Larry the Tool Sucks

[specialed]

Larry the Tool Sucks!!!Larry the Tool Sucks!!!

Larry the Tool Sucks!!!Larry the Tool Sucks!!!

Larry the Tool Sucks!!!Larry the Tool Sucks!!!

[mattp]

April 29, 2002

 

Special Agent Roger Fuson, Region Six LEI

Wenatchee, National Forest

215 Melody Lane

Wenatchee, WA 98801

 

RE: Officer Larry Inthout

 

Dear Mr. Fuson,

 

I wish to complain about the conduct of one of your officers, a man whose name I believe is Larry Inthout. For over two hours yesterday, I observed him issuing citations for failure to displaiy the Northwest Forest Pass in the Snow Creek trail parking lot. I believe that in the course of enforcing the fee demonstration program he was going out of his way to intimidate and harass many of those who he met in the parking lot. I can't say he was ever rude or unprofessional, but I made a special effort to be friendly to him, I never lied to him, and I was doing absolutely nothing wrong. The officer accused me of lying, both directly to my face and to others in my party and in other parties, and he told me that I was suspicious -- that I looked like somebody who might be vandalizing cars in the parking lot.

 

I observed Officer Inthout intimidating several other individuals, abruptly approaching them and firing away with probing questions about where they had been and what they knew about others in the area in manner of a tough detective trying to solve a crime. I believe he deliberately mislead one of my companions as to his intentions when he said "I'm not going to give you a ticket right now" in response to the question "are you going to give me a ticket?" (he finished copying my identification information, handed me and two others back their licenses, and promptly turned to the other and informed him he was going to issue the ticket). For two hours, all I wanted to do was to get away from this man, but I could not leave because I was waiting for a ride and the person whom I was to get a ride from was going to meet me in that parking lot.

 

Come on, now. I was a forty five year old man, dressed in expensive clothing and carrying a pack full of expensive equipment. I went out of my way to engage in conversation with the officer, and I shared information about climbing in the area and about where he might advise other visitors to watch out for ticks and poison ivy -- information that I thought would be of interest to him as a public servant. I doubt that I fit the profile for one who would vandalize cars in a parking lot and I do not believe I should be made to feel like a criminal because I am in an area where there are cars whose owners are going to receive parking tickets.

 

Very truly yours,

 

Matt Perkins

cc: Glenn Hoffman, Leavenworth District Ranger

[mattp]

An unfortunate ending to an otherwise enjoyable and relaxing weekend.

 

[ 04-29-2002, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: mattp ]

[specialed]

Nice Matt! I think Special Officer Fuson will be getting a letter from me as well. Do you know, is it illegal to occupy a vehicle in a NW Forest Service Pass parking lot without a permit? Or do you have to leave it unattended to be in violation?

[mattp]

I believe that at the Fall ropeup he cited two guys who never left their van.

[mattp]

One thing to note in any letter you might write is that there was no apparent place to buy the parking pass. I don't think there was anything on the trailhead bulletin board (was there?) that told you where you could get one on a Sunday.

[Charlie]

F#%ck that guy! Did you get a ticket too, Peter? That guy was a dick. All I wanted to do was get my ticket and get the hell out of there. Instead, I had to go through 30 minutes of interogation. $50.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[erik]

ahhh demo(HIPO)crACY AT WORK!!!!!!

 

YES MATT THERE IS a message on the board telling you where you may buy them.. i am sure that was one of th photographs he took with OUR new digital camera.....

[allison]

Guy sounds like a real piece of work. I hope he gets in trouble for being such an idiot.

 

I am starting to think I am the only climber in the PNW who would rather avoid the hassles and just buy the damn parking pass. I hate the idea of it on so many levels, but 2 hours of my time hanging with the fuzz in the Snow Creek parking lot...well, I'm just not into that either!

 

If you are going to make a statement about the stupid pass system, don't forget to write your congresspeople, and give some $$ tot he Access Fund to lobby on your behalf. Seems that the vast majority of climbers are anti-permit, is the local AF working on this item?

 

Is there anything we can do to make it not become permanent?

[Cpt.Caveman]

Nice work Matt. Man that guy is a tool.

[Gaper_#2]

I may be a Gaper, but I hate the MAN. check out this site.

 

http://antifee.bizhosting.com/

 

and also,

 

www.aznofee.org

 

both of these sites are against user fees, and offer some resources to help fight the tyranny!!!

 

-Gaper2

[Off_White]

Yep, a well written letter is a powerful tool, good job Matt. A decent word processor makes anyone look well dressed and respectable (not to imply that anyone on this board isn't), and letters do get read. I've wrestled with the damn fee-demo (whats so demo about it?)program. Tried the "I'm here for spiritual purposes" sign in the windshield at the Ingalls Pass trailhead a couple years ago, seems I'd heard that was a loophole, but it didn't fly, and after several letter exchanges with the Cle Elum office, I wound up paying $5, making it clear it was under protest and did not endorse the program. Grrrrr...

[dr._jay]

its a good thing for officer tool that nick space wasn't around this weekend, otherwise there really would have been trouble. i don't think its over yet for our hero...

[David_Parker]

quote:

---

Originally posted by dr. jay:

its a good thing for officer tool that nick space wasn't around this weekend, otherwise there really would have been trouble. i don't think its over yet for our hero...

---

So Dr. Jay, what is the prognosis of your ticket from last fall? Same dude...what a complete prick. I couldn't believe he gave those guys a ticket when they were still in their van!

[Jake]

Those guys at the leavenworth ranger station really suck. For some reason, they can't go out and maintain any of the trails because they "don't have any money," but yet they can drive around in their new trucks and issue tickets. The fact that they are ripping up the bridges to colchuck and stuart in the middle of the summer only makes me more mad. I have absolutely no reason to buy their parking passes or pay/register at their trailheads when they do not provide any sort of service at all.

[specialed]

You shoulda seen the labtops, digital cameras, movie screens, and other assorted high-tech gadgets that dude had in his truck. But, of course, no money to improve trails or services. Funny 95% of Forest Pass proceeds probably goes to enforcing the Forest Pass laws and paying for the tool's silly toys.

[crank_sloper]

We should have a mass trespass in protest. get 1000 people to all show up at once without passes and make tool larry fill out all those tickets till he gets terminal writers cramp. then build a bonfire with those tickets.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Good idea Crank_Doper

[Greg_W]

quote:

---

Originally posted by crank_sloper:

We should have a mass trespass in protest. get 1000 people to all show up at once without passes and make tool larry fill out all those tickets till he gets terminal writers cramp. then build a bonfire with those tickets.

---

Then we'd probably get a ticket for a bonfire in an unauthorized location.

[dr._jay]

the court finally caught up with me months later after i already missed my date but i talked with an intern a the u.s. attorney's office and bitched about the whole thing some more. the guy was really cool though and agreed that the whole thing was bullshit anyway. he cut my fine in half so it cost me 50 bucks and nothing goes on my record.

[mattp]

In addition to writing that letter, I called Officer Inthout's supervisor this morning. Before he called me back, he asked Larry about it, and in defense of Larry he tried to repeat that B.S. about how we looked suspicious because we were hanging around the parking lot and normal people do not hang around in parking lots. Without calling him a liar, I told him that I have been "hanging around" in parking lots including that one for 30 years, and I explained that it is a big part of the climbers' social scene in addition to being a place where we exchange information on the climbs such as what is safe and where other parties may be on a given day. I said that if he sees a small group of climbers playing hackey sack, they are probably not planning to break into a bunch of cars and the parking lot is, if anything, safer while they are there.

[iain]

June 15th 2002 is a national day of action to protest the fee demo. Join in.

 

Check it out.

[specialed]

Did anything constructive come out of your conversation with tool's supervisor Matt?

[chucK]

Matt,

Did he state or did you ask if car prowls have been a problem in the SC parking lot?

 

You don't look like a car prowler to me .

[mattp]

I doubt that Larry is going to receive a formal reprimand or anything, but I tried very hard to convey the message that I am not a crook, do not look like one (what do crooks look like, anyway), and that I understand that Larry has a hard job but that I didn't appreciate being treated like a crook. I was polite and tried to sound reasonable, so that any B.S. that Larry is telling him will be discounted.