Insane Clown Posse Shirt Invokes Ohio Lawsuit
A teenager has filed a lawsuit against the city of Northwood, Ohio and two local police officers claiming his civil rights were violated when cops made him remove his Insane Clown Posse T-shirt.
The item in question is the band's 1998 Christmas offering, which hosts a picture of Santa Claus with a bullet in his head on the front and a message on the back reading, "Merry F***in' Xmas Bitch!
In documents filed in Federal Court on January 26, fourteen-year-old Daniel Shellhammer claims he and a friend were stopped by police in Northwood (a municipality outside Toledo) last August. At that time, Shellhammer was ordered to remove the offending garment and told that the officers would tear it off his back and charge him with disorderly conduct if he didn't comply.Shellhammer claims that he offered to turn the offending item inside out and continue on his way; the officers instead confiscated the shirt, forcing the teen to walk home shirtless.In thelawsuit, the teenager also claims that Northwood police told him and his friend that ICP apparel is banned in the state of Ohio.
There hasn't been an official statewide declaration or anything," Insane Clown Posse manager Alex Abbiss told MTV News, "but [ICP clothing has] been banned from schools and other public places, we hear, in about a dozen cities [in Ohio]. They say it promotes violence." Abbiss added that Ohio has been the only state to take such a stance, officially or unofficially.The lawsuit alleges that because of the police officers' actions, "the plaintiff and other like-minded citizens and residents have suffered and will continue to suffer severe and irreparable harm and injury to their rights.Shellhammer's attorney, Arnold Gottlieb (a volunteer for the Ohio branch of the American Civil Liberties Union), told MTV News that he's seeking three things from Shellhammer vs. the City of Northwood: first, a declaration by the court that the police officers'actions violated his client's civil rights; second, that his client be financially compensated for the violation (including compensation for the teenager's "embarrassment, mental anguish, and humiliation"); and third, that Shellhammer be reimbursed for his court costs and legal fees. No dollar amount has been attached to the suit.
A press release issued by the ACLU regarding Shellhammer's case reads: "The First Amendment protects even offensive speech. The police should know that. It is part of the Constitution they are sworn to uphold and protect.
