Thursday, October 9, 2014

7 October 2014 - The Day

7 October 2014.

 That was the day.

 I've been called a lot of things. Most of those things aren't fit to repeat even here. There are two that really bother me.

The first- inconsequential (or its synonyms). There is no bigger insult than to be told you don't matter. Whether its in my professional career, my other work, my personal life, or the big gray area that's forming in the gaps, I just want to know that I matter- that I'm making a difference.

 The second- coffee shop revolutionary. This I've heard since the first time I made the “Reformation” argument. I heard it in high school. I heard it when I started my first draft of “Founding the Future”. I heard it when I worked for campaigns, when I managed campaigns, and especially when I ran for office. I heard it when I started the blog, the website, and just about every effort I've made.

What is a coffee shop revolutionary? Urban Dictionary defines it as “An individual (coffee shop revolutionary) or group of individuals (revolutionaries) who speculate on the utopia that "could be" following radical societal, governmental, and cultural change without actually taking action to do initiate it. The prefixes of "Coffee Shop-" or "Armchair-" imply that the individual or individuals who desire reform or change lack the interest in making the sacrifices to take part in it. They are also the people who have the luxury of playing the all-knowing spectator to an event or social situation. (Definition) Coffee shop revolutionary has a very negative connotation. Immortal Technique (who by the way will provide the soundtrack to the revolution) has some unique thoughts on it.




In a way, those two insulting terms, used in conjunction, is maddening.

 That brings me back to 7 October 2014. That was the day that I had enough. So what happened to bring me to that point? Let's review. First, this was my reaction:


This is what I, surprisingly, received back:
This is what lead to it:
 The vehicle I encountered was one of 4 that I identified leaving the Department of Natural Resources facility yesterday evening. (The facility is here: Map  ) (The Maryland State Police use the gun range there) The first I encountered heading Northbound (I was heading Southbound) just North of the intersection of Damsontown Road and 309. (This intersection: Map ) This vehicle was traveling at an obvious high rate of speed but I was traveling parallel and opposite of it. It was followed by two more marked MSP vehicles, also heading northbound, one I encountered at the intersection mentioned above and one just south of that intersection. The third vehicle left the northbound travel lane and entered the southbound travel lane a few hundred yards in front of me as it failed to fully negotiate the right hand curve. 
When I passed the DNR facility, I saw a fourth marked MSP vehicle, which seemed to be the last one leaving the facility. It turned in behind me and waited at the light at the intersection of 404 and 309 in Queen Anne. While we waited, I saw no other vehicles leave the facility. After the light changed, we proceeded through the intersection and the vehicle remained behind me, turning into the sole Eastbound lane on 404. The vehicle remained in what I would consider an unsafe following distance from the intersection, through the construction zone, and up the rise opposite the Choptank River bridge, as we both followed a commercial van gaining speed at a much slower rate.  
Once Eastbound 404 divided into a four lane highway, the vehicle moved quickly into Lane 1, coming far too close to my rear bumper for comfort and I remained behind the van in Lane 2. He quickly gained speed as we traveled down Eastbound 404. I moved into Lane 1 and pursued the vehicle. It passed no less than four vehicles in Lane 2 and slowed only to allow a slower vehicle in Lane 1 to move into Lane 2 just before 404 becomes a two lane highway again. The vehicle did not activate its emergency lights nor its sirens at this point, or for the entirety of the incident. As the vehicle was forced to slow, I was able to make contact again and join traffic behind the vehicle just after the intersection of 404 with 480/Ridgely Rd. 
Once traffic was single file, the vehicle accelerated again, reaching speeds in excess of 70 miles an hour and pulling away from traffic. I kept the vehicle in sight and paced it using roadside signs to maintain distance and speed. As I could identify my speed and the vehicle moved away from me swiftly, I could estimate the velocity. At times, the vehicle traveled above 80 mph. After the first intersection of Saathoff Rd with 404 and before the second, the vehicle slammed on its brakes and executed an emergency stop, leaving the travel lane and coming to rest on the shoulder. I proceeded past the now stopped vehicle which then accelerated to catch up with me. 
As we proceeded Eastbound, the vehicle followed me, at the posted speed limit, but at times so closely that the headlights of the vehicle could not be seen as they were blocked from view by my rear bumper/trunk. The vehicle was close enough that I could clearly see the Trooper behind the wheel. As we traveled Eastbound, the vehicle alternated traveling inside 1 car length behind me and backing off several car lengths. As we approached Eastbound 404 and Holly road, the Trooper once again quickly closed the distance and followed me within 1 car length. 
As the road divided, the vehicle moved into Lane 1 and I remained in Lane 2. I heard the sound of the bullhorn through my window, it was clearly not the siren which had still not been activated nor had the emergency lights. Unfortunately, I was unable to hear the substance of what was announced over the wind noise. The vehicle then proceeded at a high rate of speed down Eastbound 404 in Lane 1. I did not pursue, because at that point I feared, based on the behavior, what might occur should a stop be executed. 
I would estimate that the vehicle traveled again near 100mph away from me and down Eastbound 404. Another vehicle further down the road was forced from Lane 1 to Lane 2 with the oncoming Trooper behind him. I exited Eastbound 404 at Business 404 but the vehicle had already proceeded out of sight in the direction of the intersection of 404 and River Road/Matthewstown Road.

 I included, in my contact with the MSP, the description above along with this: This is not the first occasion I have had to see a MSP vehicle, marked or otherwise, violating the very traffic laws to which I, and everyone else, am regularly held accountable. I don't believe this Trooper was on duty, but I have witnessed both on-duty and off-duty vehicles operated in the same manner. I appreciate you contacting me, but I am under no false belief that anything will actually be addressed. I am sure that, likely, nothing will occur and it is only my life which will be impacted negatively, both personally and professionally. Just the same, I'm fed up, and I will be using what little soapbox I have to hold both the MSP and local police and sheriff's departments accountable for their actions. However, I will share your quick response to my passive aggressive social media complaint.

When I got home, I was so mad I was shaking. I spend a lot of time trying to separate my professional duty and my relationship with the police from my personal feelings about the abuses I see around me. I spend even more time parsing out the good cop/bad cop dynamic.

I'm tired. The whole thing has exhausted me. So I'm done.

This is my declaration of intent. From here on out, I will be doing everything I can to bring some semblance of equality to the system; to bring justice where it needs to be but isn't found. That was my moment. What's yours?

Have you found the thing, person, or event that pushed you over the tipping point? If not, what would it take? What will get you off the couch, out of the coffee shop, and into the battle?

© Robert Cheek, 2014
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Location: Denton, MD 21629, USA

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