This dangerous looking Bonnie and Clyde couple has finally been nabbed by the police in New York City. Caroline Stern, a dentist, and George Hess, a movie prop master, were returning from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night’s Swing when they decided to cut loose at the Columbus Circle station. They danced. That’s right. Right in front of drug dealers, purse snatchers, and assorted felons, they danced. Thankfully, they were promptly arrested and the New York subway system was able to return to its joyless natural state.
The arrest occurred last year when they began dancing the Charleston as a musician played the steel drums. Police immediately demanded to know what they were doing. While they appear to have missed the greatest straight line and say “the Charleston,” the couple explained that they were dancing. The shocked New York officers informed them that the Burgermeister Meisterburger had prohibited dancing at the station. After all, how can a person be expected to score a coke deal with a middle-aged couple doing the Charleston on the platform?
Now here is the interesting part, when Hess pulled out his camera to record the bizarre incident, the officers reportedly got aggressive and called for backup. (Too bad he did not have the new ACLU App). The couple claims that Hess, 54, was tackled by officers.
They were both charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for ‘impeding the flow of traffic.” (It is a good thing that they were not doing the Fox-Trot or they would have been charged with cruelty to animals).
It is an all too familiar pattern that we have seen with citizens who film police. The charges were later dropped — another common aspect of these cases. Another common element is the total lack of discipline for the officers in bringing such charges or investigation into whether the confrontation was triggered by a citizen exercising his first amendment right to film police.
Source: Daily Mail
OBVIOUSLY the TSA is necessary in subway stations to make sure that people of this ilk are taken care of. Since they now tell people to FREEZE, they could have stopped them stone still in the middle of the dance so the cops could have carted them off. Seriously, what was the crime here? Is it illegal to dance in a subway station? (We don’t have subways in Florida, they would be canals, and probably not very shallow ones at that!) What was the crime here? Is singing and humming a crime now too? WHERE DOES IT END???
forgive,
The following is from the Washington Post Style Invitational contest that asked readers to submit “instructions” for something (anything), but written in the style of a famous person. The winning entry was The Hokey Pokey (as written by William Shakespeare).
O proud left foot, that ventures quick within
Then soon upon a backward journey lithe.
Anon, once more the gesture, then begin:
Command sinistral pedestal to writhe.
Commence thou then the fervid Hokey-Poke,
A mad gyration, hips in wanton swirl.
To spin! A wilde release from Heavens yoke.
Blessed dervish! Surely canst go, girl.
The Hoke, the poke — banish now thy doubt
Verily, I say, ’tis what it’s all about.
— by “William Shakespeare”
Having spent many a late night hour in the Columbus Circle station waiting for a train the arrest and/or even P.O. interest in this couple is surprising. The station late night is a circus, but not really that dangerous because the traffickers like to keep a low profile and the addicts just need a place to sit and zone out. The muscians play for their coin providing a melodious atmosphere and dancing at times would be most apprpriate and enjoyable to the crowds awaiting that overdue train. Mayor Bloomberg, however, is the ultimate buzz kill and is intent on making Manhattan joyless for all save the members of his class.
Four….I would this were an activist blog, not a discussion one. And the constant thread would be what can WE DO TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN WHATEVER ARENA WE STAND IN.
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it is what it is…..for some it may stimulate their need to act when the talking gets old…. for anything of good intent I think the conversation is important. Too often the acting comes without thinking….in the instances where the action to preserve and protect is necessary before the conscious brain is engaged…well, then there is still the need for conversation and understanding… it is when those elements become disengaged that perversities and violences occur…or prevail.
Also, I do believe very uch in what Ghandi extolled, BE what you want to see in the World….remove the splinter in your own eye and then watch as the motes in others’ dissappear…..
Blindfaithiness….thank you for this! … and I love love love the thought that we are all glowing embers of a distant fire…. Niftical!
Zimmerman: still has his right to carry permit but his weapon is in police custody, he’d be a real dummy to get another but you never know. Judge also added condition of no new passport and stay away from the airport.
707, You have some good points.
Zimmerman: was out on bail for 100,000; bail revoked b/c his wife committed perjury in saying they were broke but taped conversations between George and Shelly show there was well over 100,000 in paypal from the web site. They spoke in code to move the money into her account. He also had a second passport that he got after the shooting in a bank box. He turned one it. The judge was p….. to put it mildly. Z is out again on 1 million dollars bail. Second passport surrendered. Severe restrictions on his movements.
I like the idea of spending more time on a few really good issues. Check the recent comments column for where people are still actively commenting. Each comment has an hot link to get you there. Some of those discussions get a bit too much for me and i have to move on. I guess it’s the tit for tat that goes nowhere that I find boring even though the topic is a good one.
The idea of what can we do to make change is, imo, fair game on any of the threads.
Was this by rule of Guiliani when he was mayor. When I lived there and Ed Koch mayor, dancing was allowed, and drinking soda too.
While these blogs give us opportunity to gag (pun?) away our troubles, I call them into question as a trend here.
Go complain in Corrections!
Nope, I want support or to see id there is any. We are not usually a “supporitive” group, so little is expected. But as an informal democracy I will air my views here instead.
What do I want?
One….what happened to the Zimmeman vs Martin case, yeah I know improperly stated. but in actuality “The real people of the USA” versus “the corrupt police and judicial system”.
Two….Can we not stand awhile and work on major issues, of which two have been posed this weekend
Propaganda 103 and Myths and Feudalism
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I believe that in spite of that their novelty may wane and our energies too, they are worth deeper consideration. Both in a new look at the blogs points systematically, and at the nuggets unearthed by the discussion.
Three…. I’d like to see a system, not automatic, but consensus driven, to break off major OT issues, such as “Bradley vs all” to a separate blog thread so as to allow return to the original thread.
Four….I would this were an activist blog, not a discussion one. And the constant thread would be what can WE DO TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN WHATEVER ARENA WE STAND IN.
“The Burgermeister Meisterburger”? Ten points for Rankin-Bass Christmas special reference. Well played, sir, well played!
But seriously, folks, don’t you all just feel more secure knowing that some of New York’s finest are doing their best to keep criminals like these out of the subway stations and away from decent people?
NYC pays a lot of money every year settling cases of police misconduct.
How about the fight outside a courtroom in florida…… geeze….
Blind Faithiness
My nominees for statespeople of the year: Matt and Melissa of your video.
I’ll bet they could have the people of any combination of cities dancing together in no time.
I recommend the Martha and the Vandellas Defense.
Oops. I always mess up the embed.
Video
Allowing dancing could lead this. Be warned.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwe-pA6TaZk&w=560&h=315%5D
The new cover of Newsweek magazine says it all CRAZY!!
People, cities, nations, and civilizations go crazy.
To criminalize joy is a sure sign of crazy!
Is there anything being done about the police? Does anyone know? I read these stories all the time and it seems as though, the police are above the law. When you try and even file a complaint, they use the “insurance companies tactic” of threatening the “claim filer” with Prison for lying…
You would think that someone would enforce a camera policy to monitor these savages while thier “protecting & serving.”
Is the guy wearing a 35 year old “Disco shirt”?
Perhaps the Police saw this as a crime of Fassion !!
They probably voted for Obama in 08 and probably will again in 12.