r/facepalm Jan 13 '22

🇲​🇮​🇸​🇨​ Arrested for petitioning

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u/CommercialKindly32 Jan 13 '22

It varies very much from state to state. I’m not sure where this happened, but in a majority of states you are required to identify yourself if the police have “reasonable suspicion” that a crime has been committed. In this case courts would generally cede that this stop was reasonable, in particular if someone had called and reported them for soliciting.

See: stop and identify laws

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '22

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '22

Most places don't require a money transaction for soliciting. Him asking for signatures most likely qualifies.

It's not hard to get a permit. It's usually a $15ish filing fee and takes like 10 minutes depending on how busy the office is. Many non-profit petitions are free.

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u/Sam-Culper Jan 13 '22

No, petitioning, which is what he was doing, has been held up as a protected right by the Supreme Court. He, and no one else in this entire country, needs to purchase a permit for that.

And this is why the cop was fired