Cartoonist Targeted With Criminal Probe For Mocking Police

[villager]

Source: KIRO

Cartoonist Targeted With Criminal Probe For Mocking Police

RENTON, Wash. -- The Renton City Prosecutor wants to send a cartoonist to jail for mocking the police department in a series of animated Internet videos.

The "South-Park"-style animations parody everything from officers having sex on duty to certain personnel getting promoted without necessary qualifications. While the city wants to criminalize the cartoons, First Amendment rights advocates say the move is an "extreme abuse of power."

Only KIRO Team 7 Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne holds a key document that really lays bare the city’s intent. The document was quietly filed in King County Superior Court last week. It’s a search warrant accusing an anonymous cartoon creator, going by the name of Mr. Fiddlesticks, of cyberstalking (RCW 9.61.260). The Renton Police Department and the local prosecutor got a judge to sign off as a way to uncover the name of whoever is behind the parodies. Halsne talked with three nationally respected legal experts who believe the use of the cyberstalking statute is likely stomping on the constitution.

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Read more: http://www.kirotv.com/news/28758502/detail.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Somebody made 'Big Brother' mad. And here I thought we had a Bill of Rights in the USA.

[villager]

2. "Had" is the operative word

We can see how hard our "elected" "leaders" are fighting to restore those rights, too...

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. The U.S. Constitution is such a quaint little historical document, isn't it?

[KansDem]

17. I thought it was a "goddamn piece of paper?"

Which is it? A "quaint little historical document" or a "goddamn piece of paper?"

Why, it's TWO...TWO...TWO docs in one! :D

[awoke_in_2003]

9. One piece of legislation....

made the BoR moot- The Patriot Act.

[Nye Bevan]

3. It's so simple. If cartoonists and parody video creators don't want to go to prison

then they shouldn't make fun of those in authority.

What's the problem here?

[Poll_Blind]

5. Actually, and especially after watching the report, I think they know it's a bogus...

...case but they bet they can at least force the video's hoster to give them the name of the creator. They want that name bad.

PB

[chrisa]

7. And with a badge should come respect.

We should just shut up and never question anybody with a badge because they're right 100% of the time.

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Nye can correct me if I am wrong...

but the post was being sarcastic.

[chrisa]

12. Yep. I was going along with it.

[awoke_in_2003]

16. looks like my sarcasm meter

is batting .500 :)

[Poll_Blind]

4. They wanna know the real name of Mr. Fiddlestick and they can use a criminal....

..case to get the video hoster to cough it up. I bet it works. It doesn't even matter if the charges are eventually dropped. Once they have the cartoonist's name...

:scared:

PB

[woo me with science]

8. Chilling. nt

[awoke_in_2003]

11. yes it is...

and don't even think of video taping a cop doing his job.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. Argh, it's not 'south park style', it's xtranormal.

All you have to do is write a script and it does it for you.

[FiveGoodMen]

14. Shouldn't it be a crime to trying and deny someone their civil rights?

IOW: Shouldn't that prosecutor be on trial?

[marasinghe]

15. kudos to Reporter Chris Halsne, for going after these fascist scum.

and this in a "Blue" state. to paraphrase Ellis P. Butler: "Pigs is pigs".

nothing but - intimidation & harassment being stepped up all around, to quieten down us serfs,
in preparation for the next stage of development of a brave new world.

[happyslug]

18. Lets be honest, this is an attempt to get the name of the Cartoonist NOT to find evidence

The police KNOW they do NOT have a case, but once they have the name of the Cartoonist, there are other ways to "punish" him or her. I suspect the Police believe the Cartoonist is someone in the Police Department OR City Government, they do NOT know who, but suspect it is one of themselves. Thus this is a "fishing expedition" to get that name, not to prosecute the Cartoonist, but to reveal who he or she is AND then revenge themselves on that person. Revenge can be as simple as a bad evaluation, or no support when the cartoonist needs it in his job (If the Cartoonist is a Police Officer, just wait till he needs back up and just don't show up).

Thus this is a "fishing expedition" to get someone's real name, so the Police can punish that "Traitor".

[Blue_Tires]

22. Also, this very public "fishing expedition" draws media attention away from

the actual problems in the department the animations are trying to highlight...

[janet118]

19. First they came for the videographers . . .

Then, they came for the cartoonists . . .

You know the rest.

The police are getting out of control. In each town across the country we support a bunch of frat boys with guns who drive fast cars and motorcycles and play occupation army.

[cstanleytech]

20. They are making a huge mistake if they pursue this course

a try to go after the person for doing this parody because if I was the one doing the parody i would sue their pants off.

[msanthrope]

21. So now we see if YouTube/Google tells the cops to pound sand. nt

[LiberalFighter]

23. Too bad a group can't cause havoc with the Renton police and make their lives miserable.

Something that can be done legally or impossible to trace back.

[queerart]

24. This Case Is Testing The Waters For The Rest Of The Country

Just like the little town in the Southern US that was the first to stop payments from a retirement fund......


When the rest of the country saw they got away with it, everyone couldn't get in line fast enough to do the same thing.....


Don't fool yourself folks.... Many More are involved in this cartoonist hunt than just the police department.....


When they see it works there.... they will start punishing cartoonists across the entire country.....


As someone who draws cartoons that often pisses people off... trust me, there are some big fish behind this story... and I would not be surprised to later find out that they are wearing a red lapel button, with an "R", a flag, and a big cross emblazoned on it.....


Am I ready for a tinfoil hat?.... Maybe..... but I speak from experience... and these bastards will do anything (within the law or not.. and it's usually NOT) to stop everyone from having a different opinion than theirs.....

[stormpilot]

25. Aww, can't take a joke?

Give us a break. Highlighting too much the rampant brutality going on across this country?? I think the cartoonist hit a nerve. Being jailed for mocking the police sounds just like something a police state would do. Along with jailing journalists, jailing peaceful citizens who video police in action on the streets, etc. etc. There is a multitude of video evidence of the brutality of the police, and also the abuse inside jails and prisons; police savagely beating female prisoners, the mentally ill, beating them even while completely subdued /strapped down. Youtube is full of these videos, and they are bonafide. The recent BART killings in the Bay Area is evidence of this as well, as well the recent killing of a schizophrenic man in Fullerton just the other day.

The police need to stop acting like this isn't an issue, and as if they are justified in their abhorrent behavior.