Want to win $52,000 and give the finger to police officers in the process?
Here’s how.
Incredibly 2 Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City have collected $52,000 from New York City in a free speech rights case.
According to The New York Daily News and the New York Post the 2 individuals flipped the bird to 2 New York City Police Officers on a Subway Train.
Of course they were arrested for Disorderly Conduct by the Police because of it.
However since their Disorderly Conduct charges were later dropped, the City faced a lawsuit for violations of their First Amendment Right to Free Speech.
Pittsburgh Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, Car Accident and Criminal Defense Attorney Bernie Tully thinks this is an absolutely ludicrous decision.
However there is an important First Amendment principle here.
The point is giving someone the bird is protected first amendment Free Speech.
Why did they get the $$?
Because they were arrested for exercising their protected free speech.
Read the article below for a full discussion of it:
Arrested in 2013 after flipping off two New York City police officers on a Queens subway train, two Occupy Wall Street protesters are $52,000 closer to becoming one percenters.
That is the amount the city agreed to pay Nicholas Thommen, 21, and Channing Creage, 26, for violating their free-speech rights, according to the New York Daily News and the New York Post. The pair will split the settlement in the Brooklyn federal court civil rights case.
Police said the two also dropped the F-bomb and shouted that all police are “f—— rapists.” However, Thommen and Creage denied doing so and said they had simply gestured toward the officers with a middle finger raised.
They had been charged by police with disorderly conduct, but the Queens criminal case was dismissed when the two did not reoffend during a six-month period.
“Our clients are pleased with the city’s acknowledgement of their First Amendment rights” said their attorney.
What do you think of this decision?
Do you see the legal reason why they were entitled to this money?
Pittsburgh Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, Car Accident and Criminal Defense Attorney Bernie Tully will be the first to say that sometimes decisions like this seem crazy but they are grounded in sound freedom of speech reasoning principles.
It is what keeps us free as a nation.
There was a similar case like this in Pittsburgh a few years ago that was heard in federal court.
Incredibly the result was the same. Giving the finger is protected free speech.
What do you think about this?
Thanks for reading this article.
You are the best.
Bernie the attorney