Felony for Ojoker poster ?? WTF???

[PocketProtector]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...est=latestnews

A Florida teenager could find himself in a sticky situation as a state attorney prepares to review possible felony vandalism charges in connection to the posters depicting President Obama as the Joker, FOXNews.com has learned.

By Joshua Rhett Miller

FOXNews.com

Tuesday, August 18, 2009


A Florida teenager could face felony vandalism charges for allegedly gluing posters depicting President Obama as the Joker onto public property, FOXNews.com has learned.

Clermont, Fla., Police Capt. Eric Jensen said the state attorney will review evidence to determine whether to charge the unidentified teenager with gluing "dozens" of the posters last week to the city's light poles, public and private buildings, bridge overpasses, road signs and a mailbox.

Jensen said damage to city property exceeded $800, and it cost roughly $200 to remove the adhesive that was used to affix the poster to the mailbox.

"If he hadn't glued them, we wouldn't be having this discussion," Jensen told FOXNews.com. "[The adhesive] didn't come off the road signs."

If convicted of felony vandalism, the teenager could face a maximum of five years in jail. No arrests have been made yet in the case.

Bill Gladson, of Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit, which oversees Lake County, confirmed that State Attorney Brad King will receive the case as early as Wednesday.

"We look at every case that gets dropped off," he said, declining further comment until the case file is received.

Gladson said he could not recall a recent case involving potential charges of felony vandalism in regard to posters, including those pertaining to political messages.

Jensen said witnesses initially told investigators that a "couple of kids" were responsible for gluing the posters. He said the teenage suspect admitted to affixing dozens of the "hundreds" of posters throughout Clermont, a suburb of Orlando.

Dozens of the posters first appeared earlier this month throughout Los Angeles. They portray Obama as Batman's nemesis from "The Dark Knight," with the word socialism printed above and below the president's face. Obama is portrayed wearing sloppy red lipstick, a white face and darkened eyes, the same make-up that the late actor Heath Ledger wore throughout the latest Batman movie.

U.S. Postal Inspector Ed Moffitt said Clermont Postmaster Willie Montgomery contacted his office to investigate the case following the discovery of the posters on Aug. 11. Defacing federal property, including a mailbox, is a violation of Title 18 of U.S. Code, Moffitt said, but federal authorities decided the case "does not meet their guidelines," since the damage did not exceed $1,000.

Moffitt said Montgomery scraped off the "very, very adhesive" substance used to hang the posters with a pen knife or putty knife, which removed the mailbox's blue paint. The mailbox then had to be primed and repainted, adding to labor costs, which totaled roughly $200.

"It wasn't like a Post-It note where you could easily pull it off," Moffitt said. "Nothing's free anymore."

But it could have been a lot closer to free. An employee at Home Depot suggested a $6 bottle of Goo Gone would have done the trick.

"It does take a little rubbing," the employee said.

No motive for the poster display has been determined, but Jensen noted that a contest posted on Infowars.com called on people to download a version of the poster to be hung in "public spaces" in their neighborhood.

"We're the only ones who have seemed to have gotten it, though," Jensen told FOXNews.com last week. "It was a nationwide event from what I understand."

Maria Kayanan, associate legal director of Florida's American Civil Liberties Union chapter, said the case does not appear to be a First Amendment issue, citing the property damage.

"If it was just a poster that didn't cause any destruction, that'd be an entirely different thing," she told

[kunsunoke]

Somewhere in the White House, someone is shouting "Yeah, throw the book at the little prick!".

Funny, they seem to have no problem with THIS happening, though.

Too many crackers voting. Can't have that in Philly.

[ham385]

Sure, they're sticking it to him over the posters, there was property damage. If I crack n egg on the hood of your car on a blistering day, are you going to say it was just an egg or ask for the felony vandalism charge?

As far a the Black Panthers go, I support their right to legally carry firearms (or clubs, or knives, or tazers, or scimitars, etc.) also. I don't know details of the incident, mostly because the press has been vague. Besides, they fuck up the details all the time anyway. If they were actually threatening and chasing voters off, then I agree with you. If they were just standing there, making a political statement, then I support that, this is the US of A.

[adymond]

Okay here's the thing. What he did appears to raise to the statutory level of a felony. That said I think it was a stupid kid doing something he hadn't thought about. He needs to be punished. Maybe community service where he has to clean the glue from all the areas he plastered the poster.

We MUST respect the laws of the land even if we think they are stupid. There are mechanisms in the system to get the dumb laws changed, but we must respect those that are on the books.

[adymond]

Sure, they're sticking it to him over the posters, there was property damage. If I crack n egg on the hood of your car on a blistering day, are you going to say it was just an egg or ask for the felony vandalism charge?

As far a the Black Panthers go, I support their right to legally carry firearms (or clubs, or knives, or tazers, or scimitars, etc.) also. I don't know details of the incident, mostly because the press has been vague. Besides, they fuck up the details all the time anyway. If they were actually threatening and chasing voters off, then I agree with you. If they were just standing there, making a political statement, then I support that, this is the US of A.

They were clearly intimidating voters. A black civil rights activist has said this is the most clear case of voter intimidation he has ever seen (I have heard his voice a million times saying this, but forget his name).

[ham385]

They were clearly intimidating voters. A black civil rights activist has said this is the most clear case of voter intimidation he has ever seen (I have heard his voice a million times saying this, but forget his name).

Not saying that they weren't, but just cause so and so said so, don't make it so. What exactly did they do or say? I haven't seen this anywhere. Or was their mere presence the intimidating aspect. Search the forum and you can find multiple instances where someone is accused of endangering, threatening, disorderly conduct, etc. for merely OC'ing. So excuse me if I don't take it at face value cause so and so said so. Get me a transcript of their words and actions and I will decide if I agree with you or not. Surely, in this day and age, someone got a video clip of it.

[ehidle]

Get me a transcript of their words and actions and I will decide if I agree with you or not. Surely, in this day and age, someone got a video clip of it.

You bet...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU

[stevieb92]

Not saying that they weren't, but just cause so and so said so, don't make it so. What exactly did they do or say? I haven't seen this anywhere. Or was their mere presence the intimidating aspect. Search the forum and you can find multiple instances where someone is accused of endangering, threatening, disorderly conduct, etc. for merely OC'ing. So excuse me if I don't take it at face value cause so and so said so. Get me a transcript of their words and actions and I will decide if I agree with you or not. Surely, in this day and age, someone got a video clip of it.

Check it out...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU

[adymond]

Not saying that they weren't, but just cause so and so said so, don't make it so. What exactly did they do or say? I haven't seen this anywhere. Or was their mere presence the intimidating aspect. Search the forum and you can find multiple instances where someone is accused of endangering, threatening, disorderly conduct, etc. for merely OC'ing. So excuse me if I don't take it at face value cause so and so said so. Get me a transcript of their words and actions and I will decide if I agree with you or not. Surely, in this day and age, someone got a video clip of it.

I had assumed you saw the video where they threatened a poll watcher for the GOP and told him to get out of here. Where they were hitting their palm with the baton, where they were physically blocking the way of the man with the video camera, where they were telling the man with the camera not to record, etc. Add to that the several prominant members of civil rights organizations that typically support minorities who were outspoken against the New Black Panthers in this instance and it's an open and shut case IMO.

[Warpt762x39]

The guy who came up with this poster



was and is a grafitti artist. Nobody tossed him in jail for vandalizing property with that picture. Though he did get arrested long after that for something else.