Justice
In Arlington County, Virginia, Public Profanity Will Cost You $250
There’s a racial history behind these types of laws that connect with disparities in enforcement overall.
While there are many blessings that come with living in Arlington, Virginia—in all of its creative, murder-free, urbanist bliss—there are some curses. One is that you can’t curse, at least not in public, without getting slapped with a misdemeanor. That once meant a $100 fine; now, make it $250. As The Washingtonian reports, the Arlington County Board just voted to increase the fine for profanity and/or public intoxication.
And it really is an unambiguous “and/or.” Virginia criminal code on “profane swearing and intoxication in public” states: