Some justice in Ohio - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

#1 03-26-2003, 12:29 PM

http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/03/25/loc_drivercharged25.html

Watters

A truck driver from South Fairmount was arrested Monday after he drove toward a group of anti-war protesters with his tractor-trailer rig in the West End.

"It (the semi cab) stopped about 10 feet from the nearest protester," Larry Schartman, one of the about 40 people who were participating in a "Peace in Iraq" rally, said Monday night. "Thank God nobody got hurt."

Police charged James Watters, 49, with aggravated menacing, inducing panic and reckless operation in the incident that occurred about 6 p.m. on the Ezzard Charles Drive bridge over Interstate 75.

According to the police report, an officer observed Watters drive his truck onto the sidewalk of the pedestrian walkway toward a large group of protestors causing them "to run in fear of being hit."

"It was an antiwar demonstration. We were holding up signs so the people on the interstate could see them," said Mary Ann Reese, 46, of East Walnut Hills. "There were 30 or 40 of us standing there holding our signs and I turned around and he was on the sidewalk coming towards us leaning on his horn.

"The general prevailing sentiment was that some of us were going to get hit. One person was in a wheelchair, so he really had to scatter. It was frightening. It (the semi) did stop before he hit anyone."

Protesters said the driver also appeared to be making an obscene gesture.

Schartman, a 50-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, said the demonstration had been a peaceful event until the truck appeared.

"I heard the horn blowing," he said. "He was up on the sidewalk. It stopped about 10 feet from the nearest protestor. It was really peaceful until that moment."

Police officers who were nearby responded to the scene quickly and arrested the truck driver.

"I'm a Vietnam veteran," the Mariemont resident said. "I think I've earned the right to stand out there with other citizens and oppose the war."

Watters was taken to the Justice Center.
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That's right. You may be able to fantasize about doing stuff like this, but it is severely frowned upon in real life.

And these people protesting weren't even on the street. They were on a freaking SIDEWALK. That makes it all the worse.

-Sam

G-Benz · #2 03-27-2003, 10:52 AM

The anti-war protesters may infuriate many Americans who support the war effort, but that demonstration was a peaceful one, and not one of those civil-disobedience incidents where the protestors clog up the interstate or stand hand-in-hand across busy intersections.

What the trucker did was uncalled for. We chastize tailgaters on this forum for lesser infractions!

mikemover · #3 03-27-2003, 11:01 AM

Obviously the truck driver should not have done that--that makes him no better and no more credible than the morons who block streets and vandalize property, etc...But I DO sympathize with the level of frustration that probably caused him to do it. I'm SO OVER IT with these mindless sign-waving cattle, I can't say such thoughts have never crossed my mind, although I would never act on them, they are nice fantasies. :p

Mike

Diesel-Lover · #4 03-27-2003, 11:43 AM

Narwhal is correct.

If one of those signs slipped out of the hands one of those itinerant demonstrators, it could become a missile and kill or main one or more people on the interstate.

There have been many incidents with rocks etc being thrown off the overpass, and perhaps this is what got the truck driver totally outacontrol.

The opposing view has a place (this is a free country) but not on an overpass where it is a safety hazard.

#5 03-27-2003, 06:04 PM

I thought this fishing expedition of Sams would go without a bite, but someone bit. So what? One guy freaks out on protesters, how many protesters have been arrested this month for looting, vandalism, harassment, verbal abuse and much more.

Sam when you were a kid did anyone ever bounce you on their knee and tell protesting stories?

Also this guy should at some credit for great driving, A truck on a sidewalk without even a scratch? WOW!!

rickg · #6 03-27-2003, 06:16 PM

Kind areminds me of the scene in the movie "Blues Brothers" where the Nazis are protesting on the bridge. Love that scene!

#7 03-27-2003, 06:34 PM

There should be another line.

Although 40 people protested all day not one day of work was missed. City clean up crews worked overtime sweeping left over marijuana seeds, which could possibly kill an unsuspecting bird.

One protester stated "Wow man this is great it's the first time I've had a real reason to leave the house since the Berkley riots"

More protests are scheduled to get under way at 6am Monday, but nobody shows up until noon.

longston · #8 03-27-2003, 07:13 PM

Hey, he stopped 10 freaking feet from these people, I would have gotten a little closer to them just to make my point.

He made his point in a non violent protest that was equal to the menacing protests done by the people he reacted to. No one was hurt, and the protesters saw that their message isn't welcome by over 70% of the American people. Not in THEIR name? No, not in our name, we will not have a minority speak for America.

Besides, I bet some jerk almost got him into a wreck when they stopped on the bridge to look at the protesters, and he wasn't having it. The protesters were a distraction to the safe and proper flow of traffic, and the police agreed, or they wouldn't have let him go with this slap on the wrist:

"Police charged James Watters, 49, with aggravated menacing, inducing panic and reckless operation..."

The charges will probably get thrown out of court by his pre-paid legal, and he won't even get points against his license.

Don't jerk my chain, if you don't want injury to your brain...:p