HEADLINE: Protest signs shaming Haslam lead to uproar in Cleveland, Tenn.
THE RECAP: Dan Rawls, a Cleveland, Tenn., businessman, says city officials crossed a line when they tore down protest signs he posted outside his business last week during a visit by Gov. Bill Haslam. City Councilman George Poe, who took down the signs, justified the actions by saying that the signs embarrassed the city since Haslam was in town to give away $570,000 in grants. City Manager Janice Casteel, who helped Poe uproot the signs, claimed the signs were in the public right of way, even though nearby real estate signs that were closer to the public right of way sat undisturbed.
Rawls’ signs protested Haslam’s support of the Common Core educational curriculum.
DREW’S VIEW: Cleveland City Manager Janice Casteel and City Councilman George Poe embarrassed the city and its residents by their despicable attempt to silence a Cleveland man’s right to free speech.
Poe’s admission that he didn’t want anyone to say anything bad about Haslam while the governor was doing something nice for the community is a chilling indictment that the city councilman is willing to trade his constituents’ constitutional rights in exchange for handouts.