Today brings with it yet another “the First Amendment can be suspended in the name of ‘safety'” story, and it might not surprise you to know that it has something to do with California authorities removing a “TRUMP” sign:
Giant Trump sign appears — and is swiftly taken down — in Sepulveda Pass https://t.co/H3MLSHQR5a
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 6, 2020
This LA Times report on the massive Trump sign on a hill near the 405 says that state authorities went on private property to take it down because they claimed the political speech was a "visual distraction" to drivers. What? https://t.co/9doDsRgUdy via @YouTube
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 7, 2020
Maybe the Trump supporter should have instead put the sign ON the highway and called it a protest:
Ah, good.
What do we care about the first amendment?
As for 'visual distraction'…these idiots LET HUNDREDS OF PROTESTERS BLOCK THE HIGHWAYS AND DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
We are completely led by idiots. https://t.co/0WgPTW2thi
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 7, 2020
I hope some lawyers (@RonColeman?) have that property owner sue the pants off of whoever did this.
— Pradheep J. Shanker (@Neoavatara) October 7, 2020
The far left will annihilate the 1st Amendment if given the chance. https://t.co/4vC6WgEjOB
— Jeff Capell (@JeffCapell) October 7, 2020
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Local authorities said that because the sign was on private property, it was just taken down but not removed:
Lauren Wonder, chief public information officer for Caltrans, told the Los Angeles Times that the sign was on private property.
For that reason, Wonder said, Caltrans workers “laid it down so it wasn’t a visual distraction” but did not completely remove the sign, which was noticed at about 7 a.m.
“This was a life and safety issue because there were concerns about distracted driving,” Wonder said.
I just hate when free speech becomes a "visual distraction" for California government authorities. I'm sure they would have rushed out to tear it down had it been a Biden sign. https://t.co/FvAkPRJm7g
— Robert Uithoven (@ruithoven) October 7, 2020
Yeah, for some reason if it had been a Biden sign the authorities would have moved it closer to the highway.
Better take down that "HOLLYWOOD" sign too, then.
Democrats are determined to shut down free speech.
A vote for a Democrat in 2020 is a vote for an authoritarian, and ultimately a totalitarian, State. https://t.co/aZuhZemn0L
— Nan Hayworth, M.D. (@NanHayworth) October 7, 2020
If only there was some kind of historical data involving the distraction this kind of sign might have on drivers. Alas, we may never know. pic.twitter.com/FftCN9LLuL
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) October 7, 2020
Hollywood’s full of liberals, which is the “acceptable” philosophy of most local politicians, so that sign gets to stay.
Update: It has to be asked:
Do you think this sign would have been removed if it said BLM? https://t.co/pJZIDQ2sCw
— Mike LaChance (@MikeLaChance33) October 7, 2020
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