Home News Local News Animal advocates show support for woman charged with removing circus signs

Animal advocates show support for woman charged with removing circus signs

Months after an elderly Cutchogue woman was charged with removing circus signs, animal advocates have posted new signs as a show of support.

“Signs supporting Marilyn, the 84-year-old woman who was arrested for taking down circus signs have been posted around town,” said Julie Cappiello, vice president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, or LION.

Key LION members are slated to attend Flynn’s appearance at Southold Town justice court o Friday, which is scheduled for 9:30 a.m.

According to Southold Town police, Cutchogue resident Marilyn Flynn was arrested on July 17 at 3 p.m. after she was observed by a passing motorist removing signs advertising the Cole Bros. Circus in Greenport from the side of the road on Route 25 in Peconic.

David Markel of Southold stood up at a town board meeting this summer and said he questioned why the woman was arrested and handcuffed for an hour.

He asked if he placed tag sale signs for his business on public property and someone else took them, if that person would then be subject to arrest.

“Once you’ve put something on public property, you’ve abandoned it, in my mind,” he said.

Councilman Jim Dinizio said he had thought about that, too, but said the law allows for non-profits to put signs on public right of ways; that’s why, he said, campaign signs and fire department signs are allowed.

Of the arrest, Dinizio said, “I thought it was a little odd, too,” but because the circus is a fundraiser for the Greenport Fire Department, the signs were alllowed.

Cutchogue resident Benja Schwartz said as he sees it, the “law is not very clear,” and while he was not arguing that not-for-profits are allowed signage, he would like to see a requirement for registration so each gets a number.

“We all need and depend upon police, but to arrest her with a warning, that’s all that would have been required,” Schwartz said.

Dinizio said when a complaint is filed, police are required to follow the law. “I’m sure the officer didn’t want to lock up an 84-year-old woman,” he said.

Schwartz said while he understand police have to respond to complaints, whether or not to make an arrest is “at their discretion” and often, a warning is sufficient.

“It’s very sad, what happened on this case. Shame on the Southold Town police, shame on the Greenport Fire Department, shame on the circus. I don’t think this is doing them any good. They don’t need to be going around arresting old ladies.”

Flynn, who said she she was handcuffed to a desk at the police station for an hour after being arrested for removing signs for an upcoming circus, spoke out about her experience to Southold Local.

Describing her arrest, Flynn said police put her in handcuffs and then, in the back of the police car. “I was taken to the police department and put into the back of the interrogation room,” Flynn said, adding that she was kept in handcuffs attached to the table for over an hour.

“It is not uncommon for anyone arrested to be placed at a processing station while the officer finishes all of the paperwork associated with an arrest, which can be at least an hour,” Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said in an email.

Flynn said she was also fingerprinted and a mug shot was taken.

“It was an experience,” Flynn said. “Someone said maybe there were trying to humiliate me. But they didn’t humilate me. I made up my mind that I was going to present a calm, intelligent, ladylike front. They weren’t going to rile me up.”

Since her arrest, Flynn said she has gotten offers for legal support.

“I say to myself, ‘Why would I need legal support? You have justice on your side.’ But I guess that’s now how they view things.”

Flynn said she has had a flood of public support from the community. Of the circus reps who had her arrested, she said, “I think they may have shot themselves in the foot. This has raised a brouhaha.”

Flynn, a passionate animal advocate, said she was at a meeting organized by Long Island Orchestrating for Nature with the Greenport Fire Department last year, to protest the “abuse and mistreatment of animals forced to perform in these shows.”

Animal advocates stepped up to support Flynn.

“While we do not advise anyone take Cole Bros.’ signs, we do advise people call the Village of Greenport and the Town of Southold to speak out against this advertisement of animal abuse occurring on public land and in support of Marilyn. Marilyn Flynn is a passionate advocate who has tried time and time again to stop this abuse through compassionate dialogue. She has been ignored, so we totally understand her actions, and are hopeful her actions spark the dialogue that has been denied all these years. Rather than be seen as a criminal, Marilyn should be seen as a kindly woman cleaning up litter that is polluting her town. Cole Bros. are the criminals, not Marilyn,” said John Di Leonardo, president of  LION.

Flynn located at her home with two circus signs, police said; a circus employee wished to press charges and Flynn was charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor, police said.

Flynn was arrested and processed at Southold Town police headquarters; she was released on $100 bail and given a future court date, police said.

The Cole Bros. Circus took place at the Greenport Polo Grounds on Moores Lane on July 24 and 25. In recent years, animal advocates, including Flynn, have turned out to protest the event.

Organizers of the event, however, said the circus draws huge crowds. Watching the elephants as they enjoyed a bath, Greenport Fire Department ex-chief and event chairman Ken White said the animals were “majestic. And the tigers are beautiful. These are not abused animals.”

He added, “I feel it’s very evident that people and children love the circus. Sales are a little ahead of last year. We anticipate 4000 to 5000 people to attend the two-day event, so I feel, ‘Why should a minority dictate to the majority?’ Many families would not get to see these majestic animals up close if it wasn’t for the circus. Which, by the way, has a lot of very awesome acts and performers in the two-hour show.”

A request for comment to Cole Bros. Circus was not immediately returned.

Meanwhile, others spoke out via social media after Flynn’s arrest and said anyone found to be breaking the law should be treated equally.

Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

 
SHARE