First Amendment
Baseball Fan Sues, Says Call of Nature Trumped ‘God Bless America’
Posted Apr 15, 2009 1:13 PM CST
By Martha Neil
A baseball fan who says he was ejected from a New York Yankees game after answering the call of nature rather than staying in his seat for the singing of "God Bless America" has sued over the alleged violation of his First Amendment rights.
Bradford Campeau-Laurion contends that he was the victim of political and religious discrimination in a lawsuit he filed today against the team, the New York City police department, which the team pays to provide security, and several individual officers, according to Bloomberg.
He is being represented by the New York Civil Liberties Union in the Manhattan federal court filing.
“New York’s finest have no business arresting someone for trying to go to the bathroom at a politically incorrect moment,” says Donna Lieberman of the New York state affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union in a press release.
However, police contend that Campeau-Laurion was ejected last summer from the old Yankee Stadium because of disorderly conduct.
Additional coverage:
CBS (2008): "Fan Ejected From Yankee Stadium For Bathroom Break"
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Comments
not tone deaf
Apr 15, 2009 3:30 PM CST
Of all the patriotic songs at our disposal, why is THIS one played at ball games? It makes my ears bleed and my cat run around in circles.
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Enuf Alreddy
Apr 15, 2009 5:49 PM CST
Does playing “God Bless America” make people think that God will bless America? If God does bless America, it will be because Americans are good and just people. Ejecting someone for going to the restroom duriing the song is not a good and just act.
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B. McLeod
Apr 17, 2009 8:58 PM CST
Perhaps he should have just whizzed in the stands, like everybody else at Yankees games.
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