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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Southern Tier News: Owego community up in arms over swastika displays
Owego mayor Mike Baratta (Tioga County, NY) says there is
little that can be done regarding community concerns after swastikas were
displayed on a village home and property. The mayor issued an eight-line press
today saying the job of elected officials was to determine if laws were broken or
codes violated. Baratta said in this case, the answer to those questions is
no…there were no violations. The mayor continued to say that the 1st amendment
protects citizens’ rights to free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of
assembly, freedom of press, and the right to petition the government. In this
case the item in question is displaying a swastika...this is not against the law.
There was a supreme court case…Texas vs. Johnson, that covered this very issue.
He concluded by saying he in no way supports what is being displayed and he
thinks the Owego community doesn’t support the idea… but it is not the
governments place to say what can or cannot be displayed on an individual’s
private property. Social media reactions have been slightly mixed.