Oklahoma City police officer pulls man over for anti-Obama sign on vehicle

[ThoughtCriminal]

Oklahoma City police officer pulls man over for anti-Obama sign on vehicle

The police officers who stopped Oklahoma City motorist Chip Harrison and confiscated a sign from his car told him he has a right to his beliefs, but the Secret Service "could construe this as a threat against President Obama," according to the incident report released this morning.

The sign, which read "Abort Obama Not the Unborn," was returned to Harrison later that day, the report said.

Police spokesman Steve McCool said this morning that the sign was taken in error, and Oklahoma City residents should not be worried that their First Amendment rights will be violated.

Harrison told the officers that in his opinion the words "Abort Obama" meant to impeach him. He told the officers he does not believe in abortion because he is a Christian.

Harrison was stopped on westbound Interstate 240 at 8:45 a.m. on Feb. 12, according to the police report.

Harrison said he later received a call from a person who said he was a lieutenant supervisor for the Internal Investigations Department and wanted to know his location and return his sign to him.

According to Harrison, the supervisor said the Secret Service had been contacted on the matter and had told them the sign was not a threat to the president.

Harrison was asked if he would like to file a complaint. He said he was not sure but would take the paperwork, just in case.

But his run-in with the law wasn't over yet.

''The Secret Service called and said they were at my house," Harrison said.

After talking to his attorney, Harrison went home where he met the Secret Service.

''When I was on my way there, the Secret Service called me and said they weren't going to ransack my house or anything ... they just wanted to (walk through the house) and make sure I wasn't a part of any hate groups."

Harrison said he invited the Secret Service agents into the house and they were "very cordial."

''We walked through the house and my wife and 2-year-old were in the house," Harrison said.

He said they interviewed him for about 30 minutes and then left, not finding any evidence Harrison was a threat to the president.

''I'm still in contact with a lawyer right now," Harrison said. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

Harrison said he feels his First Amendment rights were violated.

McCool said the officer who pulled over Harrison misinterpreted the sign.

''We had an officer that his interpretation of the sign was different than what was meant," McCool said. "You've got an officer who had a different thought on what the word 'abort' meant."

McCool said the sign basically meant Obama should be impeached and it was not a threat.

''(The officer) shouldn't have taken the sign," McCool said. "That was (Harrison's) First Amendment right to voice his concern."

McCool said although the sign should not have been confiscated, the situation was made right in the end.

''We always try to do the right thing and in the end we believe we did the right thing by returning the sign," McCool said.


(this guy is bitching about his first amendment rights, and then allows the SS to trample his fourth amendment rights....)

[Robert Kayland]

Out of curiosity, would having a copy of Mein Kampf on his bookshelf or a KKK poster in his den have gotten him arrested by the SS then?

What's with this: "We wanted to walk through the house to see if he was a member of any hate group" bullshit?

And how would they have interpreted a ZRT patch?

/"Say, Mister... what exactly do these PAFOA initials stand for?"

[Thisperson]

Unfucking believable. Wonder what the SS would've done had he refused to let them in.

[LittleRedToyota]

i'm thinkin' this guy just hit the lottery...

[customloaded]

Holy Shit. I can see this guy getting a new phone number soon from the number of Civil Rights attorneys calling wishing to represent him for free!

He's stupid, shouldn't have Let USSS in nor should he have talked to them.

Wait till he attempts to fly from a commericial airport and see how well that goes over!!! LOL Poor bastard!!!


I wonder what race the cop was? I wonder why the guy was not on the phone to 911 requesting a supervisor as this cop was stepping all over his constitutional rights.

Well, its started, Free speech curtailment, mandatory minority friends, and $13 dollars more in my pay check. Wow, I feel like a huge change has taken place. Yup, I feel like I'm getting ass raped by my Government!!!

[JoeWilliams]

Let's see... the police department says they've made things right. Apparently, they feel returning the property their officer stole is all it takes to make it right for this man having his property stolen in the first place, for being attacked under color of law and punished by the state for exercising his right to free speech, for having the federal government tramp through his house and decide whether or not he belongs to any groups not approved of by the Obamatards, for the certainty that he is now on a government watch list. Good luck to him next time he goes to buy a gun, or tries to get on an airliner.

Naw. They haven't made anything right. If they were truly interested in doing so, they would have arrested their own officer for the crimes he committed, and the victim of their department would already have a settlement offer in hand.

BTW: Below is the email I sent to the police department when I first heard of this this morning.

I am extremely disturbed that your police department is attacking people for exercising their First Amendment rights to be critical of the President. It is utterly unprofessional, and a stain on your honor and your badges. It is incidents like this that make me glad I no longer carry a badge, and do not have to be tainted by actions such as those taken by your department. The conduct of your officers is nothing short of an attack on our Constitution, an action that only criminals with badges would take. The conduct of your department is shameful, and utterly un-American. I am disgusted, and if you have any sense of what it means to be an American left in you, you would be, too.

[XD-Drew]

Thats ridiculous, this guy should sue the department for a violation of his 1st Amendment rights.

With that being said, "Abort Obama, not the unborn" is a very sick bumper sticker to have. Its one thing to have a "Obama sucks" or "Impeach Obama" but to suggest a proceedure that is tantamount to the murder of a President is disturbing IMHO.

Nevertheless they guy still has a right to be an asshole and his civil rights were violated.

[dc dalton]

I can't believe this guy allowed the secret service in his house without any probable cause, no warrant or any other document that would have allowed this ... what kind of bullshit is that?

People really need to start fighting back against this type invasion of privacy and I don't give two shits if it is the secret service or the local sheriff. We have laws in this country and just because you wave a secret service badge around doesn't justify throwing those laws out the door.

[customloaded]

Thats ridiculous, this guy should sue the department for a violation of his 1st Amendment rights.

With that being said, "Abort Obama, not the unborn" is a very sick bumper sticker to have. Its one thing to have a "Obama sucks" or "Impeach Obama" but to suggest a proceedure that is tantamount to the murder of a President is disturbing IMHO.

Nevertheless they guy still has a right to be an asshole and his civil rights were violated.

Hey Bro, the guy with the sticker is anti abortion Hence "ABORT OBama, not the unborn."

He's saying get rid of Pres. Obama, like abort the take off of the mission. He's not advocationg any violence toward the Pres. B.O.

[phillyd2]

With that being said, "Abort Obama, not the unborn" is a very sick bumper sticker to have. Its one thing to have a "Obama sucks" or "Impeach Obama" but to suggest a proceedure that is tantamount to the murder of a President is disturbing IMHO.

Even O does not consider it murder so what's the big deal?