Blue Rapids resident David Sain recently flew a flag with a profane statement in his front yard for three months before a neighbor complained to the city. Soon a petition to remove the flag was circulated and signed by 21 neighbors. City officials told Sain to remove the flag. Sain complied, taking it down. Then he placed it in a window in his home. The flag includes profanity against President Joe Biden and against those who voted for him. When Sain re-posted the sign in his window, police cited him and a trial before Judge Gerri Wybo was set for Sept. 7 in Blue Rapids Municipal Court. Sain has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of violating the city’s Uniform Public Offense Code, Article 11, which deals with “offenses against public morals.” The violation is in regard to promoting obscenity, said Mayor Jerry Zayas. City officials say they want the flag removed because enough neighbors signed a petition noting there are children in the neighborhood who could see the profanity. … Sain disagrees and said it’s his right under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to display the flag. … Max Kautsch, who often handles First Amendment questions as an attorney with the Kansas Press Association, said the city faces a high bar in convincing a judge the flag should be removed.
Source: The Marysville Advocate
