage reaching out to grab him.
 
Casa

Casa

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,737
What justification would the cops have had before this ruling for going after someone that showed them the bird?

Like, would they say "you're under arrest for disrespecting me?" Is there a "don't disrespect cops" law?
 
FluxWaveZ

FluxWaveZ

Persona Central
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
9,764
Casa said:
What justification would the cops have had before this ruling for going after someone that showed them the bird?

Like, would they say "you're under arrest for disrespecting me?" Is there a "don't disrespect cops" law?
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Cops will go after certain people for "dehumanizing stares."
 
Clefargle

Clefargle

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,560
Limburg
I would try this if I didn’t think succeeding would be essentially just another acknowledgement of my privelege
 
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