You have an excellent day. Okay. The memory. All right. Goodbye. All right. You think it's okay to flip people off? That's my free speech. That's free speech. Is it? Yes, it is. Supreme Court said that's free free speech. On February 10th, 2025, in Westerly, Rhode Island, a driver was stopped by police for extending his middle finger out of his car window, an act he defended as free speech. The first amendment of the US Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, a protection the Supreme Court has consistently upheld for expressive gestures, including offensive ones, as seen in Cohen versus California." 1971. Eyewitnesses reported the officer called for backup, allegedly due to a bruised ego, escalating a non-issue into a confrontation. This punitive response not only misinterprets the law but also intimidates citizens, discouraging them from exercising their rights. What's going on, sir? I don't answer questions. You don't answer questions? No. Why not? Cuz that's my fifth amendment. You think it's okay to flip people off? That's my free speech. That's free speech. Is it? Yes, it is. Supreme Court said that's free free speech. Sir, I need your license, registration, and your proof of insurance. Did I commit a crime, though? You committed a traffic violation. That's That's not a crime, though. That's just a violation. It is a violation, but you're also driving a vehicle. Okay? So, you have certain obligations when you're driving a vehicle. And part of that is when the police pull you over for a traffic violation is to identify yourself and show us your credentials for operating the vehicle. Is that under a threat of arrest? I will arrest you if you do not do that. Okay. I will provide my information to you. Thank you. Because you're direct. What do you need? Your license, your registration, your proof of insurance. Okay. Heat. Heat. Oh, there it is. Here's your license. Excellent. All right. You need insurance. We know what else you need. Your license, your registration, your proof insurance. You need one second. Yeah. By cam's going. Yep. All right. Let me just put this here so I make it faster. Here's my insurance. Thank you. Thank you. Did you give him his license? [Applause] The officer justified the stop by citing an improper hand signal, claiming it violated traffic laws, yet provided no clear legal basis for the citation. Rhode Island General Law Section 31-16-5 requires hand signals to be used correctly for turning or stopping, but does not prohibit expressive gestures like the middle finger, which courts have protected as speech, as reaffirmed in Texas versus Johnson, 1989. This mislication of a traffic statute to punish a protected act demonstrates corrupt overreach where vague laws are weaponized to silence descent. The driver was coerced into providing license, registration, and insurance under threat of arrest. Further illustrating how officers exploit their authority to intimidate rather than uphold justice. The officer's decision to initiate a traffic stop and issue a ticket for this gesture suggests an abuse of authority targeting constitutionally protected expression. By issuing an $86 ticket for a non-rime, the officer not only violated the driver's rights, but also burdened him with financial and legal consequences, a tactic that chills free expression. He gives me a ticket. I I do impose on ripping up front of your face. So, okay. Yep. You can do that. I can. All right. Are you going to throw that on the ground or you going to keep it with you? Can't tell you that. Okay. So, if it's on the ground, it's littering. That's littering. Yeah. Trouble for that. I can tell you to keep it, too. Okay. They also give out hand signals and driver um driver's ed classes. So, I don't know if that was what you thought. So, I don't like him, too. So, if this has to do with me sticking my hand out, I don't know. It's his stop. He'll he'll he'll tell it to you. You can't just stop someone. You have to have probable cause to stop me. And me giving my finger out is free speech. So, okay. That's what you believe what I said. So, okay. You can't violate my rates. Apparently, he wants to violate my rates because he wants information. People do it all the time driving down the road and they don't get stopped. Right. Am I right? Exactly. You know, just like me. I can be walking down a public sidewalk and go, "Fuck you." Guess what? Nothing you can do about it. If I have to, I'll take this all the way up to the Rhode Island Supreme Court and then we'll see what they got to say. And I guarantee if I'm right, I could sue this [ __ ] town for thousands of dollars. And unfortunately, our taxpayers have to pay for your mistake. Believe me, I'll do it every single day. I'll drive around every single day without a finger. No problem doing that. I came into my house about six times. I got all the public records and guess what? You all can't even [ __ ] touch me. So, Mr. Atwood, uh, as I explained to you, the reason why I pulled you over today was the um the manner of method in which you gave a hand signal. Okay. Um, it's illegal to extend your hand from a from a vehicle. You know, in driver's ed classes, you can actually give hand signals. Yes, you can extend your hand from a vehicle to do a hand signal that you were taught. What's that? Just give me the ticket. You couldn't what? Give me the ticket off. Okay. So, I'm just going to let you just just give me the stuff. No, I just I just got to let you know a few things. Okay. So, you can either pay this you can either pay the [ __ ] ticket, sir. I have a job. I have to explain the ticket to you. Okay. Okay. You don't have to talk to me. I'm not asking you any questions. All right. So, this ticket is an $86 pay by mail ticket. You're more than welcome to pay it by mail or you can appear in court. If you decide to appear in court, you should go to 45 Broad Street, Wesley, Rhode Island. Okay. It's courtroom 2F is in Fox Drive. Do you have any questions for me? Do you have any question and go, sir? I'm asking if you have any questions. I don't have any questions. Give me a ticket. All right, sir. You have an excellent day. Okay. The memory. All right. Goodbye. All right. Thank you so much, sir. Please make sure you're hearing bylaws. Go first. Go first. I'm sorry. Go first. You don't tell me what to do. Thank you, sir. Yep, that's fine. In that car, that's fine. Okay. I can step out on the public sidewalk, too. Yeah, but then then you'd be bored over the general statue. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. The Westerly incident highlights a dangerous trend where police overreach threatens the core of democratic freedoms. The First Amendment exists to protect controversial or offensive speech as clarified in Brandenburgg versus Ohio 1969 which limits government intervention to direct incitement of violence not mere provocation when officers target individuals for gestures like the middle finger. They erode public confidence in law enforcement and set a precedent for censoring disscent. Community activists have rightly called for a review of police policies as such actions risk a chilling effect, deterring citizens from speaking out. If left unchecked, this abuse of power could embolden corrupt officers to further infringe on rights, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for lawsuits, as the driver vowed to pursue. This case underscores the urgent need for accountability to ensure police uphold, not undermine, the Constitution. Like and subscribe for more police cam stories. Watch the next recommended video.