Public Swearing Can Get You a Ticket in Massachusetts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 5:35AM 
Looks like fans outside Fenway Park and the Boston Garden will have to watch their P's and Q's.
Spewing out F-bombs and other four-letter words will now be an offense punishable by a $20 ticket in Massachusetts.
The ordinance outlawing public swearing, approved by town residents on Monday night, was the brainchild of Mimi DuPhily, a member of the town's beautification committee.
She pushed for the law after becoming upset over loud swearing by teenagers hanging around the small town about 50 miles south of Boston.
"We're not talking about just conversation but screaming it across the street," DuPhily, 63, a former selectman, said in an interview on Tuesday.
"Dropping F-bombs and so on. It was the same group of kids. It was very irresponsible behavior, and it was getting out of hand."
The ordinance does not specify which curses are banned, and police can decide whether to ticket offenders.
Reader Comments