For the second year in a row, the National Park Service police brought in their "special interdiction team" from Asheville to harass attendees of FloydFest. It is a despicable display of government abuse of power and a waste of yours and my tax dollars.
After passing two carloads of young people pulled over by the park police’s gestapo-like tactics, I stopped to take photos of a park service officer who was going through everything in a couple’s Jeep Cherokee — cooler, backpacks, glove boxes and consoles.
As I approached the scene, the park service cop wheeled around, pointed at me and said "Sir, if you raise that camera to take a photograph I will place you under arrest."
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Under arrest? I’ve been shooting photos on the Blue Ridge Parkway since before this kid’s father was born. I muttered somethng about this being a public thoroughfare and I was a working journalist doing my job.
"Sir," he retorted, "this is U.S. government property and under the provisions of the USA Patriot Act you cannot take photographs of official government activity without authorization. Put your camera down now!"
USA Patriot Act? The rights-robbing law that the Bush administration uses to detain citizens without due process, ship people off to the Gitmo and keep critics of the the President from flying on commercial airlines? That Patriot Act?
"Sir, you have 15 seconds to leave or you are under arrest." He had his hand on his gun so I left. I saw the sign above about a mile from the scene and stopped to shoot it, wondering is another Park Service Cop would come by and arrest me for taking photos of a sign.
At FloydFest Thursday evening, a number of people told me about their run-ins with the Park Service goon squad. They are looking for any "probable cause" to pull people over and search their car. One girl was stopped because she had beads hanging from her rear view mirror. Another for having just one bolt holding his license plate (she was ticketed for "improper equipment"). Still another for "driving in a suspicious manner."
A story floating around the festival Thursday night said this same squad pulled Floyd County Sheriff Shannon Zeman over Wednesday night for speeding on the Parkway. I haven’t had a chance to confirm that one yet but will when I see Shannon.
Two warnings: Avoid the Parkway if you can. Take Canning Factory Road to Black Ridge Road to the remote parking lots. You have on-site parking at the Festival, take Black Ridge and cross the Parkway there to enter the event.
If you get nailed by these storm troopers, call Floyd attorney Jonathan Rogers next week and tell him about it. He’s willing to file a class-action suit against the Park Service for their gestapo-like tactics.
I was stopped Thursday coming in because the camping equipment in my jeep blocked my review mirror. The officer took me out of the jeep, walked me back to his car and began interrogating me. He searched about half the jeep and then said he felt since I was being so relaxed, I probably didn’t have anything, which was true. I’m a 34-year-old professional who enjoys the concerts and felt this was beyond silly. When I left the festival Sunday, an officer pulled out behind me on the parkway and followed me out. Nice use of manpower. There must have been 20 police cars right outside the festival gates. The Floyd folks are working to resolve this or at least fight it, so it won’t stop me from coming back again.
First thing that popped into my head after reading this was, “overwhelm them with numbers.” Instead of avoiding the BRP, get as many vehicles as you can dedicated to driving through the “Drug Enforcement Area” – get a whole caravan going through there at the speed limit, everyone with a camera. If one gets stopped, everyone else driving by takes a picture. If they want to stop everyone and arrest them, let them. Just make sure the news cameras are there too.
Of course, if I lived in the area, I’d also be calling every local, state, and federal government representative I had and complaining loudly. This is abuse of power, plain and simple, no matter how “legal” it may be.
Einstein, during the “Red Scare” of the early fifties, said we had far more to fear from our own government in their communist “witch hunt” than we did from any communists that may have been found. It doesn’t take an Einstein to see that we have the same situation now. The greatest danger Americans face today is the permanent loss of freedoms under the guise of “temporary” sacrifices, supposedly “necessary” to foil terrorists.
Thirty+ years ago I put my life on the line (in the Army) to defend the freedoms that our own government is taking away one by one. It makes me sick to think of it.
I just sent the following email to my Georgia senators and federal representative:
“I have just learned that park service law enforcement people are on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the vicinity of a music festival (Floydfest), near Floyd, Virginia. They have set up signs indicating a “Drug Enforcement Area.” That in and of itself is not terribly disturbing.
What is very disturbing is that a journalist who stopped to photograph a law enforcement officer searching a car was threatened with arrest by that law enforcement officer, who told him that under the Patriot Act it was illegal to photograph any government activity on government property without permission. The officer went on to demand that the journalist leave within 15 seconds, and further threatened him by putting his hand on his sidearm.
This is purely and simply an abuse of law, using protections allegedly put in place to fight terrorism to instead try to prevent news coverage of the harassment of peaceful citizens on their way to a concert.
Although this occured in another state, it was on “federal government property” and involved a federal law enforcement official, so as my representative to the federal government, I urge that you do what you can to bring an immediate halt to this abuse.”
Hope it helps. Not holding my breath.
On my way home for a break I noticed the Virginia State police had replaced the Parkway cops at the exit to Floydfest and at the entrance to Fairview Church Road. I heard the Parkway cops pulled over Floyd’s own Shannon Zeman (sheriff) and were real a-holes to him. Hopefully they went back to wherever they came from.
I for one appreciate the NPS for protecting me. If you ever went to the floyd fest you would have smelt the pot, this year they were brave enough to smoke it in the open beer garden. I think drug dogs should work inside the event. Protect the innocent people on the road. Again cudos to NPS.