Here are the laws Milford would prosecute KKK under

By NJM -
Police Chief Keith Mello is putting members of the local United Klans of America on notice (pun) that they could face charges under a couple of state and local laws prohibiting the distribution of leaflets/etc. on private property. 

A lot of people have commented that criminal charges for passing out leaflets and other such paraphernalia might be a violation of freedom of speech, and have mentioned that the police don't go after people who pass out unwanted leaflets from 1) churches, 2) candidates for political offices, 3) newspapers (ahem, New Haven Register). But, technically, it all seems illegal, Klan-affiliated or otherwise. 

Here are the laws Mello cited to me:

Connecticut General Statutes 23-65 - Posting or distributing advertisements. Removing, pruning, injuring or defacing certain trees or shrubs. Restoration. Damages. Regulations. Permit for cutting or removal. 

(c) Any person, firm or corporation which deposits or throws any advertisement within the limits of any public way or grounds, or upon private premises or property, unless the same is left at the door of the residence or place of business of the occupant of such premises or property, or deposits or throws any refuse paper, camp or picnic refuse, junk or other material within the limits of any public way or grounds, except at a place designated for that purpose by the authority having supervision and control of such public way or grounds, or upon private premises or property without permission of the owner thereof, or affixes to or maintains upon any tree, rock or other natural object within the limits of a public way or grounds any paper or advertisement other than notices posted in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, or affixes to or maintains, upon the property of another without his consent, any word, letter, character or device intended to advertise the sale of any article, shall be fined not more than fifty dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both for each offense.

Milford Code of Ordinance, Sec. 9-11

(e) Manner of distributing commercial and noncommercial handbills at inhabited private residences. 
(1) No person shall throw, deposit, or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon any private residence, which is inhabited, except by handing or transmitting any such handbill directly to the owner, occupant or other person then present in or upon such private residence; provided, however, that in case of any inhabited private residence which is not posted, as provided in this chapter, such person, unless requested by anyone upon such residence not to do so, may place or deposit any such handbill in or upon such inhabited private residence, if such handbill is so placed or deposited as to secure or prevent such handbill from being blown or drifted about such residence or sidewalks, streets or other public places, and except that mailboxes may not be so used when so prohibited by federal postal law or regulations. 
There you have it. Under the Milford ordinance, the punishment follows that of the state statute.  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Milford's Unsolved Murders

By NJM -
After the June 11 arrest of Luis A. Rodriguez for the 2001 murder of Walnut Beach resident Kelsey Monahon, I got curious about other long-term unsolved homicides in Milford. So, I began digging through the New Haven Register's archives; I looked at all the murders in Milford that we have on record (dating back to the 1940s) and I came up with a list of 9* unfortunate souls whose murders are unsolved. Here are all the ones I could find in chronological order: -Peter Spinelli (1996) -Unidentified male remains (1994) -Unidentified male remains (1992) -Anna E. Hiltz (1983)** -Constance Roberts (1982)  -Blasé Miserendino (1978) -Gary Steadman (1977) -Kenneth Matteson (1975) -Charles McCoy (1968) Sometimes, homicides take a long, long time to solve. And sometimes, after a while, people come out of the woodwork with some scrap of evidence or memory that helps close a decades-old crime. I'm still working on the story, but I wanted to reach out to the Milf
Read more

UPDATE: Stew Leonard Jr. addresses Milford theater site

By -
Updated poll results. A total of 456 people took the New Haven Register's poll question concerning what they'd like to see happen to the former Milford Showcase Cinemas site on Cherry Street. A staggering 384 respondents wants a Stew Leonard's dairy store or 84 percent, followed by 35 or 8 percent for open space, then mixed use with 24 responses, followed by a stripmall with 8, and a supermarket with just 5 responses. What do you think of the poll results? Let us know by commenting here. Thanks. This was the original blog post.  I emailed Stew Leonard Jr. Wednesday afternoon after several readers on our Milford Matters blog said they wanted Leonard to open his dairy store at the former Milford Showcase Cinemas site in Milford . We also set up a poll question at www.nhregister.com and as of 12 p.m. Thursday 80 percent of respondents want to see Stew open his store in Milford. Just 9 percent of respondents said a mixed-use development, followed closed by open s
Read more

Milford theater site sold; what do you think should go there?

By -
Milford reporter Rich Scinto needs your help for a story he is working on today. At an Economic Development Commission meeting this morning it was revealed that the former Milford Showcase Cinemas site sold for more than $5 million. But the $5 million question concerns what will be going there. As Milford residents what do you think should occupy the former theater site on Cherry Street? Post your comments here or email Rich at rscinto@newhavenregister.com Here is what we have thus far. MILFORD—The vacant National Amusements Theater on Cherry Street has sold to Cerruzzi Properties LLC. The property was sold on June 12 for $5.8 million. It had been vacant for six years after National Amusements moved its location inside the Connecticut Post Mall.   Cerruzzi Properties has a good history of developing properties in Milford, said Robert Burr Gregory, director of economic and community development for Milford. “We do not expect that property to remain empty or vacant for lo
Read more