Watch your mouth

Cities like Chicago are grappling with gang violence, but officials in Middleborough, Mass., say they have a different problem: foul-mouthed youths scaring off downtown shoppers. So, voters in the town outside Boston approved a proposal from the police chief to impose a $20 fine on anyone caught swearing in public, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Officials in the town of about 20,000 people say they aren’t trying to step on your First Amendment right to free speech. You can cuss and carry on — just not within earshot of potential paying customers. “It scares people off,” one police officer told the Los Angeles Times.

The problem, officials say, stems from young people who hang around Middleborough’s downtown area and public parks. “They’ll sit on the bench and yell back and forth to each other with the foulest language. It’s just so inappropriate,” Mimi Duphily, who runs a downtown auto parts store, told the AP. One man told reporters about having to shield his 7-year-old daughter when they walk to the ice cream shop.

Residents have had enough. They voted 183-50 in a town meeting to impose the profanity fine. It allows police officers to write tickets for violators just as they would for traffic offenses.

Matthew Segal, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said the ordinance is contrary to free speech guarantees spelled out by the U.S. Supreme Court. He said the court has ruled that government cannot prohibit public speech just because it contains profanity. “People might end up getting fined for constitutionally protected speech.”

Other critics say the measure is too vague because it does not specify which curses are banned, and police can decide whether to ticket offenders. No word yet on whether city officials will provide a cheat-sheet — no-no words and phrases — to guide police.