Six-year-old Natalie Shea of Brooklyn is facing threat of fine from the city for ... drawing a pretty picture with sidewalk chalk!
Here's a Big Brother story for you:
A 6-year-old Park Slope girl is facing a $300 fine from the city for doing what city kids have been doing for decades: drawing a pretty picture with common sidewalk chalk.
Obviously not all of Natalie Shea’s 10th Street neighbors thought her blue chalk splotch was her best work — a neighbor called 311 to report the “graffiti,” and the Department of Sanitation quickly sent a standard letter to Natalie’s mom, Jen Pepperman. [...]
“PLEASE REMOVE THE GRAFFITI FROM YOUR PROPERTY,” the Sanitation Department warning letter read. “FAILURE TO COMPLY … MAY RESULT IN ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST YOU.”
Since when is a kid’s chalk drawing “graffiti”? Since the City Council passed local law 111 in 2005, which defined “graffiti” as “any letter, word, name, number, symbol, slogan, message, drawing, picture, writing … that is drawn, painted, chiseled, scratched, or etched on a commercial building or residential building.”
In other words, Natalie Shea is not an artistic little girl, but a graffiti scofflaw?
Perhaps my wording was a little off, instead of "have to" I would say "they are supposed to". This doesn't change my previous statement.
As for not knowing my history... I think it is you who should re-read what Common Law actually is.
I'll give a quote for you and cite it so you can read the entire article.
"In common law legal systems, the law is created and/or refined by judges: a decision in the case currently pending depends on decisions in previous cases and affects the law to be applied in future cases. When there is no authoritative statement of the law, common law judges have the authority and duty to "make" law by creating precedent"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law
Common Law deals with judges and how they can decide cases. It does not apply to police officers even if you see a similarity.
I don't mean to flame you, but as a history major I get a little riled up when people accuse me of not knowing my "effin" history.
I also occasionally follow Shorpy.com, a blog with old photos. The following one from NYC 1911 shows some city sidewalk chalk "graffiti" (near the kid running at lower right). Great photo.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/1783?size=_original
(there's a smaller version at here:
http://www.shorpy.com/node/1782?size=_original)
NO THEY DON'T!!!
Cops Selectively enforce laws EVERYDAY!
In fact there has been a provision in western common law for selective enforcement since the Middle Ages! Learn some effin history folks!
As for the Idiot who said "This is America folks — LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT!!"
Why would i want to leave America just to be Victimized by it's Foreign Policy?