Brickbat: Proper Policing

Barbelo / Dreamstime.com

Cops in Lansing, Illinois, removed a Halloween decoration from a woman's yard after some neighbors complained it looked like a lynched black man. The black mannequin, which had been hanged from a tree, originally had hockey mask similar to the one worn by Jason in the Friday the 13th movies. But a vandal had removed the mask. Cops say the owner had no malicious intent, but they still removed the decoration.

Comments

[Rat on a train]

She should have put a smiling face on the mannequin.

[OverWandersTelcon-tarian]

Black man can't even hang out by the street in this country without getting the cops on his ass.

[Rat on a train]

Did you see the cop drag him across the yard and throw him on the steps? That wasn't necessary. He wasn't resisting.

[OverWandersTelcon-tarian]

And as always, for no more reason than that he had a bit of hemp on him.

[loveconstitution1789]

Cops are always tearing black men down.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Will Ruth III, 24, said he saw Griffin's posts about the incident and drove over to the home to see the display for himself. Ruth expressed concern that the display, which was across the street from a park and near a school, could be seen by children.

Bonus outrage points for starting outrage on social media but moving outrage to IRL. Standard outrage points for invoking the children.

I wonder if police ever caught the thief.

[Hugh Akston]

You can tell from their response that they take this matter very seriously. They very probably have multiple detectives working the case.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

They'll stop and frisk every kid down at the local hockey rink, just to be sure.

[Kivlor]

black fragility?

[John C. Randolph]

Oh, for fuck's sake. It's not the business of the police to censor halloween decorations.

-jcr

[sarcasmic]

Looks like a combination of a 1A and 5A case against the police. Free speech and taking without compensation.

Then again the cops are shielded by the FYTW clause, which supersedes any rights granted to us by the Supreme Nazgul.

[Cyto]

What do you think the appetite is in the polity for a discussion of the rights of freedom of expression and offensive displays?

Outside of college campuses, where it seems that being in lockstep with progressives at every moment is imperative, we had been pretending that we valued freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

We don't seem to be even pretending that we value free speech any more.

Let's suppose someone made an art installation in their front yard that was really offensive but objectively unquestionably art with a strong point of view. Would anyone champion the freedom of expression these days?

Should the artist post something showing a bunch of Catholic Priests molesting children.... what do you think? Would the ACLU jump to his defense? What about the progressive left? How about the libertarian right? The conservative right?

What if you made a display of beer swilling husbands in football jerseys beating their wives? Too offensive? What if it was instead about spouse abuse in the gay community? Could you get away with that?

Or how about an actual lynching tree with sculpted black bodies, but with a white audience applauding - designed to demonstrate white racism? They'd probably be fine with that, don't you think?

So is it being "offensive" that is the thing we can't have an honest discussion about, or is it content that we disagree with?

[Rich]

How about an actual lynching tree with sculpted black bodies, but with a BLACK audience applauding? What would be the reaction?

[loveconstitution1789]

No authority in the US or Illinois Constitutions for the government to remove a Halloween decoration from a person's property.

Absolutely none.

Sue that police department until they beg for mercy.

[Longtobefree]

The only effect of that lawsuit will be rich(er) lawyers - - - - - - - - -

[sarcasmic]

The lawyers' bank accounts always win.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

People should not assume the worst. Maybe that woman from Lansing is not a belligerent racist. Perhaps she is merely a hapless dope trying, without much success, to keep up with modern American society.

[General_Tso]

Stick a Trump (or Kavanaugh!!1!) mask on the mannequin and now it's free speech all the way down.

[IceTrey]

"If you see something like that, it brings a fear and it brings emotions."

What! A Halloween decoration that brings fear! Can't have that.