Milwaukee Police arrest man for "brandishing" after BLM rioters surround his house

[Sensei]

Tangent: I guess what perplexes me the most about this situation is not that we're seeing a block party thrown to annoy a jerky neighbor, but that we've not seen a bunch of block parties in the past to annoy convicted sex offenders of minors. If I look at my state registry, I can find literally dozens of middle aged males who have been proven in a court of law to have severely messed up the lives of kids. I live within half a mile of an elementary school, a middle school, and at least 4 daycare/after school facilities. I would think if a bunch of folks were gonna get riled up to let someone know they were not welcome in the neighborhood, that would spring to my mind before I got to my neighbor who has annoying speech/yard work habits...

Is it because none of those sex offenders go out of their way to draw attention to themselves? Perhaps they don’t engage in sufficient conflict with their neighbors to get arrested? Something tells me that if one was arrested for threatening kids with a chainsaw there might be some protests.

Also, the conflict between these neighbors are alleged to go far beyond annoying speech and yard habits.

[11B10]

It'll vary from area to area, and likely the time of day as well as many noise ordinances are more strict during the nighttime hours. Here if it is day time, they are not using a voice amplifier (ie bullhorn or PA of any kind) and are actually engaged in 1st amendment type activity they are *probably* within the noise ordinances. Non-1st amendment activity (say, motorcycle racing) has less protection for noise. Night time has less protection.

Then there's what's actually enforced. Religious activities do not have an exemption for the amplifier rule but is historically overlooked here, even in residentials.

Thanks, BBI, you answered my question, even though I left out a piece of information that would have been relevant. We have a 10:30 PM curfew here.

[HCM]

It's also inherently legal under the First Amendment. If they are not trespassing or otherwise committing a crime they can picket the sidewalk to their heart's content.

The Bill of Rights is a thing despite what both sides think.

Disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and harrassment are crimes.

Just because you are on the sidewalk doesn't mean you can do what ever you want, and the standard for what constitutes those three offenses are based on context such as location. Residential areas and limited access highways being prime examples.

If my neighbor annoys me and I stand in the street or sidewalk in front of his house making noise and shining lights in his windows late into the evening it can constitute all three of those crimes.

Context matters.first amendment "speech" is not unlimited examples range from shouting fire in a crowded theater to"fighting words." What may be reasonable first amendment "speech" in "the public square" is unreasonable in a residential neighborhood and constitutes "fighting words."

In many states provocation in the form of "fighting words" be they speech or behavior, means you are engaging in "mutual combat" not self expression and you are liable for what ever befalls you.