Jury: Ex-Sheriff Clarke did not violate speech

Site staff by Site Contributor

A federal jury says the former sheriff in Milwaukee, David Clarke, did not violate a man’s free speech with taunting Facebook posts after detaining him at an airport last year for shaking his head at the sheriff.

The civil lawsuit from Daniel Black argued he received hateful messages and was fearful after Clarke called him a “snowflake” online and said Black “wouldn’t be around to whine” if Clarke really wanted to harass him. Clarke made the comment after Black complained to the county that the sheriff had deputies detain him.

Jurors on Monday night concluded Clarke’s posts were not enough to chill Black’s future speech.

Black says he shook his head at Clarke while boarding a flight last January from Dallas to Milwaukee because Clarke was wearing Cowboys gear when they were playing the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.

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