| Case | Date | Outcome | Outcome Details | Context/Notes | Jail Time | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverend Patrick Mahoney, White House | 2009-2011 | ❌ Restrictions upheld | Court ruled chalking restrictions were valid time, place, and manner rules; past permissions to chalk were not enough to claim selective enforcement. | Protesting Roe v. Wade on sidewalks near White House. | None reported | Mahoney v. Doe, 642 F.3d 1112 (D.C. Cir. 2011); Failinger, Talking Chalk |
| Mahoney v. Doe / District of Columbia | 2011 | ❌ Restrictions upheld | D.C. Circuit ruled defacement statute was content neutral and justified by aesthetic interests, even for temporary chalking. | D.C. defacement statute applied to chalking on federal property. | None reported | Mahoney v. Doe, 642 F.3d 1112 (D.C. Cir. 2011); Failinger, Talking Chalk |
| Occupy Nashville | 2011-2012 | ✅ Cases dismissed | Public pressure led to dismissal of most cases; state later modified enforcement approach. | Chalk protests during Occupy movement on state capitol grounds. | None reported | Failinger, Talking Chalk; Media coverage of Occupy Nashville arrests and dismissals |
| Occupy Portland | 2011 | ❌ Citations upheld | Courts found enforcement was content-neutral and within city authority. | Chalk protest messages during Occupy movement. | None reported | Failinger, Talking Chalk; Local news reporting on citations upheld |
| Melissa Hill, Minneapolis | 2011-2012 | ❌ Ban upheld | Courts upheld ban from federal property, citing trespass and property interests despite First Amendment claims. | Chalked anti-war messages on federal courthouse sidewalk; banned from property for a year. | None reported | Failinger, Talking Chalk; Star Tribune, March 27, 2012 |
| Timothy Osmar v. City of Orlando | 2012 | ❌ Ordinance upheld | Court ruled anti-defacement ordinance was constitutional under time, place, and manner restrictions. | Occupy activist chalked messages like "Justice Equals Liberty". | 6 days served (pretrial detention) | Osmar v. City of Orlando, 844 F. Supp. 2d 1242 (M.D. Fla. 2012); Failinger, Talking Chalk |
| Los Angeles Chalk Walk | 2012 | ✅ Most charges dropped | City faced criticism for excessive response to peaceful chalking during art event. | Chalk Walk during LA Art Walk; excessive police response drew media attention. | Brief detentions only | Media reports (LA Times); Failinger, Talking Chalk |
| Occupy Orlando | 2012 | ❌ Ordinance upheld | Court ruled city ordinance against defacement was constitutional despite First Amendment claims. | Related to Timothy Osmar's arrests and chalk protests. | Various short terms (arrests) | Osmar v. City of Orlando, 844 F. Supp. 2d 1242 (M.D. Fla. 2012); Failinger, Talking Chalk |
| Jeff Olson / People v. Larsen, San Diego | 2012-2013 | ✅ Acquitted at trial | Faced 13 counts of vandalism for chalking anti-bank messages on sidewalks outside Bank of America; acquitted after public backlash and jury trial. | High-profile case highlighting First Amendment vs. vandalism laws; public backlash influenced jury. | None (acquitted) | Media coverage (San Diego Reader); Failinger, Talking Chalk |
| Occupy Las Vegas | 2013 | ✅ Settlement | City paid monetary damages and agreed to revise enforcement policies after protesters sued over arrests and enforcement practices. | Chalk protests targeted city policies; settlement included revision of enforcement against chalking. | None (settled) | Media reports; ACLU Nevada announcements; Failinger, Talking Chalk |
Created
March 19, 2025 15:13
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