Neighbors Find Obscenity Mowed Into Lawn

[angelophile]

OMAHA, Neb. -- An Omaha man mowed an obscenity into his lawn, and now his neighbors are upset because they don't want their children to see the nasty language.

The homeowner, who neighbors told KETV NewsWatch 7 has the last name Miller, cut a two-word expletive into his front lawn after being warned by the city about excessive grass and weeds around his house. His house is near 68th Street and Park View Lane. The phrase is about 30 feet long across his yard.

"I saw the neighbor's yard with some derogatory statements mowed into the yard," said neighbor Traci Tunzer.

Tunzer said she's been hoping her neighbor would mow the long grass in his yard, but she's upset by the way he decided to mow it.

Down the hill, neighbor Bernie Horstmeyer said he is in disbelief:

"When I first saw it, I saw the big U, and I had to back up just to see if that's what it really said," he said.

City prosecutor Marty Conboy said little can be done legally about the yard.

"There really is no criminal law that covers these kinds of vulgarities," Conboy said.

Conboy said it would be different if the homeowner threatened city employees by saying the expletive, but on the lawn, it's a passive statement protected by the First Amendment.

"As much as you might shake your head at what kind of reasoning is involved, it's not prohibited," Conboy said. "A person who wants to make a statement in public, that doesn't invoke a violent response, is protected by the constitution."

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