Arkansas Blog: Calling the ACLU

The Searcy police arrested Brian Barnett, a Green Party candidate for legislature, last week because he stood on a street corner with a sign saying his Democratic and Republican opponents were "chicken shit" for refusing to debate him. The Searcy newspaper account indicates the cops need a little First Amendment instruction:

At 11:37 a.m., Searcy Patrolman Tyrel Johnson arrived and spoke to Barnett about the sign.

“You can probably get away with saying he’s chicken, but since he’s an alderman and a member of the city council, you can’t,” Johnson told Barnett. “That word is not acceptable.”

Barnett explained the sign to Johnson, saying it was designed to call attention to the refusal of Reeves and Betts to debate him.

“When you call someone chicken s*** that means they’re scared,” Barnett said.

When Sergeant Tom McGee arrived, the three went next door to a tire shop and Barnett could be heard offering to change the sign. Within minutes, however, Barnett was arrested, charged with disorderly conduct, apparently for refusing to obey an officer.

“I asked him on four occasions to remove those letters from that sign,” McGee said. “He did remove the ‘i’ but I asked him to remove the entire word."

Wonder if the cops are seizing copies of the Daily Citizen that didn't bleep out all four letters of the word?

Comments

Freedom of speech my ass.

Posted by: senor square | October 20, 2008 10:35 AM

Searcy, being the home of Harding University, falls pretty heavily under the thumb of church-ocracy in their local management. A shining example of why we have (or at least used to have in places) the rapidly eroding policy concerning the separation of worship and government, lest the two become too closely commingled.

Posted by: Up The Road | October 20, 2008 10:47 AM

So, he was arrested for challenging the cops...not necessarily what he had on his sign. It would have been wise of him to leave the 'shit' off the sign, but he still would have been arrested.

Posted by: Scottie | October 20, 2008 10:49 AM

Hey Scottie, since you were obviously THERE, could you give us a few more details?

Joneboro, Waltonville, Searcy. 'nuff said, independent from Scottie's "account."
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Posted by: Larry | October 20, 2008 10:53 AM

How does his crime compare with the guy at the link on my name?

Posted by: Deathbyinches | October 20, 2008 11:00 AM

Just reading between the lines Larry....that is all.

Larry...stand on the corner of your local Police station with one simple sign that says "Pigs" and see how long it takes for you to be arrested for 'disorderly conduct'. Even if you never mutter a word to the officers. Now, for all we know, your sign that says "Pigs" might be your way of raising awareness of Arkansas's pork industry.

Posted by: Scottie | October 20, 2008 11:10 AM

DBI...The owner of that carwash should be arrested for operating a business that offers sexual services for money. If that carwash is located within 1000 feet (?) of a school or church, that owner of the carwash is going to face some serious jail time. What this country needs is more legislation to control the spread of these carwashes that are dens of sexual perversion.

Posted by: Scottie | October 20, 2008 11:15 AM

It's pretty much come down to the point where if you have never been jailed in America you are not conducting your civic duties correctly.

I've been arrested in years past for standing peacefully in a public square in a silent vigil against the Iraq war (1)...having never said a word nor was I carrying a sign or wearing unusual clothing. In fact the police arrested over 30 thousand people before violence broke out the next day.

The war mongers and their police caused all of the problems.... maybe someday they will actually be the ones jailed for it.

America is broken.

Posted by: Eureka Springs, AR | October 20, 2008 12:19 PM

At last, a way out of the economic downturn; what's the going rate on first amendment violations by law enforcement?
Anyone going to Searcy?

"No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets."
Edward Abbey

Posted by: Zatharus | October 20, 2008 12:34 PM

Those police.

What a chickenshit thing to do.

Posted by: eLwood | October 20, 2008 12:57 PM

I wonder what is being portrayed in our society, it certainly seems to be missing the required segments for a fuctional society sch as tolerence, morality or maybe even something that is even more dstant called love

Posted by: Richrdd | October 20, 2008 01:40 PM

eLwood's use of the term is closer to the original meaning of obsessive attention to petty details.

Posted by: Doc | October 20, 2008 08:04 PM

Arkansas Blog

Calling the ACLU

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