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Sign in Kent gets man a day in court Issued a $125 ticket for advertising 'Impeach' Bush on public property

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David O'Brien
August 2, 2007

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

For doing what he believes is expressing his First Amendment right to free speech, Kevin Egler has a trial date in Portage County Municipal Court in Kent.

The South Lincoln Street resident was issued a $125 ticket July 25 by Kent police officer Jerry Schlosser for "advertising on public property," according to court records.

His advertisement? A sign reading "Impeach," urging the impeachment of President Bush placed in a small public garden at the intersection of Main and Willow streets and Haymaker Parkway.

Egler, 45, said he has placed more than 450 anti-Bush signs in the Kent area.

Kent city ordinance 503.02 states "No person shall stick, post or attach any advertisement, poster, sign, handbill or placard of any kind or description upon any telegraph, telephone, railway or electric light pole within the city, nor upon any public building, voting booth, flagging, curbstone, walk, step stone or sidewalk, or write, print or impress or in any manner attach any notice or advertisement of any kind upon any public building, voting booth, flagging, curbstone, step, stone or sidewalk" that is the property of the city.

However, Egler said he believes the message on the sign he posted is at issue, not the act itself. He said he can show dozens of other examples of advertising on public property in the city, including U.S. Army recruitment posters, "for sale" signs and other handbills tacked to public property that have not attracted the same attention.

If he can't place them in Kent, Egler said he will move his operations to the Akron area.

Egler, who is not affiliated with any local anti-war groups, hosted a small gathering Tuesday with Chicago activist and poet Mario Penalver, who has undertaken an 800-mile walk from Chicago to Washington D.C. to protest the Iraq War and inspire dialogues on peace.

Joining Penalver are Denver-based activists Brother Raymond Schwab and Brother Elliott Nesch of Beit Shalom Ministries, an evangelical Christian ministry dedicated to protesting the war, who left Denver March 1 on their own mission to Washington D.C.

All three men attended Egler's hearing Wednesday, picketing outside the Kent courthouse with signs saying "Honk for peace" and "Impeach Bush."

The three activists said they are disturbed by what they believe is a political motive behind the ticket.

"We need to be more vigilant in times of war to protect our liberties," Schwab said.

"We can't let fear compromise our Constitution," Penalver said.

Judge John Plough set a pretrial for Aug. 9 and a trial for Aug. 16.




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Previous 10 Comments   Next 10 Comments of 33 Total Comments
13.
    Posted by why?? August 2, 2007
vote for hillary and get bushy out of the office, he has done enough to harm us and pad his own pockets. I am so sorry for those bush supporters.... you are as blind as he is.

12.
    Posted by MilitaryMomma August 2, 2007
I think this man deserved a ticket. Freedom of speech is one thing, but I feel we take it a little to far. We do not have the right to attack another's character. We all have very strong opinions on the was and our president. President Bush did not put us over their by himself. We voted for him and for Congress who is suppose to represent the people. The problem is that they change depending on polls and what the American people want to hear. We need to support our Troops and help our country. Our Soldiers do see this as a attack of them, seeing that President Bush is their Commander and Chief.

11.
    Posted by Doug33 August 2, 2007
450 folks. Thats more then all the garage sale signs in 3 counties or more!

10.
    Posted by Doug33 August 2, 2007
Stick your hundredsz of signs on your own property. You DO NOT have the right to stick things on or deface someone elses. Like Im sure this jerk was going to go pick them all up someday?! Hell no! That is just as big an issue as you all arguing about the lame Bush. I have a store front. The issue is trashing areas that some people are working hard to keep looking nice!
Lets see you all agree to allowing people to walk up to uour house and start sticking flyers on it. You would give him more then a ticket, aye?
There is a place for freedom of speech but not on my property that I WORKED hard for, unless I agree with it.
THATS FREEDOM.

9.
    Posted by AndrewP August 2, 2007
Could someone actually refresh themselves on what the First Amendment is? Just because you see the word "Freedom of Speech" doesn't mean you are entitled to that word for word. There are consequences to using your "freedom of speech." I could use an example right now, but I don't want a visit from the Secret Service. Even though I would be exercising my "freedom of speech."

8.
    Posted by susan.fridy1 August 2, 2007
You must be joking to say that Bush is a saint. How much blood has been shed because of this man? And who says that veterans would be against an American who is voicing his opinion? Veterans have fought to protect those rights, and a lot of them are no happier with this president than Mr. Egler is.

7.
    Posted by flybuddy1 August 2, 2007
So many clueless people in the world. George Bush is a Saint! We are so fortunate that he is our president and protecting us and future generations from harm and securing our freedoms. Hopefully my grandchildren will now get to enjoy these same freedoms. Have you no clue as to the threat that the terrorists pose to us. Their Quran tells them that all (that means YOU) christians are to be killed! Their motto is "death to christians" What part of this don't you understand?

6.
    Posted by s.swenson August 2, 2007
I wonder if all the people who stick garage sale signs up, or weigh loss signs, or health insurance signs in improper places also receive a ticket. Heck those people even have their phone number on the signs.
I'm not really for what this guy did, but if they are picking him out to make an example than shame on them. Anyone can drive around Kent and see signs that are against the law as stated above and like I said you can call those people up because they put their phone number right on the sigh. One is no worse a violation then the other, or is Kent pickin on this guy because his sign represents an opinion?

5.
    Posted by steelerfan08 August 2, 2007
I am not a Bush supporter nor am I pro-war however shouldn't we also impeach the congress and the senate since they voted to allow the war? They were all given the same intelligence information from the cia, fbi, interpol etc? We need to get rid of the whole bunch because they are all ruining our country.
They are no longer in touch with the people or their needs or wishes. They are dedicated to their special interest groups and their cash supporters.
This guy has a right to post whatever signs he wants just find out the laws and follow them. This isn't an anarchist society. Their are rules.

4.
    Posted by ruth-dh August 2, 2007
The message that was placed in an "improper place" is true. Bush should be impeached. He started a war based on false pretenses, a war he cannot end. It is a tragedy that so many young men and women's lives and futures are being lost every day. It is a tragedy that future generations will have to pay the bill for this fiasco. I support our troops, but bring them home alive now!!!

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