The local commissars who purport to run Brighton, Michigan have seen fit to pass an ordinance banning annoying behavior, with a $100 civil fine for being caught exhibiting such.
Here's the relevant part of the ordinance:
"'It shall be unlawful for a person to engage in a course of conduct or repeatedly commit acts that alarm or seriously annoy another person and that serve no legitimate purpose.'"
The law also bans "insulting another person in a public place", even as the town burghers unconvincingly protest that the measure is being blown out of proportion, and that it won't be used in typical argumentative situations.
I don't believe them. Those sentences are so vague that any type of disagreement or behavior could conceivably be interpreted as being "annoying" to somebody.
The law clearly won't pass Constitutional muster and will be quickly struck down in court by adults, but it shows the lengths to which local government busybodies attempt to interfere in the daily lives of their peasants.
"While state laws cover serious harassment, this city ordinance protects against lesser behaviors that are disturbing but may not rise to the level of state charges."
Because disturbing behaviors, while being, well, disturbing, aren't crimes. Otherwise the jails would be full of odd people who are harmless despite enjoying hectoring their neighbors about the height of their grass, or who enjoy daily polka music at a reasonable level whilst sitting in their backyards, or who play the town dingbat that loves to talk at length about her mail delivery problems at every city council meeting.
Ironically, the article points out that the council itself is most likely running afoul of their shiny new law by "annoying" the residents of their town with such stupid and unenforceable legislation.
It's a shame I don't live there, really. I could turn in my wife for continually bothering me during Redskins games.
Just joking, dear. Please don't make me sleep in the garage again. It's quite chilly out there tonight.
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