When blowing your horn is not as good as blowing the whistle

The First Circuit in Meaney v. Dever held that local officials were entitled to qualified immunity because it was not clearly established that firing a government employee for blowing his horn outside the mayor's inauguration was a violation of the employee's free speech rights. The practical implication for protesters is that it is better-grounded in the Constitution to use actual words rather than really loud noises to express your point of view.