In New York State, the battle over the NY SAFE Act (the legislation rushed through the legislature without being read in the immediate wake of the Sandy Hook shootings and bans almost all modern firearms) is far from over. While the legislature seems happy with its decision to pass nonsensical laws designed solely to make firearms ownership and self defense as difficult and ineffective as possible, the people in upstate New York are livid. Residents have started posting signs calling for the repeal of the SAFE Act, an act of advocacy protected by the First Amendment. But the Somers, New York police department seems dead set on infringing on that right as well . . .
One New York resident had posted such a sign in his yard, advocating for the repeal of the SAFE Act and noticed that at some point in the day the sign had disappeared. He believed it to be his neighbor, who didn’t approve of the sign. So when he put up another sign with the same message, he also attached a trail camera to a nearby tree (designed to take pictures of deer and other animals when triggered by movement). Instead of catching his neighbor, he caught a series of images of a member of his local police department removing lifting the sign from his front lawn.
The sign owner is now in the process of contacting a lawyer to file a suit against the city. According to the comment thread, there’s some question about whether the placement of the sign violates a city ordinance, and it’s believed that the neighbor has been calling the local police department to report the sign owner and demand that it be taken down.
I have tried to contact the Somers police department, but they have not responded.