Town In Massachusetts Bans Public Swearing, Imposes $20 Fines

by Kevin Wild
in Think About
— 13 Jun, 2012 at 7:27 am

CItizens of Middleborough, Mass. who like to swear loudly in public might have to pay for doing so, as the town recently approved a proposed fine on public profanity.

The ban was passed at a town meeting last night, but officials say it isn’t meant to censor private conversations – instead – it’s meant to discourage loud, coarse language used by young people in public areas.

The measure could raise questions about First Amendment rights, but state law does allow towns to enforce local laws that give police the power to arrest anyone who “addresses another person with profane or obscene language” in a public place. [The] legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot prohibit public speech just because it contains profanity.

One local business owner approves of the ban, because kids swearing often turn off customers and make them uncomfortable:

“They’ll sit on the bench and yell back and forth to each other with the foulest language. It’s just so inappropriate,” she said.

Police will be able to decide whether or not someone deserves a ticket and write $20 tickets just like they do for parking violations.

Tags: cursing tickets middleborough profanity swearing ban