Portland Man Cited For Loud Whistling
From the archive: published Feb 25, 2013, 13 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Portland, OR – A man was recently cited by police for his loud whistling.
Authorities explained that Robert Smith could be heard whistling from at least a block away. Since so many people found his habit to be “irritating,” police decided to cite the man for disturbing the peace.
According to The Associated Press, Smith reached a deal with police and the Portland Downtown District. If he wants to continue whistling, then he isn’t allowed to linger in one spot for very long.
The Westbrook resident has been cited by police for whistling twice in the past year. Area businesses, which likened the noise to hearing a loud radio, aren’t very big fans of Smith’s work.
Although the man said his whistling is protected by the First Amendment, Portland police felt otherwise.
During a chat with the Portland Press Herald , Smith said that people are usually amused by the whistling.
He explained:
“I whistled a tune one day. I don’t know where it came from.” It came from God — that’s where it came from. God is showing me what I’m doing is OK. He shows me every day with laughter.”
Although Smith seems to think he’s giving people a gift, others aren’t quite so willing to accept it. Some Portland residents think the whistling is used to draw attention to his drug business.
Smith added:
“I’ve heard that drug thing. It doesn’t faze me one bit. They just want an answer to what I do every day. They want to put an answer to something they have no answer to.”
Oddly enough, business owners and residents in Lakeland, Florida have also had to contend with their own “Whistling Man.” According to The Ledger , 63-year-old Harold Hauser was arrested by police in 2008 for disturbing the peace after downtown shoppers were annoying by his whistling.
Do you think Portland police should have cited Robert Smith because of his loud whistling?