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Barack Obama Facing Charges In Memphis
By MoonDog | November 19, 2008
President-Elect Barack Obama is scheduled to appear in a Memphis court on charges of defacing public property.
According to court documents, a public works employee filed the charge after he says he found 512 campaign signs illegally placed on right-of-way land in the city.
City of Memphis spokesperson Toni Holman-Turner says the employee was just doing his job. She says citations have been issued to numerous politicians in the past, including Mayoral, Sheriff and Attorney General Candidates.
The Memphis City Council passed an ordinance three years ago that made it illegal to place any signs near the right of way. The City says campaign signs aren’t exempt.
According to Holman-Turner, three citations were hand delivered to Obama’s local campaign office and there was no response. She says taking Obama to court was the next step.
Attorney Jay Bailey will be representing the President-Elect. While the City of Memphis says its employee was just doing his job, Bailey feels the city worker just had an axe to grind.
“This guy just had a problem with Barack Obama and decided to use his badge.” Bailey says he plans to file a motion to dismiss this on the grounds of selective prosecution.
President-Elect Obama missed his initial court appearance, and the case has been reset to December 8, 2008, in Environmental Court.
Obama and his campaign could be fined up to $50 per sign. 512 signs equals $26,500, plus court costs.
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Tags: barack obama, Memphis City Council, Toni Holman-Turner, President-Elect, Jay Bailey, Politics, City of Memphis, MoonDog





























