Bush critics receive additional charge in criminal case (Chicago Suburban)

[struggle4progress]

By Brian Hudson
GateHouse News Service
Tue Jul 17, 2007, 04:19 PM CDT

Wheaton, IL -

Two DuPage County residents who were charged in May for disorderly conduct after hanging a protest banner on a bridge above the I-355 tollway now are facing additional misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct and unauthorized display of a sign on a highway.

The charges were filed Monday as a result of the county’s ongoing investigation, said Paul Darrah, spokesman for the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.

Jeff Zurawski, 39, of Downers Grove and Sara Hartfield, 45, of Naperville posted a 12-by-4-foot sign calling for President Bush’s impeachment on a bridge over the tollway May 6 along with an upside-down U.S. flag. Police received reports that rocks were being hurled onto cars below — reports which Zurawski has denied.

The banner read: “IMPEACH Bush and Cheney — LIARS.” Flying the flag upside down, a traditional symbol for distress, was meant to represent their concern about the state of national politics. ~snip~

http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/hinsdale/homepage/x1447570677

[CoffeeCat]

1. I seriously doubt that anyone...

...threw rocks.

That sounds like a concocted lie to get these two patriots in
more hot water.

So, is the First Amendment gone now too?

[wtmusic]

2. Of course

To help get their point across, they threw rocks at the cars who were reading their message :silly:

[struggle4progress]

3. Dunno. But I'd guess some unhappy jerks drove by the banner and falsely reported

rock-throwing to the police as a way of hassling the banner-folk.

I've had people do stuff like that to me.

I remember handing out political fliers at a stoplight once. There was a concrete island I was standing on. All I did was walk up and down the island, offering fliers to cars stopped at the light. If the driver's window was closed, I held up the flier so the driver could see the heading as I walked by. If the driver's window was open, I not only held up the flier, I asked "Would you like some information about such-and-such?" as I passed. I didn't get too close, I certainly didn't push the issue if folk weren't interested, and -- since I always expect folk to be psychotic about their cars -- I didn't do anything that could be construed as affecting their cars or their driving. When the light was green, I just chilled on the island. As usual, a certain number of people were interested, most weren't, and every now and then somebody was interested until they found out what the fliers said. After about an hour and a half, a state trooper came by and said the police were getting calls that I was jumping in front of cars to stop them, pounding on people's windows to make them talk to me, and throwing unwanted trash in people's cars. I indirectly indicated the complaints were horseshit by very politely explaining my personal groundrules for the activity to him. He wanted me to stop handing out the fliers: I let him know I would certainly follow his directions regarding traffic laws but that I felt that unless I was actually violating traffic laws I had certain free speech rights.

A real learning experience: some people really will make false complaints to the police if they don't like your politics ...