Clearly the issue all along [regarding Asheville’s “highway blogger”] wasn’t Mr. Phillip’s exercise in free speech; it was the Asheville Police Department’s blatant disregard for Mr. Phillip’s constitutional rights and their subsequent arrest of Mr. Phillips on entirely fabricated charges.
And just who is accountable for this bogus arrest and these trumped up charges, now dismissed as without any merit? Possibly the Asheville police chief, who now tells us no public oversight is needed of his department?
And while we consider this, let’s not forget the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department’s arrest—and then some—last year of the citizen who also dared to exercise his right of free speech when he flew the American flag upside down on his front porch as a sign of national distress.
— Donald De Bona
Rutherfordton
2 thoughts on “Free speech meets the APD”
Both instances included in the letter are perfect examples of the bone headed, thug like mentality of the ilk that law enforcement unfortunately draws upon for employees.
These officers are not educated in constitutional law and many times are encouraged by their superiors to make the arrests and let the court figure it all out later. Which, by the way, is covered in the constitution … something about bogus arrests and search and seizures.
This is why Hogan and his Heroes and Mr Duncan do not want public oversight; they do not want the public to know what is really going on.
Ya know, you’d make a great cop. Why don’t you apply to the APD and make a real difference in your community? I’m sure people of your education and community sensitivity would raise the caliber of the police department’s hiring pool. Obviously citizen oversight would not be needed when the APD stops hiring the bone headed thugs and starts hiring highly qualified and enlightened community servants such as yourself. They’d be lucky to have you.