--- Received from ELECTION.ELECTION 240-777-8500 00-10-23 09.13
-> flgrauel@smart.net
Mr. Grauel -
I have forwarded your e-mail to the State Board of Elections in Annapolis
for
a response.
Stuart Harvey
Montgomery County Board of Elections
From: flgrauel@smart.net
To: elections@co.mo.md.us, info@wmal.com, comments@callforaction.com,
newsroom@wtop.com
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2000 00:42:59 -0400
Subject: Political Signs Being Removed by Maryland Highway Employees
in State
Owned Maintenance Trucks!
Dear friends at Montgomery County Board of Elections,
Please accept this as a FORMAL
COMPLAINT and request for action
against the STATE of MARYLAND for the acts described below. I want
them
to immediately cease taking campaign signs from the yards of citizens
of
Montgomery County, Maryland. These signs were often purchased by the
citizens or were purchased by others and given to the citizens to put
in
their front yards in free exercise of their First Amendment rights
under
the U. S. Constitution. They are the property of the individual property
owners and citizens of Montgomery County, Maryland and their removal,
especially from private property, is theft plain and simple in addition
to a violation of their Constitutional Rights.
In the event you or any of
those Cc'd on this E-mail letter wish
to contact me, Please call the dispatch operator who puts out text
pages
on a multi-pager system which gets messages to me. That number is
301-384-0100. Be sure to have the message put out for "Forest."
Very truly yours,
Forest Grauel
The text below was sent out to a number of e-mail recipients and
documents what happened. The description of the sign sweep incident
is
as follows
Dateline; It Happened Sunday Morning at 2901 Spencerville Road
As you may know, Aileen and
I live on Maryland State Route 198
which is probably the most busily traveled major east-west highway
in
our area. At its westerly end, Route 198 runs from Route 650, New
Hampshire Avenue (extended) eastward through Spencerville, Burtonsville,
Laurel, Maryland City, and ends at Ft. George Meade at its most easterly
end. Some have said Route 198, also called Spencerville Road in our
area, has become the defacto Inter-County Connector since the political
powers have failed to decide where or how to ever build the desperately
needed ICC. Being a busily traveled road, it is an excellent place
for
property owners and renters alike to post political signs, and also
a
convenient place for miscreants from opposing parties to take down
those
signs as well. I am speaking of political signs in front yards of
Citizens which were purchased either by them or by others and given
to
them for posting. The signs are therefore "their property."
As many of you know, I have
had at least 3, perhaps 4, Buchanan
campaign signs torn down from our front yard so far during this
campaign. In past campaigns I have had Republican Party campaign signs
torn down as well. I have always attributed this to miscreants from
opposing parties who were playing dirty politics. Early on in the
Buchanan campaign I assumed the Hagelin people who were doing this,
but
thought it odd because I didn't even know of any in our area. After
the
second sign was torn down, I called the Montgomery County Elections
Board and spoke with them regarding the matter and was told by the
person there that they thought campaign signs were exempt from sign
and
zoning laws and that they had no idea of who would be tearing down
signs
on Spencerville Road. I then called the Zoning Department of Montgomery
County and received basically the same answer, but was referred to
call
a Mr. Roger Waterstreet at 240-777-6240, 6254, or 6249. I never got
through to Mr. Waterstreet, but kept his number intending to. However,
since I had inquired of so many for information as to any illegality,
I
assumed there was none, otherwise it would have been common knowledge
especially at the County elections board office.
This morning, Sunday October
22, 2000, at approximately between
the time of 8:30 AM and 9:00 AM, I was tending my dog and pet chickens
to the rear and side of our home when I noticed a medium size yellow
Maryland State Highway Administration "Crew Cab" type dump truck pull
into the empty turning lane which separates the single east lane and
single west lane of traffic. My first assumption was that they were
either doing something to the road or servicing one of the several
highway signs which are nearby. To my horror, I saw a man in an orange
tinted jump suit get out of the truck walk into yard and proceed to
pull
up our Buchanan for President yard sign.
In as loud of a voice as
I could muster I shouted, "HEY! WHAT
ARE YOU DOING, GET AWAY FROM MY
SIGN!" At that, he almost had it completely out of the ground, and
then
pushed the sign back into the ground and turned as if to return to
the
truck when I rapidly approached from the back yard and began to question
by what authority he was going to remove my sign. I then noticed a
second apparent state employee get out of the truck and approach me
and
then noticed a third apparent state employee observing from the truck.
Get this! THREE STATE OF MARYLAND EMPLOYEES out early on SUNDAY morning
apparently on TIME AND A HALF OR DOUBLE TIME in an extremely expensive
and apparently nearly new State owned heavy duty highway maintenance
truck out tearing down my little Buchanan Campaign Yard sign when most
folk would either be at church or sleeping in!!! Are you angry yet???
The one I was confronting
about unlawfully removing the sign
then replied that Route 198 was a "State Right of Way" and they were
told to remove all of the signs which were on State property on the
State Right of Way. I informed him that the sign was on private
property, to which he replied that the State had a 50 foot right of
way.
I replied that the property he was trying to remove the sign from was
deeded in the mid 1920's, and to the best of my knowledge we owned
either to the center of the road or to the edge of the road. He said
that he would leave the sign, but that it was in violation and he felt
he was right in removing it. I confronted him that I had been trying
to
figure out who had been removing my signs and that the last two which
were removed even had "NO TRESPASSING, and notice that I would prosecute
removal of the signs. He replied that didn't matter because the sign
was
not supposed to be there. I asked him for his name because I intended
to
file a complaint and possibly take action in the matter and the only
name he would give me was the one written on his jump suit which was
"Corey." When I said I needed his last name the other man said that
was
all that was necessary- "all you need is the name on his uniform."
They
then got back into the truck and continued westerly on Route 198. At
that time I attempted to write down a number I saw on the truck which
appeared to be 122095. If that is not exact it is certainly close.
Same
for the Tag number which appeared to be 73039 on a State of Maryland
Plate. Again, the truck was a "Highway Yellow" colored medium sized
dump truck which had a back seat and four doors such is commonly seen
doing highway maintenance. It also appeared outfitted in the rear with
what looked to be salt/sand spreading equipment for winter.
My neighbor, Robert Duvall
noticed the activity and came up to
see what was going on. Together we noticed the truck proceed westerly
to
the residence of Danny Thoms where they removed another campaign sign.
In doing so, they passed a Real estate sign which was hanging at the
very edge of the road as well as TWO Democrat Lierman Signs which were
far closer to the road than mine and were both clearly out past the
imaginary line between the utility poles. Also, it cannot be claimed
they were only working "one side of the road because the sign they
removed from Danny Thoms house was on the opposite side of the road
from
mine and past the Lierman sign which was on that same side of the road.
At the Thoms residence, the truck turned around and headed back easterly
toward us and turned left into the Pool Farm driveway just past and
across from us where the driver paused to talk on the two way radio.
When I saw them stop there, I called the Montgomery County Police with
my hand held cellular phone. I approached the truck and told them I
had
called the County police and that I was requesting them to wait for
the
police. When it appeared they were backing out to leave, I emphatically
demanded they stay and told the driver, "If you want to leave I cannot
prevent you from doing so, but I am formally demanding that you wait
for
the County Police." Subsequent to that, the driver told me that
he had
just talked with his supervisor on his two-way radio and that since
I
had called the police they could not leave until the police arrived.
The
truck then backed out of the Poole Farm driveway and parked on the
side
of the road to await the police.
When the Montgomery County
Police, Officer Nickerson arrived, I
was told that they would not be able to write up a report on the
incident and would not charge the State employee with any crime. When
a
second officer, whose name I did not get arrived, I told both of them
that I had NO TRESPASSING written on both sides of the sign as well
as
two other signs which had been taken from the same spot, and that I
was
requesting the State employee be charged with trespassing, they both
said they could not do that and that I needed to take the matter up
with
the State Highway Dept. I was, however able to get the name of "Corey
as
being Corey Tillery, and the name of the person to contact with State
Highway Dept as being Wayne Mowdy at 301-572-5166. I will be calling
him
about the matter, and perhaps you may want to as well. Also, during
this
same time two other State Highway employees, a man and a woman arrived
and intervened as "supervisors," and did not offer their names or
identification. After the police left, I went to them to get their
names
and they said they were not supervisors of the man who was taking down
my sign and brushed off giving me their names as being unnecessary.
The
man told me, "we just heard it over our radio (two-way apparently)
and
stopped by."
If you cannot get involved,
or do not wish to get involved, do
not read further. However, if an incident like this on the other hand
makes your blood boil as it does mine, please read further. If you
feel
everyone has a right to put up either Republican or Independent
candidate campaign signs, NOT JUST DEMOCRATS (remember, the Democratic
Lierman signs referenced above remained untouched during this sweep),
but ALL CITIZENS have a right to put up candidate signs in front of
their property so long as they do not obstruct or interfere with
traffic, then having State owned trucks with State employees drawing
either time and a half or double time for Sunday Morning political
sign
sweeps requires an appropriate response Therefore, here are the three
reasons I sent this to you:
1.) To get the word out about how your State of Maryland Highway Fund
Tax Money is being spent(!!!), and so that if you know of signs having
disappeared from either your residence or that of another living on
a
State road, you may now have a new and more sinister suspect to add
to
the list. (Remember the biggest lie ever told, "I'm from the Government,
I'm here to help you!)
2.) Apparently Sunday morning, and other "off times" when good and
honest folk are either sleeping or at church as was the case here is
when State employees are sent out on these despicable "sign sweeps."
Apparently OVERTIME AND MANPOWER IS NO OBJECT when it comes to taking
down political yard signs- remember; THREE STATE EMPLOYEES ON APPARENT
OVERTIME- PERHAPS EVEN DOUBLE TIME IN A BIG EXPENSIVE HIGHWAY
MAINTENANCE TRUCK!. So keep your cameras and cam-corders handy with
fresh batteries, film and video tape. Also try to have a second person
do the filming and to act as a witness in the event that is necessary.
Document everything you can, and call the police. One of the things
the
County Policeman did tell me was that it was not necessary for them
to
document the "incident," because my call to 911 was automatically
documented within their computer system which is good. As my friend
John
Kotmair has said, "The best way to get a bunch of COCK ROACHES to
scatter is to TURN ON THE LIGHTS AND STAMP YOUR FEET!"
3.) I will be sending this e-mail letter out to lots of folk who are
far
more intelligent, educated and informed than I am. You are probably
one
of those persons. Therefore, I would like to ask for your input and
suggestion as to a.) what I may have done differently, and for
what
reasons, and b.) what you feel I should do at this point. I feel
action
should be taken, but would only like to do that on a pragmatic basis
so
that it will be most effective, and especially to stop this practice
by
the State of Maryland immediately and then have it settled after the
elections. Could this be done by a Court Order(?), by the sheriff(?),
by
the States Attorney(?), are there appropriate laws you know of, are
there any other persons or groups who are already working on the
problem, or am I whistling into the wind and wasting my time. Please
be
honest and forthright. Positive results can only result from specific
positive actions.
Normally,
when I write business type letter I like to mull
over it for a day or so before sending it. However with the campaign
moving so quickly, and with every day counting, I will send it out
immediately and with minimal proofing and spell-check, so if there
are
slight errors I hope you have been able to read around them. I sincerely
hope to hear your response and especially your input and suggestions
on
the sign sweep incident which happened just a few hours ago.
Very truly yours,
Forest L. Grauel
Email Forest Flgrauel@smart.net
Contact Forest by phone at : 301-384-0100
Back to Top of Message
Documentary
Pictures of State Highway Administration
Attempted
Theft of Political Yard Sign