Stupid Tulsa Ordinances

[danchangtulsa]

In a yTulsa post by GW Schultz of the Urban Tulsa Weekly, a call was put forth to concerned citizens and local musicians to challenge Tulsa Revised Ordinance Title 27 Section 1205, prohibiting street performances.  In the post, Mr. Hizer stopped short of calling for an event some might construe to be direct action civil disobedience.  Another words, a total lack of respect for the rule of law.  The kind practiced weekly by a bunch of hippy peacniks on the corner of 41st and Yale.

Which got some huge fans of UTW and humble assistants at-large of GW Hizer wondering:  Are there any other stupid Tulsa ordinances in effect?  Has anyone been charged, arrested, or ticketed for them?  What was the outcome?

So, folks.  Post your favorite stupid Tulsa ordinance here.  We will attempt to find out who has been in the pokey for such heinous crimes as spitting on the sidewalk, panhandling, and other miscellania only the inquiring minds of overgrown trust fund kids, the bored, and the unemployed would want to know.

[danchangtulsa]

quote:Originally posted by cityboy

I can remember when gay men were arrested for "jay-walking" at 2 AM in the morning, downtown. Never mind there was no traffic at 2 AM in downtown.

Oh my gosh.  That's soooo wrong.

[Steve]

quote:Originally posted by danchangtulsa

quote:Originally posted by cityboy

I can remember when gay men were arrested for "jay-walking" at 2 AM in the morning, downtown. Never mind there was no traffic at 2 AM in downtown.

Oh my gosh.  That's soooo wrong.

I remember this quite vividly; it was the mid-1970s when most of Tulsa's gay bars were downtown from 7th to 10th around Main Street.  The cops would sit across the street in parking lots from a gay bar and when patrons came out of the bar, they would motion for the people to come over to them.  If the person did not walk to the end of the block intersection and cross at the light, they would be arrested for jaywalking!  This used to happen quite a lot around the old Tiffanys and Queen of Hearts Clubs at 9th & Main.

[CoffeeBean]

SECTION 302. FAILURE TO ASSIST OFFICERS
It shall be an offense for any person to refuse or neglect to assist any peace officer
in making an arrest, when so requested by such officer, to help preserve the peace or
prevent the escape of a person charged with an offense

[CoffeeBean]

SECTION 1205. SHOWS OR EXHIBITIONS
It shall be an offense for any person to use or cause to be used any portion of any
sidewalk, street or alley for the maintaining or holding of any exhibition, entertainment,
musical or dancing show for any purpose whatsoever.

SECTION 1213. SPITTING
It shall be an offense for any person to spit upon sidewalks, crosswalks or other
public places.

Not exactly silly, but....

SECTION 1407. AGGRESSIVE BEGGING PROHIBITED
A. For the purpose of this section the following words and phrases shall have
the meanings given herein.
1. Beg means to stop or accost another or direct persons or animals to stop or
accost another or direct persons or animals to stop or accost another, and to ask for money
or other thing of value, either by words, bodily gestures, signs or other devices.
2. Public place is an area open to the general public, including but not limited
to streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, and buildings
open to the general public, and the doorways and entrances to buildings or dwellings and
the grounds enclosing them.
3. Hinder or obstruct means to walk, stand, sit, or lie in such a manner as to
block or attempt to block or restrict passage by another or to a require person approaching
to take evasive action to avoid physical contact.
4. Repeatedly means two or more times within a period of one (1) hour.
B. It shall be unlawful and an offense for any person to aggressively beg as
defined by this section. A person is guilty of aggressive begging if he or she:
1. Repeatedly begs in a manner that hinders or obstructs the free passage of
any person in a public place; or
2. By physical action while in the act of begging, intentionally causes or
attempts to cause another person to reasonably fear imminent force or violence upon his
person or upon property in his immediate possession, or commission of any criminal act
upon his person or upon property in his immediate possession.
Ord. No. 17023

On public property...

SECTION 1802. BIRDS AND ANIMALS - PROTECTION
It shall be an offense for any person to kill, wound, maim, injure or harm in any
manner any bird or animal; or to throw, fire or shoot any gun, pistol or other deadly
weapon or any stone, arrow or other missile at such bird or animal; or to break, tear down
or destroy any bird's nest or the eggs or other contents of their nests.

SECTION 2205. FORTUNE TELLING, PHRENOLOGY, PALMISTRY, AND
FAKING
It shall be an offense for any person to practice in fortune telling, phrenology,
palmistry or reading or to be a fakir for a fee or valuable consideration of any kind.

[billintulsa]

These two caught my attention.  (I guess they're true.  I found them on http://www.ahajokes.com/laws036.html)

You may not open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.


Elephants are not to be taken into the downtown area.

p.s.

I am sure that everyone will be glad to know that whaling is illegal in Oklahoma.)

[pmcalk]

OMG--what am I going to do with that whale in my basement?

[patric]

Ordinance 19156

SECTION 1508. DISCHARGING A FIREARM WITHIN ONE THOUSAND FEET OF A SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR OTHER SIMILAR FACILITIES
...criminalized the use of blanks in theatrical, television and motion picture productions within the city.  Also criminalized blank firing traditionally done by veterans groups at graveside ceremonies, and living history programs that involved the firing of blanks or mock artillery, by not recognizing (and allowing exemptions to) their previously-legal use in such programs.  

On the books since 1997, it was a tough-on-crime touchup to existing laws applied with a brush much, much too wide.

Who needs a Tulsa Film Office, anyway?

[MH2010]

After reading some of these, I think I'm going to have to get out my Title 27 book and go through it again.

[RecycleMichael]

"It shall be an offense for any person to practice in fortune telling, phrenology,
palmistry or reading or to be a fakir for a fee or valuable consideration of any kind".

I wonder if that was the reason I wasn't getting any customers.

Phrenology is fun. It is predicting a person's behavior based on the shape and bumps on the head.

Go here and see the chart:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Phrenologychart.png#file

I like any theory that says you can change somebody's personality by hitting them on the head.

[RecycleMichael]

This shows up in Tulsa's ordinances...

Title 27, SECTION 1300. ADVERTISING METHODS PROHIBITED
It shall be an offense for any person to employ or allow the employment of any
advertising matter, pictures, handbills or anything of similar nature for any purpose, by
any of the following methods:

A. By throwing, dropping or placing them on streets, sidewalks or alleys;
B. By nailing, tacking, pasting or otherwise attaching them, without the owner's
consent, to any post or pole, private or public building, improvement on any premises,
street, sidewalk, or billboard;
C. By placing, throwing or pasting them, without the owner's consent, on the
windshield or other part of any motor vehicle; or on walls, windows or other parts of any
private property; or
D. By suspending them on, over or across any street, avenue or alley".

My question is...

How did the Citizen's Crime Commission put a flyer on apartments all over town today without committing a crime themselves?

[danchangtulsa]

quote:Originally posted by patric

Ordinance 19156

SECTION 1508. DISCHARGING A FIREARM WITHIN ONE THOUSAND FEET OF A SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR OTHER SIMILAR FACILITIES
...criminalized the use of blanks in theatrical, television and motion picture productions within the city.  Also criminalized blank firing traditionally done by veterans groups at graveside ceremonies, and living history programs that involved the firing of blanks or mock artillery, by not recognizing (and allowing exemptions to) their previously-legal use in such programs.  

On the books since 1997, it was a tough-on-crime touchup to existing laws applied with a brush much, much too wide.

Who needs a Tulsa Film Office, anyway?

That's so wrong.

[danchangtulsa]

Tulsa's Anti- Free Speech Ordinance:

TRO 51 3102.16---Signs on the public ROW prohibited.

TRO 37 1007--No waving the American flag while riding a bicycle.

TRO 37 1105--Panhandling prohibited.

TRO 27 1405--No cussing.

TRO 27 500--Six-foot, inflatable replicas of the male genatalia prohibited.

[redpath]

G.K. Hizer is the music editor.
G.W. Schulz is the reporter. That post appeared at www.yptulsa.org months ago. Some folks, apparently, had to be trucked in from Kansas City to fill the order.

[danchangtulsa]

quote:Originally posted by redpath

G.K. Hizer is the music editor.
G.W. Schulz is the reporter. That post appeared at www.yptulsa.org months ago. Some folks, apparently, had to be trucked in from Kansas City to fill the order.

Apparently, Tulsans have no spine for direct action civil disobedience.