Where – Fullerton CA
Allegations – 1st Amendment violations via harassment of people showing support by citing drivers who honked in support of anti-brutality protesters.
Considerations – Were the traffic stops legitimate or were they a form of harassment through selective enforcement?
Report – http://www.ocregister.com/news/police-316561-fullerton-horns.html?cb=1315707387
FULLERTON – Drivers honking their horns near a “Justice for Kelly Thomas” protest in Fullerton on Saturday were cited by police officers on suspicion of illegally using that vehicle feature, the Fullerton Police Department has confirmed.
Thomas was a 37-year-old homeless man fatally injured after a confrontation with six Fullerton police officers. The incident is still under investigation.
Thomas was a 37-year-old homeless man fatally injured after a confrontation with six Fullerton police officers. The incident is still under investigation.
People gather at the Fullerton police station Saturday over the death of Kelly Thomas in August.
Protesters and their supporters expressed outrage for the ticketing on their Facebook pages, saying five officers targeted drive-by protesters.
The pedestrian protesters gather each Saturday on the corner of West Commonwealth and South Highland avenues in downtown Fullerton, near the Police Department and City Hall. They typically encourage passersby to honk their horns to show support.
Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said drivers have been holding down their horns continuously for a quarter-mile up and down Commonwealth and Highland. He said the department received “numerous” complaints from nearby residents, businesses and park-users about the excessive honking and other instances of “disturbing the peace” such as yelling at and approaching drivers who don’t honk their horns.
Goodrich said officers asked the protesters to tone down the honking tactic, but they refused, so they started citing drivers for violating California vehicle code section 27001, which says motorists may only use their horns “when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation” of a vehicle.
Contact the writer: bmartinez@ocregister.com
The pedestrian protesters gather each Saturday on the corner of West Commonwealth and South Highland avenues in downtown Fullerton, near the Police Department and City Hall. They typically encourage passersby to honk their horns to show support.
Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said drivers have been holding down their horns continuously for a quarter-mile up and down Commonwealth and Highland. He said the department received “numerous” complaints from nearby residents, businesses and park-users about the excessive honking and other instances of “disturbing the peace” such as yelling at and approaching drivers who don’t honk their horns.
Goodrich said officers asked the protesters to tone down the honking tactic, but they refused, so they started citing drivers for violating California vehicle code section 27001, which says motorists may only use their horns “when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation” of a vehicle.
Contact the writer: bmartinez@ocregister.com
