Township worker cut when he tried to remove Trump sign from private property

Politics
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A family at a Michigan residence say they grew tired of people stealing Trump campaign signs from their private property, likely often under cover of night, so it appears they decided to make sure the thieves would pay a price.

A homeowner in Commerce Township decided to tape sharp razor blades to the bottom of the next sign they put out. The blades lined the bottom of the Trump-Pence 2020 sign, so that the next vandal would be in for a surprise.

The sign is on private property and the blades appear to have been visible to careful inspection.

Why was a township worker removing a sign from private property?

Is the owner of the sign responsible for the injury? The township is saying the sign was “booby trapped”.

Where I grew up there were horses in fields enclosed with barbed wire and an electrified fence. Is okay to use similar devices to protect political signs?

2

I read this and the issue is a 33 foot buffer from the road.

Not a good move for either side.

You cannot place a means to cause bodily harm for trespass. Disproportionate.

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3

It was on private property, but in a right-of-way easement under town control. It’s the same reason I can’t block the sidewalk outside of my house, even though it is technically my property.

Because it violated a town ordinance.

Yes.

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4

Sicko wanted to have a reason to hurt random people and came up with an excuse.

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5

This is why in some areas some silent trump supporters are maybe afraid of posting their signs because the crazy ones would be problary attacking them.

6

Well the answer to that is in the link you posted.

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Or you could have just read the link.

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I have i am just pointing that one thing out.

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I think that a question for the township is if they were selectively enforcing the regulations to remove Trump signs, while leaving signs for other candidates. That sounds like a violation of the first amendment rights.

My understanding is that you can’t create a trap for trespassers. I think a reasonable question is whether sharp edges were concealed or were obvious to anyone any real inspection of the sign.

Can people with livestock still use barbed wire and electrical fences?

10

Ok, sorry. :+1:

11

Washington Post only cares about Biden signs.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-latest-battlefield-in-a-heated-presidential-campaign-front-yards-bearing-biden-signs/2020/08/29/5264dc70-e962-11ea-970a-64c73a1c2392_story.html%3FoutputType=amp

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Of course they can.

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A question is why he attempted remove the sign without first contacting the property owner.

14

Stupid games with stupid prizes.

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That’s my question… can they go straight on to your property and take your belongings and throw them away without contacting you? Why not ask you to move the sign?

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Is there any reason at all to believe there is “selective enforcement” going on, or did you just make that up to throw at the wall and see if it’ll stick?

It is not a legally-relevant question.

Yes.

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Yes, they can. Because they have the legal right to control that part of the property under an easement.

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I haven’t seen any articles about disappearing Biden signs in Michigan being perpetrated by government employees. Perhaps you have evidence to the contrary?

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Too many laws protect lawbreakers.

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An absence of evidence is not evidence. This would never have made the news if it hadn’t been for the illegal booby trap.