When police or prosecutors conceal significant exculpatory or impeaching material, we hold, it is ordinarily incumbent on the state to set the record straight. - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Randy Wright wants to take your free speech away


I think it time for this douchebag to hit the road. Just another asshole in public that want to take people rights aways, must be a damn GOP member. His bio is here. He must love to waste tax payers money as well.

NORFOLK

It's doubtful that rapper Raymond "Boots" Riley will ever be invited to perform again at Town Point Park, but if he is, he can curse to his heart's content.

The City Council voted 7-1 on Tuesday to revise an ordinance that made cursing in public a crime. A nearly identical statute in Virginia Beach was ruled unconstitutional nearly two decades ago by the Virginia Court of Appeals.

Riley, a California rapper, was charged with a misdemeanor for using the F-word at a concert at the Bayou Boogaloo and Cajun Food Festival in late June.

Fraim, who is an attorney, said he doubted the constitutionality of the charge when he learned of it and asked City Attorney Bernard A. Pishko to investigate.

He did, and shortly thereafter, charges against Riley were dropped.

Officials said that the charges were dropped mostly because Riley's cursing did not involve "fighting words," meant to incite violence.

Tuesday's ordinance removed a provision from a statute that makes it a crime "to profanely curse or swear" in public.

That didn't please all council members. Don Williams voted for the ordinance, he said, with much reluctance.

W. Randy Wright voted no, saying the city should have challenged the court ruling.

"Nobody should have to listen to that kind of language," he said. "There should be a ban on profanity. They're saying the courts struck it down. Well, we should challenge that. We should take a stand on this issue."

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