Hey Bart,
Just thought I would pass this sadly true
short story on to you.
In my job as a sales executive I take customers
out to dinner all the time.
The day that Yousef Islam (AKA Cat Stevens)
got deported I was out with
some Canadian customers for dinner at Gibsons,
one of Chicago's best steak houses.
I will never eat there again.
After dinner we were waiting outside the
door of Gibson's for one of my customers.
We started talkin about George Bush and
the disbelief the Canadians had that he
would actually get reelected. I yelled
out "Bush SUCKS" to highlight my own disbelief
and instantly a Chicago police officer
was in my face telling me not to say another word.
I did not vocalize another word, yet mouthed
"Bush Sucks". I was instantly put in handcuffs
and hauled away to jail, leaving my Canadian
customers standing on the corner in greater disbelief.
After they placed me in the police car
the sales associate from Canada, an upstanding 60 year old
man tried to talk to the police about me.
The officer said that if he did not want to join me he
should back away, which he understandably
did.
When I got out of jail the next morning
at 6AM I met the customers at their hotel and they all
to a man offered to be witnesses at what
they deemed an over zealous police officer. They also
were in shock at the apparent lack of free
speech in this country. I will be appearing in court on
November 16th to answer the charge of disorderly
conduct.
I was hoping that you could post this
so that a legal minded reader
of your site may contact me and represent
me.
You may remember me from the Chicago pokerfest,
I helped run one of the tables. I am really
freaked out here and now know that I have
to move back to Canada. I don't want to leave the
greatest country in the world, but I can't
help feel that this is 1933 and if I stay till 1937 it will be too late.
If a man of peace such as Cat Stevens is
not wanted here, than maybe I don't want to be here either.
At least not in jail for speaking my mind.
Trevor Y
Trevor, of course we remember you.
You and Vegas Dave and Buck helped run the show.
If anyone can help Trevor, please send an e-mail to sam@bartcop.com.
He's a good guy who doesn't deserve to get rolled.