Althouse: In Detroit, the fight against organized... pillow fights.

April 4, 2009

In Detroit, the fight against organized... pillow fights.

"Michael Davis of Hamtramck says police confiscated the 32-year-old man's pillows but returned their cases. He says he was told that he needed a permit."

17 comments:

rhhardin said...: Feather cleanup in aisle 3.; 4/4/09, 8:00 PM
Wince said...: The Detroit News reports that police at Campus Martius Park prevented the feathery fight Saturday by disarming pillow-toting participants.

You gotta nip it in the bud.; 4/4/09, 8:15 PM
Roman said...: I wonder if any of the pillows were of the "assault" version. These have no civilian use!; 4/4/09, 8:26 PM
dick said...: You would think the Detroit police would rather have pillows for weapons than the usual weapons in Detroit. They should hand out the pillows.; 4/4/09, 8:31 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: You need a permit? Pillows don't kill people, people kill people. What next? Are they going to ban full body pillows because they are too big? Pillow registration? Banning concealed carry of pillows?

If they can confiscate pillows we are all in trouble. Isn't totalitarianism fun?; 4/4/09, 8:42 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: Joe Biden, during a meeting with Al Sharpton, stated that we have to do something about this pillow violence.

Just curious? Why would the Vice President meet with a known low life like Sharpton. Oh, yeah, Joe Biden.

Ya'betcha; 4/4/09, 8:54 PM
chuck b. said...: Pillow fights can be a big mess. This is from the San Francisco Chronicle:

This year's Valentine's Day pillow fight was, quite simply, a mess. Officials, only slightly amused, say the episode left the city holding the bag - or empty pillow case - with thousands of dollars in damage and cleanup costs due to mounds of wet, sticky feathers.

The promoters of the...event, now in its fourth year, must take responsibility for future happenings or "otherwise we are going to have to find a way to shut it down," said Lisa Seitz Gruwell of the Recreation and Park Department...

It was the city's biggest and longest...pillow fight yet: It drew an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 people and went on from about 6 p.m. until past midnight, according to officials.

As the crowd pounded each other with pillows, the cases split, releasing large volumes of feathers that the wind quickly spread.

And it was wet. Intermittent rain plastered the feathers to everything they touched, forming a gray, feathery sludge that lined the lawn, the gutter, cars and buildings.

The soggy stuff clogged drains in nearby Four Embarcadero Center, flooding the Osha Thai Restaurant, said Norm Dito, a manager with Boston Properties, which owns the center. He estimated his firm's cleanup costs at more than $10,000.

Feathers also filled the Vaillancourt Fountain and threatened to jam and burn out its pumps. Workers had to drain the cubist fountain's 12,000 gallons of water - it had only recently been filled - clean it out and refill it, said Dito.

The city had to dispatch two engineers to check the fountain along with a five-person crew that filled three pick-up trucks with feathers, all at a cost of more than $2,213, said Dennis Kern, director of operations for the Recreation and Park Department.

"It was quite a mess, much more than we have experienced in previous years," said Mohammed Nuru, deputy director of the Department of Public Works. "Everywhere was feathers."

DPW assigned three extra cleanup shifts - a total of 69 employees and an extra street sweeper truck - costing about $19,000, Nuru said.

"It was really hard raking through the grass trying to get all those little feathers up," he said.

Kern said officials want the organizers of such events to follow standard procedure: apply for a permit, pay a use fee (at least $1,750 for the plaza) and supply security, portable toilets and cleanup crews....; 4/4/09, 10:26 PM
Peter V. Bella said...: chuck b.

That is al fine and well. We do not want messes. But what right do the police have to confiscate pillows? What next, ATF will add pillows to its list of regulated weapons? Will there be a special tax to own pillows? Background checks?

Where does government interference stop?; 4/4/09, 10:45 PM
chuck b. said...: Liberty requires personal responsibility. Or maybe freedom does. Can't remember. The gov't can only [afford to] do so much.; 4/4/09, 10:56 PM
Ron said...: I have to admit I did buy the kit that lets my pillows go full auto! My bedroom, filled with spent pillow cases...; 4/4/09, 11:53 PM
AllenS said...: The city needs to institute a Turn In Your Pillows For Cash Program,, just like they have done in the past for guns. That should solve the problem right there.; 4/5/09, 4:08 AM
Eric said...: Well, there you have it. In the US you're free to do anything you want as long as the government permits it.; 4/5/09, 4:37 AM
Issob Morocco said...: I think Obama just threw a pillow at Kim Jong Il, after he launched a rocket at us.; 4/5/09, 7:15 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: The gov't can only [afford to] do so much.

Yeah, right. Tell that to this administration. Until then, I reserved the right to own, possess, and carry my pillow(s) without the jackboots confiscating it.

Just curious, what would have happened if the people refused to allow the police to confiscate their pillows?; 4/5/09, 9:19 AM
MadisonMan said...: They can have my pillow when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

If the city is concerned about feather litter, why not just charge people with littering?; 4/5/09, 9:42 AM
former law student said...: ... only outlaws will have pillows...

http://www.mysticunicorn.com/graphics/OMC/tlp4369_cat.jpg; 4/5/09, 10:56 AM
Anonymous said...: I hope they were wearing helmets.; 4/5/09, 11:49 AM