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# 12.1: Prelude to Crimes against the Public

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*The state has not only a right to “maintain a decent society” but an obligation to do so. In the public nuisance context, the community’s right to security and protection must be reconciled with the individual’s right to expressive and associative freedom. Reconciliation begins with the acknowledgment that the interests of the community are not invariably less important than the freedom of individuals.*

*-* [*People v. Acuna*](http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10825872110148502169\&hl=en\&as_sdt=2\&as_vis=1\&oi=scholarr)*, cited in Section 12*

![Graffiti on a white wall with overgrown grass in the foreground. The wall features bold, stylized writing in dark colors.](https://biz.libretexts.org/@api/deki/files/8800/21a4face186771d5c7d3620c7c6700fc.jpg?revision=1\&size=bestfit\&width=851\&height=479)

*Source: Image courtesy of Tara Storm.*


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