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Posted on 05/29/2014 1:52:47 PM PDT by FredDardick
I guess you can put this in the “Now Only in Chicago, But Soon To Be in Your Backyard As Well” file. Writing for Breitbart, Warner Todd Huston discovered government officials in Will County, located just outside of Chicago, had issued a fine based on nothing more than a private individual’s Facebook post, no due process necessary:
"The police department of a Chicago area forest preserve district used a local woman’s social media post as a basis to send her a citation in the mail after she made a Facebook post about a county park."
Due to a number of “kennel cough” cases connected to Whalon Dog Park, Will County forest preserve police had been monitoring a local Facebook page maintained by concerned dog owners on which the accused woman had written “I was feeling bad that I haven’t bought a pass and been bringing Ginger there but I’m pretty glad I haven’t.”
The police, believing the woman had utilized the park without a license, wrote her a ticket stating “It has been brought to our attention that on May 18, 2014 at 8:58 pm, you posted on a social media site that you knowingly entered the dog park without a valid 2014 dog park permit” and stuck it in the mail. They didn’t even bother to contact her before issuing the fine.
No surprise to anyone it turns out the police got it all wrong. Not only had the woman not brought her dog to the park, she was trying to say that she was glad that she had avoided the area when she visited the Facebook page, but the words didn’t come out right. “That’s dead wrong. I haven’t gone there since 2013!” she wrote.
When informed of the error the Will County police, in their best impression of typical liberal tolerance, responded “After reading the original Facebook comment and follow-up comments, our police department decided to investigate and issue the ticket. The woman who posted the original statement will have a chance to appeal this ticket in court, and she will not have to pay the fine until her appeal is heard.”
I may not have gone to law school, but I don’t see how reading someone’s Facebook post can be defined as an “investigation” in anyone’s book. And forcing a bullied woman to appear in court in order to prove her innocence, rather than the police admitting their rather obvious and moronic mistake, just makes it worse.
This is outrageous. So now Facebook posts, in which people spout off, doing stream of consciousness, are legally binding evidence of wrongdoing?????
Hmmm. Now, I’m a product of the 70s/80s with respect to my schoolin’, but my first read of her post gave me the impression that she was glad she hadn’t been to the park, regardless of the pass issue. But then, I’m not a revenuer.
Anything or person near Chicago is infected with leftist authoritarism and sheer stupidity.
Time to sue the hell out of them.
That sounds ominous.
(rude word for fornicating) fascists! This is totally wrong. Arresting someone for words written!
This is fascism.
And rather than admit they are functional illiterates, they issue the citation anyway ... 'cause even after it's been explained to them ... they still have no idea what the post says and anyone explaining it to them are probably on the woman's side and trying to trick them
Better safe than sorry ... issue the citation.
Nothing bothers officials more than revealing gross actions in a public forum.
I don’t have a link at he moment but I have read some cities are using Google Earth to add taxes for people who have pools in they’re yard that are not reported.
Even if it says you didn’t do it!
Facebook post “I didn’t do it” -> tax eating moronic oxygen thief -> legally binding confession
Citizen: “You’re a moron! You can’t even read! I said I DIDN’T do it!”
Goober: “It’s OK, you can appeal!”
D’oh!
Time to create a camouflage pool cover business. Google Earth isn't that great regarding resolution. I'm certain pools could easily be hidden, the pumps and everything else, too.
True, but how long until the munis all fire up drones for short range hi res observation?
That’s what I was also thinking. Also yard sized pictures of pools for those who don’t have them. Totally poison the data stream.
Guilty unless you prove you are innocent
I would have ‘a friend’ swear you were home with them all day
+1 Awesome. I imagine people could have some real fun with this.
Darn good idea.
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