Some dude in Illinois did a Nazi salute and said “white power” to a mixed-race family, which I think we can all agree is an offensive thing to do but is it a crime? Yes, apparently it is. The man was arrested and charged with a felony hate crime for essentially being a asshole. I’m not defending the asshole thing he said, just his Constitutional right to be an asshole.
Here’s the Story from The NY Post:
An Illinois man is facing a hate crime charge for giving a Nazi salute and saying “white power” to a mixed-race family outside a pharmacy, police said.
Justyn Giarraputo, 37, was arrested by cops in New Lenox Friday, one day after a woman told investigators he made the offensive gesture and yelled the racist slogan several times toward her and her three children outside a Walgreens, police said.
The woman’s three children, two of whom are black, had stayed in her car as she went into the pharmacy, she told cops.
The quick-thinking mom took a photo of Giarraputo’s license plate and called cops, setting off an investigation into the incident.
Giarraputo was then arrested at his home and investigators presented the case to the Will County State’s Attorney office, police said.
Prosecutors later charged Giarraputo with one felony count of a hate crime and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He was released from custody Saturday after posting $5,000 bond, police said.
“The victim was afraid for her safety and that of her children,” said police in a statement.
I’m sure plenty of people are afraid for their safety when Black lives Matter is marching down the street yelling “black power” and “f*ck the police” but they never seem to get arrested and charged with hate crimes. Even when they are looting and burning, they still don’t get arrested for anything. Why was this guy singled out in selective-outrage fashion?
The 1st Amendment right of free speech comes with some limitations. You can’t threaten people with physical harm. You can’t slander people. You can’t incite violence or falsely induce fear. This was none of those things.
Giarraputo didn’t threaten this woman or her kids, he just said a very asshole thing while doing an asshole gesture. Again, I’m not saying what he did was cool, but he also didn’t commit a crime.
Here’s some free speech quotes to demonstrate what I’m saying:
“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”
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“Goebbels was in favor of free speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you’re really in favor of free speech, then you’re in favor of freedom of speech for precisely the views you despise. Otherwise, you’re not in favor of free speech.”
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“Freedom of speech gives us the right to offend others, whereas freedom of thought gives them the choice as to whether or not to be offended.”
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“Those who cannot bear any offensive speech do not believe in free speech.”
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“Freedom of speech means freedom for those who you despise, and freedom to express the most despicable views. It also means that the government cannot pick and choose which expressions to authorize and which to prevent.”
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Being offensive does not make one a criminal and being offended doesn’t make one a victim.
This is the United States of America and we have the right to be assholes if we want. This would be a good chance for the ACLU to prove they actually give a shit about civil rights, but they won’t touch this guy’s case with a 10-foot strap-on dildo. They will probably defend the Muslim terrorist who killed 10 people in Colorado, but this is a white guy offending someone.
