The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed a civil rights lawsuit on Sept. 24, 2015, on behalf of Piedmont residents Tina Warren and her son Bryan Jeffers. They have been harassed repeatedly by government officials since Ms. Warren began expressing her disgust with the mayor by flipping him her middle finger.
The problems trace back to April 2014 when Warren and Jeffers’ home was without water for six days while a water main on their street was being repaired. Ms. Warren had called the city daily to inquire when her water would be restored. While driving one of those days, she noticed a group of men working on the main on her street so she stopped to ask them. Before she could exit her car, Mayor Bill Kirkpatrick, in a tirade of expletives, told Warren to mind her own business. Warren began protesting the mayor by extending her middle finger whenever she encountered him.
After Warren and Jeffers began receiving city water bills that were much higher than previous bills, Warren started a petition for a city audit. While Warren collected signatures, Mayor Kirkpatrick sent a Piedmont police officer to tell her she was violating an ordinance by blocking the sidewalk, but she wasn’t violating any law. City officials have continued to target the plaintiffs by shutting off their water with no explanation or warning, pulling Warren over for flipping off people while driving, and even having the family’s home searched for drugs without freely given consent.
“The mayor and police cannot use their power to intimidate individuals who communicate in ways that some may find offensive,” explains Tony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Missouri.
“Our constitution protects speech, which includes not only spoken words, but also gestures and actions,” says Jeffrey A. Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. “Government officials need to develop thicker skins if a middle finger drives them to violate the constitution.”