Passing out fliers spurs parking lot altercation

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006 | 7:57 a.m.

Attempts by a local community activist to distribute a controversial flier in a Division of Family Services parking lot Monday turned ugly when he later confronted the state employee who had ordered him to stop.

Glenn Campbell, whose Family Court Chronicles Web site has criticized the hiring process for Clark County DFS head Thomas Morton, was putting fliers on cars in the parking lot of the state DFS office on West Charleston Boulevard.

Jeff Morrow, a state administrative services officer, confronted Campbell and told him to stop. Campbell says DFS employees are trying to suppress his newsletter, but Morrow says he was not targeting Campbell and had stopped others from distributing fliers .

"People do this all the time, and it just litters up the lot," Morrow said. "I didn't even know who he was."

The flier, with the headline, "Commissioners Replaced By Robot Clones," criticizes Morton's hiring by county commissioners last month.

After placing fliers on several cars, Campbell said, he went into the office with a camera and asked to speak with Morrow. When Morrow came to speak with Campbell, a heated confrontation ensued, both men say.

Campbell began snapping pictures of Morrow, who responded with an obscene hand gesture that Campbell caught on film and posted online.

Morrow admits his behavior was unprofessional and says he regrets the incident. The gesture was an emotional response to Campbell's confrontational actions, he says.

Later Monday, Campbell attempted to distribute the fliers at a DFS office in Henderson, but a county employee asked him to stop.

Metro Police say it is not illegal for people to put fliers on windshields in a public or private lot, but they must desist if requested to do so by a property owner or tenant.