Antavio Johnson's angry lyrics, in which he fantasizes killing two cops he believes harassed him,get him two year jail sentence for "corruption by threat of public servant".
The Orlando Sentinel reports
Hardly anyone had heard Antavio Johnson's lyrics until they landed him in prison.
Now his words are getting the attention of free-speech advocates across the nation.
Johnson's friends and family say he was frustrated with the Lakeland police a few years ago when he recorded a violent rap song that called officers by name and threatened to shoot them.
Those words, they say, were meant only as a creative outlet and not intended to be made public or acted out.
"We don't punish for bad thoughts in America," said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "Our Constitution forces us to make a distinction between ugly and hostile thoughts and words, and credible threats of violence."
The ACLU has not intervened in the case but is keeping a close eye on it until officials can speak to Johnson's lawyer, Simon said.
The song, "Kill Me A Cop," was posted on the Myspace.com page of an unofficial record label in February. It was online for about two weeks before a Polk County gang detective discovered it and began investigating, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Orlando Sentinel reports
Hardly anyone had heard Antavio Johnson's lyrics until they landed him in prison.
Now his words are getting the attention of free-speech advocates across the nation.
Johnson's friends and family say he was frustrated with the Lakeland police a few years ago when he recorded a violent rap song that called officers by name and threatened to shoot them.
Those words, they say, were meant only as a creative outlet and not intended to be made public or acted out.
"We don't punish for bad thoughts in America," said Howard Simon, executive director of the Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "Our Constitution forces us to make a distinction between ugly and hostile thoughts and words, and credible threats of violence."
The ACLU has not intervened in the case but is keeping a close eye on it until officials can speak to Johnson's lawyer, Simon said.
The song, "Kill Me A Cop," was posted on the Myspace.com page of an unofficial record label in February. It was online for about two weeks before a Polk County gang detective discovered it and began investigating, according to the Sheriff's Office.
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