Day Five: Journeyers Face Cops and Death
September 26, 2000
On the way to the O.L. Luther Prison in Grimes County local police
approached us because someone (unidentified) called in and
said there was a caravan with anti-drug war slogans going through the
town of Navasota and they might be carrying drugs. The basis of the
claim seems to have been some plastic marijuana leaves which are
used in the Journeyers' traveling show.
We discussed the situation with the Navasota police and they seemed
satisfied. But then the state police said they wanted to talk with us
so we waited for their arrival. A state trooper and local sheriff
joined the Navasota police. After a 15-minute delay and some
discussion we asked whether we were under arrest or free to leave and
they told us we could move on.
When we got to O.L. Luther the gate was blocked by one prison
vehicle. The officer got out of his car to tell us one of our
vehicles - that had parked in a parking lot - needed to move off of
the parking lot because it was on state land and onto the right of
way alongside the road. We complied. Several other police vehicles
joined the prison officer including some more prison cars, a state
police car and two sheriffs vehicles. They attempted to take our
license plates from our vehicles. We asked if they were beginning an
investigation and if so on what grounds. They refused to answer
therefore we refused to cooperate, covering our license plates. They
did not pursue the matter any further.
The police looked confused, not sure what to do. More police kept
arriving adding to the confusion. Each time a vehicle arrived i.e., a
visitor and a UPS truck, they had to move all their cars to make way.
The police brought out their video camera and filmed us; we
continued to film them. They tried to tell one of the Journeyers
to move off of an area. He refused to move and we showed unity by
joining him since it was in the right of way.
Murli, the driver of the lead RV and a Journey veteran, commented
the police reminded him of an old codger's saying:
"They didn't know whether to shit or go blind so they
closed one eye and farted."
We finished the day in Hempstead. The Journey stopped in Hempstead
for a memorial service commemorating drug-prohibition related deaths.
We parked at the Waller County Courthouse near "Six Shooter
Junction", the site of an alcohol prohibition-era related shoot
out. In 1905 prohibitionists had just one a major battle in their
attempts to ban alcohol. A gunfight broke out and US Congressman John
Pinckney, his brother and two others were gunned down in the
courthouse while meeting with prohibitionists. The shooting occurred
after some heckling. When it was all over 75 bullets had been shot,
the courthouse was riddled with bullets and four people were dead.
At the memorial Jodi James remembered the deaths of young people
who died from preventable overdoses, people fatally shot in police
or military drug enforcement raids, and police officers who have
died enforcing the drug laws. Ann McCormick memorialized noted author
Peter McWilliams who died because a federal judge ordered him not to
use his medicine. Journeyers passed out literature and spoke
to people passing by.
Tomorrow will be a slow ride - the wheelchairs will be coming
out as we travel through some small Texas towns.
Kevin
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