Thought you were within you're freedoms to honk your horn in support of Occupy Denver when you drive by? Think Again.
The liberals elected to the Denver City Government didn't spend all those years creating all those laws for nothing- Like I have said in the past- you can't scratch your butt in Denver without violating some kind of law. Turns out you can't honk your horn either!
There's an old law in Denver they just dug up for the occasion that prohibits honking your horn in the City unless it's an emergency. Since the city is short on money- The Denver police are now using these criminal horn honkers as a revenue source- it'll cost ya $60.00 to honk your horn while driving by the Occupy Denver rally.
The city is 6 million dollars short and "Some of the money will be made up by officers ticketing drivers who honk as they pass by the protestors downtown. Denver Police are enforcing an old law which prohibits drivers to honk unless it's an emergency situation."
This is what happens when we vote in politicians who advocate these types of rules- and allow our local governments to pass (by the hundreds) these seemingly innocuous laws year after year.
I hope someone takes this to court, OWS living in the park may not be protected by their first amendment rights, but honking your horn, just like flashing your lights to warn oncoming individuals to speed traps, is.
The minute it's challenged in court, the city will lose this one.
It is a pretty silly law but it is quite common for many cities to have this on their city ordinance. It prolly goes back as far as the days when automobiles and horses shared the roads and was added to avoid spooking the horses unneccessarily. Saying that Liberal Gov't officials created it might be a stretch.
In my hometown, when the local kids graduated high school they drove the town streets honking their horns before and after their senior party. We ended up at sunrise outside the local radio station and sang the national anthem and the school fight song on air. Then the cops would come and escort us all to first period. We also used see a lot of wedding caravans doing this on their way from church to reception.
Photo-fish wrote: It is a pretty silly law but it is quite common for many cities to have this on their city ordinance. It prolly goes back as far as the days when automobiles and horses shared the roads and was added to avoid spooking the horses unneccessarily. Saying that Liberal Gov't officials created it might be a stretch.
In my hometown, when the local kids graduated high school they drove the town streets honking their horns before and after their senior party. We ended up at sunrise outside the local radio station and sang the national anthem and the school fight song on air. Then the cops would come and escort us all to first period. We also used see a lot of wedding caravans doing this on their way from church to reception.
Since you probably support the idea of the horn law- I hope you get a ticket.
In Denver- there are literally thousands of laws like this that have been passed over the last hundred years, it dosn't make it right. I'll bet some old lady proposed this law in a city council meeting one day years ago because sombody honked their horn and she got offended. This is how it's done folks. Pass law after law and before you know it- you don't have the liberties you thought you had.
In addition- all the laws that really do matter are diminished by the plethora of frivolous ones. Did you know that if someone smashes your car window- breaks in and steals your stuff in Denver- the police will not even respond to take a report? Much less investagate the crime- they quit responding to car break-in's years ago. You can go to their web site and file a complaint- but chances are that a real person will never even read it.
Why? Because the Police are too busy giving out tickets for honking your horn! That's why.
And this law is just one in a thousand- if someone tries to really fight it- the DA will drop the charge- preserving the law intact for the next time they want to harass citizens.
I have experienced this first hand- show up in court with a serious challange and a threat to the un-constitutional law- and they will simply drop it, revoking any right to challange you thought you had. They count on the fact that 95% of those who are ticketed will just pay the fine.
I know of a few dozen laws in Denver like this- but I'm no expert because there are thousands more where this one came from.
BearMtnHIB wrote: Since you probably support the idea of the horn law- I hope you get a ticket.
I don't support it. That is why I called it silly, silly. I also don't think it is against the law to honk or flash oncoming drivers to alert them of road hazards or speed traps.
BearMtnHIB wrote: Since you probably support the idea of the horn law- I hope you get a ticket.
I don't support it. That is why I called it silly, silly. I also don't think it is against the law to honk or flash oncoming drivers to alert them of road hazards or speed traps.
It is not against the law- except in Denver (maybe Boulder too).
