Good thing I don't live in NY. With my sense of humour I'd be sentenced to life in prison, no chance of parole.

i say mocking the disabled/mentally impaired is repulsive behaviour. if 'being annoying' is a crime then there are a great many criminals at liberty among us, free to do as they please, notably those that are running the whole show.

Man, that's pretty crazy.

You think you've heard it all then you tune into ATS and boom, another eye opener.

I'm with the poster above. I better stay away from there if I ever go to the states again.

In Tuesday's court hearing, Judge William Croutier said he "was not so inclined" to dismiss the charges, The Associated Press reported.

He should be convicted of stupidity.

"Over the next two weeks, I'll be filling a motion to dismiss. I'm not going to allow him to plead guilty for laughing," Campanelli said. "We'll pursue federal court if needed."

Good on him. Atleast he's got some bloody sense.

I have a friend that laughs so loud that I've heard him at the mall laughing.
We were at Macy's on one side of the floor.
I followed the laughter and there he was on the other side of the floor.

And it's odd how so many people get pissed off by his laughter.

I often fart out of the window, but out of respect for the other inhabitants. One day, one fart WAS heard by a huge alsatian which set it off barking for hours.

Originally posted by Chrisfishenstein
Man Summoned to Court for Laughing

No, he wasnt summoned for laughing, he was summoned for disturbing the peace. It even says that in the article.

Any noise will do that if done for too long. Doesnt matter if it is playing the drums, clapping, singing, laughing, chanting or yodelling.

[Schiavelli says] ...he uses laughter as a defense mechanism.

Note here that he wasnt laughing at something funny.
It was intentional.
Putting it on,
forcing it,
deliberately performing it.

And he didnt have to open up the window and do that either.

I sympathise with the neighbours.

i think we are getting a biased one sided tail

Originally posted by ignorant_ape
i think we are getting a biased one sided tail

A mentally impaired guy sits at his window and looks upon people, the neighbors mock him so he laughs as a defense mechanism....

His laughter is so loud (probably trying to be annoying to get them to leave him alone) that people call the cops for disturbing the peace.....

How is this a one sided tale? If you see a mentally challenged person screaming in public and it is very loud, do you call the police after mocking them?

Leave the poor guy alone

Sounds like a terrible place to be, People should leave that place in mass exodus. Pretty soon you'll be fined for stealing Bloomberg's air.

I expect nothing less from the police state we live in.
I'm a little surprised he wasn't tased and beaten half to death for this nefarious crime. The cops must be getting soft.

Laughing men, condom-clad women, illegal..

They may as well BAN court itself and let the police dish out justice with their guns, nationwide.

The time we are living in is called the End Game by some. When laughter - for any reason is a criminal offence then End Game sounds appropriate. When we live in an age where an intellectually challenged person laughs - for whatever reason and is cited and charged - the end is near.

The end of civility - the end of compassion - the end of joy - the end of reason. As a former Police officer albeit in another country - there is always the option of a verbal warning. The officer records the time, date place etcetera so that her/his whereabouts are recorded and attending the job is documented. A verbal warning is recorded and it is a win win situation - no one gets hurt.

Let's go a little further - once the intellectual capacity of the person is ascertained a message can be placed on the computer system - this means that any future calls for Police to attend the 'laughing' complaint can be addressed appropriately - is that possible in America??!!

Next point - I would have investigated the complaint a little before I started writing tickets out to anyone. I would have spoken to the neighbours and recorded their actions - because - if they had goaded the intellectually challenged person - I would have been looking at very different charges if you get my drift!!!!

Much Peace...to all intellectually challenged people who have to tolerate the able bodied people who are compassionately challenged/disabled and lacking heart...

I saw the words "New York" and just went ... "ohhh...figures".

Sorry it has come to that NY- I hope someday you just say NO to fight that BS.

That dude should own the PD after that.

I can honestly see both sides of this issue. What these people need is a mediator and to grow up, all of them. Not cops, judges, and draconian measures. Sadly the anti-bullying mindset we have today ( with some good cause ) has become misguided and now prevents people from having the ability to solve problems on their own.

If it were my neighbor and he were having these issues I would try to talk to him in a friendly and understanding way. But, at some point, if things don't improve, maybe a knock at the door and a polite "Knock it off or I'll kick your butt" might be preferable to this judicial madness.

Originally posted by alfa1

Originally posted by Chrisfishenstein
Man Summoned to Court for Laughing

No, he wasnt summoned for laughing, he was summoned for disturbing the peace. It even says that in the article.

Any noise will do that if done for too long. Doesnt matter if it is playing the drums, clapping, singing, laughing, chanting or yodelling.

[Schiavelli says] ...he uses laughter as a defense mechanism.

Note here that he wasnt laughing at something funny.
It was intentional.
Putting it on,
forcing it,
deliberately performing it.

And he didnt have to open up the window and do that either.

I sympathise with the neighbours.

You know, If it weren't for his mental issues, I could see your point. But really?! Sure he wasn't laughing because it was funny, it's a defense mechanism, which means he was likely provoked. Know what's worse than provoking a mentally handicapped person? Defending someone who provoked a mentally handicapped person.