Posted on 04/27/2002 10:13:38 PM PDT by tgslTakoma
It's now been a week and a day since The Patriots Rally for America, and Gore_ War_ Vet's truck is still MIA somewhere in our nations capital; thanks to some unknown tow truck driver on the city of DC payroll.
Gore_ War_ Vet and I had unloaded all our rally supplies from our vehicles at the rally site on Constitution Avenue at 7:30am last Saturday, April 20th, and we then headed off to find parking. Parking on Constitution Avenue is usually allowed, but the street was marked with "Emergency - No Parking" signs because the radical left's pro-intifada demonstration was going to culminate in a march down that street.
I left the rally site to find a spot for my truck on a side street and found one on 15th street, just north of the Constitution Avenue intersection. There was one other spot still open at that location so I called up Angelwood and told her to let Gore_ War_ Vet know. He parked the truck, we both double-checked to see that there were no restrictions on parking there and that the meters did not need to be fed on a Saturday. All was well, or so we thought.
Apparently someone within the DC Government decided, after we had parked there, that they should have posted those "Emergency - No Parking" signs on 15th Street. So at some point during the day they did just that. And our vehicles were towed.
I found out that my truck was missing after I got back from walking Niger Innis to Trueblackman's car (and then driving him in Tbm's car to Union Station to catch his train back to NYC). I then began my search for my vehicle, not knowing that Gore_ War_ Vet had already been searching (in vain) for his truck as well.
I spoke to a DC cop who said that Park Service did all the towing on that area's streets, so I went up to a Park Police officer... who gave me a phone number to call at Park Police HQ. I called them and they said, "Nope, it wasn't us. It was DC." So then I go back to another DC officer who tells me that they usually just tow cars a few blocks away and leave them; and he gives me yet another phone number to a DC office, which it turns out is closed on weekends. By this time word has gotten back to the FReeper cleanup crew that GWV has also "lost" his truck, so BufordP, Taxman and others begin to cruise nearby streets looking for the missing vehicles. Angelwood loaned me her car and I found a wonderful, helpful, friendly, compassionate lady DC cop (praise the Lord!) who made a few calls and found out just who did what, and she gave me a number to call that had a real person on the other end of the line!
The woman I spoke with got my tag info from me, corrected me when I said the car had been towed ("No ma'am. Your car wasn't towed. It was moved") and told me where I could find my truck (800 block of Constitution Ave, by the Archives); so off we went to find it. Taxman drove me and GWV to get our vehicles. You see, we had figured that since we were parked only two cars away from one another, that they'd be in close proximity to one another at the drop site. Silly us! I found my truck right where the woman said it was, but GWV's was nowhere to be found. Taxman drove him around for another half hour or so, and still no truck.
Gore_ War_ Vet had left his vehicle papers in his vehicle, so he didn't have tag info to give the DC folks to get specific location info; that he had to do after he got to his home...much, much later. He did end up speaking with a few members of MPD who were sympathetic to his plight, and they sheepishly suggested that the only way they could look for the truck would be if he reported it stolen! They knew how absurd that sounded, but they also knew how DC Government "organization" works.
We were tired and hungry, so we reconnoitered at the Hotel Washington for dinner. After dinner, BufordP drove GWV around all over downtown DC looking for the missing truck, with no luck. So Buford drove GWV home (a couple-hour drive, thank you BufordP for being the good guy you are).
The rest of the specifics of the story can be filled in by Gore _ War_ Vet, because it really is a doozy, and he knows it all too well. The short of it is that his truck is still missing. DC has no idea where it is. They gave him two different locations... but no truck there.
So, while no persons were injured or arrested during the Patriots Rally, it does appear that we did have one casualty. And the topper is that DC doesn't seem to be too terribly interested in helping GWV find his vehicle - that they misplaced!
I truly hope you are right, for the time being the vision etched in my mind is that of 30,000 Palistinian terrorist supporters spewing hate and threats on the Elipse in front of the White House and a sea of Palistinian flags.
Maybe it's just me? I would hope we could counter them again with greater numbers. Two things for sure we'll need more support and more people showing up
Actually I think the front money put up by 2 FReepers is a far more significant loss then my wheels, and I have a chance to recover some of mine.
Thank you! & Thank you!
WHAT: One 1993 black Nissan King Cab pickup truck, MD tag #59G 593, DOD parking stickers on window and "Maryland #1 in Robbery, Blame Glendening & Townsend" bumper sticker on rear window.
WHERE: Missing from 200 block of 15th Street (15th at Constitution), downtown Washington, DC.
WHEN: Saturday April 20, 2002
WHY: Was "moved" by DC government tow truck, ostensibly to protect it from damage during the pro-terrorist Palestinian demonstrators' march through the area; now DC has no idea what they did with the truck.
Please Ask Police Chief Charles Ramsey what happened to Gore_ War_ Vet's truck while he was standing up for America and her troops at The Rally for America.
(hopefully not with a vehicle from their abandoned vehicle lot... then you might get a Vega or a Yugo.)
You might want to double-check with the regular towing/impound lots now because wherever they towed it the first time is probably a restricted area during the business week.
I had to remove the "Bush/Cheney" & "Hey Al take it like a Man" bumper stickers when W violated his oath and signed CFR.
This is almost unbelievable! If they can't find a well-described car/truck, then they should be shamed!
Some newspapers and radio stations have a service where-as they will use their clout to break thru bureaucratic mess. Do you think TOP or The Times could help?
I don't expect that to be neccessary. I'm willing to remove the CD player and speakers so I should be able to get Dales & the DC Area FReepers to help look for it. We're bound to be successful, even if we don't find it, we'll take a picture of a black pick-up and start a thread. ;-)
Aloha, Ironman
They can't even find a well-described missing intern. The police have much to be ashamed about.
Maybe they towed it "home". LOL
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