Great little example of "tragedy of the commons" near home
Weedwacker
Number 746
Conspirator for: 14 years 3 days
Posted on: December 17, 2010 - 2:59pm
This story was on the front page of our local small town paper today. I was a projectionist at this little theater when I was in college. I thought I would share it because it seems to contain all the little golden lessons about the nature of man and government on a small and personal scale. We get all fired up about the Big Dog gubment in Washington, but the dynamics are the same right at home. The petty absurdities are incredible. This is what happens when it's admitted into the common conciousness that there is such a thing as "public property", a type of property that cannot exist without being forcibly taken and maintained through rights violations, is "owned" by everyone, yet by no one, controlled by a few, and results in a pronouced lack of accountablity. I may go talk to this guy and craft a letter to the editor about this.
ANGOLA — A downtown Angola businessman made his voice heard Wednesday night.
Dana E. Thompson, 61, put a message on the marquis at the Strand Theater in downtown Angola: “We survived Depression, WW2, TV, DVD, 911 and fire, but will we survive city hall.”
The bold blue and red letters went up in lights Thursday night following Thompson’s second arrest for criminal mischief earlier in the week.
Thompson now faces five Class B misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief/damage to property, which carry a penalty of 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 fine. Thompson posted $250 bond for his release from jail Tuesday in addition to a $50 bond posted in August in another case. Police allege Thompson destroyed plants, littered in the planter and damaged city property.
A pretrial conference in both cases is scheduled for Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. in Steuben Magistrate Court.
Thompson — who has objected to Angola’s downtown improvement project since its inception — is accused of damaging plants, concrete planter boxes and brick pavers in front of the theater on the north side of Public Square. Thomspon says he is going about business as usual, but the new infrastructure makes business as usual difficult.
In a July Angola Common Council meeting, Thompson said the placement of the planter in front of his building was not safe for him to change the light bulbs on his marquee. He was given a ladder by the city to experiment with, he said, but that didn’t work either.
“It’s impossible to bridge this thing,” he said. “One of the legs is usually up cockeyed in the air.”
At that time, city officials said Thompson had the opportunity to make his voice known at numerous planning meetings but did not. Changes to the design of the project were made after others voiced their opinions.
The first criminal charges pertained to Thompson’s efforts to make the surface in the planter safe for the ladder, he said. He said he had been told by city officials there would be mulch in the planter in front of the theater that he could place the legs of the ladder in.
“They lied to me at every turn,” he said.
City officials declined comment on the matter because it is in litigation.
Thompson
Charges were also filed about popcorn in the planters. Thompson said he “feeds the birds” with leftover popcorn, a tradition started by the former owners of the Strand, which was purchased by Thompson’s parents.
“John Brokaw fed the birds,” he said of the namesake of the other movie theater in town. “There’s no law against feeding birds.”
The new charges say a large amount of rock salt damaged brick pavers and was in the planters. Thompson said he’s been using the same salt for 34 years; though the city has recommended a less damaging brand of ice melter. He denied putting salt in the planters, though said it could have “bounced in.”
Angola Police Invstigators took a few pieces of the salt from the planter on Dec. 2 as evidence, court documents said.
The new charges also use video documentation from a camera that has been poised on the theater to catch any alleged criminal mischief by Thompson. Court documents say there is footage of popcorn being dumped in the planter, as well as salt.
Cleaning the planter is estimated to cost $200.
Rock salt was swept into a pile from where it was spread on the brick sidewalk in front of the Strand Theater on the northwestern part of Public Square last week. The salt is said to have damaged new pavers laid this year as part of a downtown improvement project. City planners have asked that a less damaging type of ice melter be used by downtown businesses, and the use of the salt has resulted in criminal charges against theater owner Dana Thompson.
“I’ve got kids playing in it. I’ve got people crossing it as a shortcut to get to their car,” said Thompson, adding that he has seen a number of dogs using the planter as a toilet. “Everybody’s using it for a (cigarette) butt can.”
He said he picks up his fair share of butts from the theater entrance, and that he does not put trash in the planters. He said the police video should show “I use the trash can just as much as anyone else.”
He said the sign he placed on his marquis for a limited time this week is his attempt to use the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution against what he feels is an abuse of his rights by the city.
He said he plans to file a civil law suit.
“It’s reached critical mass,” Thompson said.
An Angola police officer was posted in city hall this week. Officer Rob Cunningham had the duty Wednesday morning, and said it was a temporary assignment because there was concern a local citizen may cause a commotion. Nothing has occurred.
__________________
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."
This story was on the front page of our local small town paper today. I was a projectionist at this little theater when I was in college. I thought I would share it because it seems to contain all the little golden lessons about the nature of man and government on a small and personal scale. We get all fired up about the Big Dog gubment in Washington, but the dynamics are the same right at home. The petty absurdities are incredible. This is what happens when it's admitted into the common conciousness that there is such a thing as "public property", a type of property that cannot exist without being forcibly taken and maintained through rights violations, is "owned" by everyone, yet by no one, controlled by a few, and results in a pronouced lack of accountablity. I may go talk to this guy and craft a letter to the editor about this.
ANGOLA — A downtown Angola businessman made his voice heard Wednesday night.
Dana E. Thompson, 61, put a message on the marquis at the Strand Theater in downtown Angola: “We survived Depression, WW2, TV, DVD, 911 and fire, but will we survive city hall.”
The bold blue and red letters went up in lights Thursday night following Thompson’s second arrest for criminal mischief earlier in the week.
Thompson now faces five Class B misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief/damage to property, which carry a penalty of 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 fine. Thompson posted $250 bond for his release from jail Tuesday in addition to a $50 bond posted in August in another case. Police allege Thompson destroyed plants, littered in the planter and damaged city property.
A pretrial conference in both cases is scheduled for Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. in Steuben Magistrate Court.
Thompson — who has objected to Angola’s downtown improvement project since its inception — is accused of damaging plants, concrete planter boxes and brick pavers in front of the theater on the north side of Public Square. Thomspon says he is going about business as usual, but the new infrastructure makes business as usual difficult.
In a July Angola Common Council meeting, Thompson said the placement of the planter in front of his building was not safe for him to change the light bulbs on his marquee. He was given a ladder by the city to experiment with, he said, but that didn’t work either.
“It’s impossible to bridge this thing,” he said. “One of the legs is usually up cockeyed in the air.”
At that time, city officials said Thompson had the opportunity to make his voice known at numerous planning meetings but did not. Changes to the design of the project were made after others voiced their opinions.
The first criminal charges pertained to Thompson’s efforts to make the surface in the planter safe for the ladder, he said. He said he had been told by city officials there would be mulch in the planter in front of the theater that he could place the legs of the ladder in.
“They lied to me at every turn,” he said.
City officials declined comment on the matter because it is in litigation.
Thompson
Charges were also filed about popcorn in the planters. Thompson said he “feeds the birds” with leftover popcorn, a tradition started by the former owners of the Strand, which was purchased by Thompson’s parents.
“John Brokaw fed the birds,” he said of the namesake of the other movie theater in town. “There’s no law against feeding birds.”
The new charges say a large amount of rock salt damaged brick pavers and was in the planters. Thompson said he’s been using the same salt for 34 years; though the city has recommended a less damaging brand of ice melter. He denied putting salt in the planters, though said it could have “bounced in.”
Angola Police Invstigators took a few pieces of the salt from the planter on Dec. 2 as evidence, court documents said.
The new charges also use video documentation from a camera that has been poised on the theater to catch any alleged criminal mischief by Thompson. Court documents say there is footage of popcorn being dumped in the planter, as well as salt.
Cleaning the planter is estimated to cost $200.
Rock salt was swept into a pile from where it was spread on the brick sidewalk in front of the Strand Theater on the northwestern part of Public Square last week. The salt is said to have damaged new pavers laid this year as part of a downtown improvement project. City planners have asked that a less damaging type of ice melter be used by downtown businesses, and the use of the salt has resulted in criminal charges against theater owner Dana Thompson.
“I’ve got kids playing in it. I’ve got people crossing it as a shortcut to get to their car,” said Thompson, adding that he has seen a number of dogs using the planter as a toilet. “Everybody’s using it for a (cigarette) butt can.”
He said he picks up his fair share of butts from the theater entrance, and that he does not put trash in the planters. He said the police video should show “I use the trash can just as much as anyone else.”
He said the sign he placed on his marquis for a limited time this week is his attempt to use the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution against what he feels is an abuse of his rights by the city.
He said he plans to file a civil law suit.
“It’s reached critical mass,” Thompson said.
An Angola police officer was posted in city hall this week. Officer Rob Cunningham had the duty Wednesday morning, and said it was a temporary assignment because there was concern a local citizen may cause a commotion. Nothing has occurred.
"Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe."
Frank Zappa