Neues vom Superfan.
Er wurde von der Polizei verhaftet, weil es eine anonyme Beschwerde gab, dass er
den Buergersteig blockierte.
Aber er will zurueckkommen und dann ohne Klamotten (Schlafsack,etc.) stehend bis zum 19 Mai verbringen...
Hier der komplette Bericht:
ROTS Squatter Removed by Police
Be warned, the Man is watching you . Star Wars fan, Jeff Tweiten, was
removed by police from the sidewalk in front of the Cinerama Theatre in Seattle. 27-year-old Tweiten and his mini-camp had been sitting outside for 139 days straight in anticipation of the release of "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" in theatres on May 19, and had not been booted because there had been no complaints. But according to SPD spokesman Sean Whitcomb, an anonymous caller did complain. "So the individual (Tweiten) was provided with a copy of the (no sit/no lay) ordinance, the individual was given a verbal admonition and told that, if he did not move, the individual would be cited the next day," Whitcomb said.
With a sleeping bag, finger-thawing cups of java and other supplies from friends, the Seattle artist had hoped to stay put until the opening much as he had for "Episode I" and "Episode II." But by a single anonymous complaint, the jig was up for Tweiten's stake-out. Three police officers and a traffic engineer arrived to assess the setup, Tweiten said. They told him he was blocking a pedestrian right-of-way, but said it very cordially. "They told me they didn't really want to do it. In fact, one said they felt like asses," Tweiten claimed. Tweiten's back up plan was to call Diamond Parking and see if he could relocate to a nearby lot. No luck.
Tweiten doesn't blame the officers, but he's disappointed in a city that he says has become so humorless and controlling that it can't tolerate a little color. Some who've noticed Tweiten's removal agree. "Seattle did its best to drive out the characters that made the city what it was," Scot Ranney said. "In the '80s and '90s Seattle turned from a city of art and interest to a city of Microsoft and dot-com money. A city of people who look at their toes instead of at people as they run down the sidewalks making sure they're not late for their Starbucks luncheon with others ... who think the acquisition of money and power is what life's all about." That's why Ranney and a lot of others moved to Bellingham in the past 15 years, he said. "With people who wanted to find a community that embraces their individualism."
Others insist that the law is the law. If homeless people are told to move along and not sit or sleep on sidewalks and in doorways, then why should a "Star Wars" fan be an exception just because he's a paying customer who is helping to promote a big-money movie? Still others simply see Tweiten as a self-indulgent slacker who ought to be working.
What they don't know, Tweiten says, is that he does work, saves his money and gives a whole lot of it away to charities. "I make enough money to be able to do this," he said. "But I also challenge the idea that you're wasting your time if you're not stuck in a cubicle all day."
But Seattle, in fact the world, hasn't seen the last of Jeff Tweiten. He plans on returning to the sidewalk before the Cinerama Theatre tomorrow -- on his own two feet.
Standing? Until May 19?
There's a long tradition in America of waiting in lines for openings, Tweiten reminded. For tickets for sports events, concerts, Ichiro bobble-heads, the sighting of a superstar. Tweiten's own grandmother used to camp out in front of the Silverdale Mall to be first in line for the opening of a sale.
To his credit, Tweiten did try to apply and pay for a street use permit, but the Department of Transportation turned him down.
"What next? Will we be denied the right of assembly?" Tweiten asked. "Then let's not have voting anymore. Let's just have the lawyers decide like they're doing in the governor's race." By this point Tweiten was pretty fired up. And he may need that zeal if he's going to literally make a stand. "I figure I can stand 16 hours a day if I take little breaks," he said. He admits it won't be comfy or easy but just the idea of being told he can't be out there fuels his motivation. "This time I'll either leave in shackles or an aid car," Tweiten vowed. "And, as soon as I get out of the hospital, I'll be back."
May the Force be with Jeff Tweiten.
Quelle