This is an odd situation.

On one hand, it's never good to flip off the police. Because, you know, they kind of have all the power.

Unless, of course, your whole plan is to take the police to court and sue them for arresting you. Then the power falls back, somewhat, into your hands.

This is one of those situations where the police should just ignore the guy. ...but they won't.

I wish I had the guts to flip off the police. That must feel SOOO good.

Just curious, when does free speech conflict with harassment? The first commenter on the OL page brought up the best point: What if your neighbor met you everyday in front of your house with the middle finger?

Is that free speech or harassment?

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I don't know. Wasn't the guy who shot his wife and her two friends and then committed suicide a from the same department? Probably kind of depends on who's behind the gun. And, I might point out, they did still overreact and run him up on charges for flipping them off.

Yeah...He is white.

That's why he is still alive.

Interesting that the guy is representing himself. If it was such a solid case, you think the civil lawyers would be chomping at the bit to sue an entity with $. He is either choosing to represent himself or no one will take his case. Either avenue shows he is unbalanced, not some type of thoughtful, Lenny Bruce type of free speech hero standing up for those who have nothing better to do but dream about flipping off a police officer.

I don't see that Oregon has a civil rights bar to write home about. Sucking up to people in power is too much of a lawyer thing here too imho.

I don't get your point Cynthia. Are you saying that lawyers won't take the case because they are sucking up to people in power, those people in power being the police?? Go to any courthouse and see how many attorneys are suing police agencies. Go to a criminal trial and watch a good criminal defense attorney cross examine an officer. I assure you, there are a host of attorneys ready, willing and able to take on police agencies. But I guess this guy's decision to proceed on his own was a result of sound decision making process, prudent judgment and the lack of qualified attorneys to handle his case.

But I digress. My point was that the guy is a whack job, not a hero.

Yeah, Clackamas County only shoots accident victims, soon-to-be ex-wives and their friends.

Maybe his case is so ironclad he doesn't need to pay attorney's fees to win. Sure sounds like it from the case law.

The dude needs to start exercising something besides his finger.