NOVEMBER 16, 1969 – Janis Joplin was arrested after a gig in Tampa, Florida at Curtis Hixon Hall after badmouthing a policeman and using vulgar and indecent language. Joplin had became upset after police moved into the hall forcing the fans who wanted to dance to move back to their seats. She refused a plainclothes detective’s order to tell the crowd to return to their seats, saying “I ain’t telling them s***!” and as she left the stage she confronted the detective, calling him an “SOB” and threatening to kick his face in.When a policeman tried to control the crowd with a bullhorn, she allegedly told him, “Don’t f*** with those people! Hey, mister, what’re you so uptight about? Did you buy a $5 ticket?” Joplin was allowed to finish her concert before she was arrested in her dressing room on a charge of publicly using “vulgar and indecent language.” She was later released on $504 bail, and the charges were eventually overturned, with a judge ruling that her statements fell under the realm of free speech.
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