Caltrans and SVPD sued for selective removal of anti-war banners

Press conference w/ plaintiffs Amy Courtney and Cassandra Brown, and defense lawyers Dan Weingarten (CalTrans) and Kirsten Powell (Scott's Valley Police Dept) Friday in San Jose federal court. Amy & Cassandra filed suit against Caltrans and SVPD for censorship. At issue was the swift and selective removal of Amy & Cassandra's anti-war banners hung from overpasses along highway 17 in Scott's Valley, while American flags and other "patriotic" banners were left for weeks or months.

Weingarten claimed their removals were done to protect the safety of motorists against "unsafely attached" or "distracting" banners, and that the reason other banners remain is the lack of Caltrans manpower and that state and federal flags are legally excluded from the banner ban.

Powell also claimed that the SVPD cop who performed one of the removals was unaware of the contents of the banner because it could not have been read by someone "peering down".

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