MANIFESTO The minstrel you now may have the distinct privilege of hearing is Greg Robertson, a local recording and performing artist. Greg is currently marketing his second album, the first being released in 2001 with his then musical partner, Angie Chapko. Besides appearing in paid performances at many local clubs, Mr. Robertson has also lent his talents and time to various charity fund-raisers and appeared at such varied events as a local spot for the MD Telethon, New Citizens Press publisher Rina Risper’s annual poetry slam on the Capital steps and a speaking engagement for the local Kiwanis Club. In addition to his full time musical career, Mr. Robertson has also studied for and been involved in the Ministry, has served as godfather on two separate occasions and has been a State-certified Child Care worker. He has been featured in TV News segments and live radio broadcasts as well as in numerous newspaper stories in The City Pulse, the MSU State News and as the lead story on the front page of the Lansing State Journal. But Mr. Robertson is, perhaps, best known in his position as Licensed Street Musician, has current ‘day job. THE PEDWAY The Pedestrian Walkway, known as the ‘Pedway’ is an elevated, enclosed walkway that connects the Lansing Radisson hotel both with an adjacent parking garage and also with the Lansing Center convention center. It crosses one street to connect with the garage and another street and a river to connect with the convention center. The Pedway is publickly owned and its administration is entrusted to the Department of Planning and Neighborhood Development whose executive director, Robert Johnson, we shall soon meet. It is considered an extension to the parking garage and is referred to in City literature as the ‘connector’. REGULATIONS CONCERNING STREET MUSICIANS The profession of a minstrel (or a ‘street musician’ or a ‘busker’) is an ancient an honored one, music being one of the cornerstones of our society’s culture. In the United States and in the free world in general, the maxim that any act which is not prohibited should be permitted applies in that, generally, a street musician is permitted free course in his livelihood except where regulated by law. The City of Lansing regulates this profession in the ‘Downtown District’ whose boundaries is described and defined in the pertinent ordinances. The Pedway clearly falls into this area and, therefore, the City-issued Street Musician License is required. Were the Pedway out of the district there would be no regulation and this entire point would be mooted. HISTORY of HARASSMENT 2011 Mr. Robertson has experienced a history of harassment that, although minor in its occurrence[ Greg can only remember twice that a performance was actually prevented because of an instance of this nature, compared with the scores of shows annually which he performs] , but massive in its ignomy and perfidy. During the late winter or early spring of 2011, the person who had the day-to-day charge of the Lansing Center that afternoon, a lady known to Greg as “Kristen” or “Tristan”, sent the security officer from the Lansing Center [the security guard, now the security chief, is one of Greg’s most loyal supporters ] onto the Pedway to ask Mr. Robertson to leave off of his minstrelry. Greg replied that as he had a license he would continue to earn his living. After a few phone calls back and forth between Dan, the security guard and Kristen/Tristan, the police were called (!). After the 45 minutes that it took Officer Bob Merritt to get the two blocks from the Police Station to the Pedway [during which time Dan was asked by Kristen/Tristan to stay and ‘watch’ Mr. Robertson, explaining why he’s one of Greg’s fans now . . ] Dan was informed by Officer Merritt the he had the situation under control and then informed Mr. Robertson that since his license seemed to be in order he could continue, which he did. A few moments later Dan appeared again and reiterated Kristen/Tristan’s request to leave! Two things should be pointed out here: 1) The police officer had already verified Greg’s legal status. 2) The Pedway is NOT under the jurisdiction of the Lansing Center and Tristean/Kristan NEVER had any right to ask him to leave! A few days later another officer appeared and, upon asking Greg who made the complaint ‘this time’, stormed off towards the Lansing Center. Moments later, as he returned, he assured Mr. Robertson that there would be no further trouble from the Lansing Center which, indeed, there hasn’t. After these incidents Mr. Robertson made this known publickly and at least one citizen scolded the Director of the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities, which runs the Lansing Center, for the treatment which Mr. Robertson had to endure. Mr. Scott Keith, the Director, then wrote Mr. Robertson a deceitful e-mail in which he made at least two very false assertions. First, the wording of the letter was such that it appears to be intended to mislead Mr. Robertson in that Mr. Keith appears to tell Mr. Robertson that the Lansing Center had the authority over the Pedway. Secondly, he asserted that Mr. Robertson’s presence as a street musician somehow painted Lansing Center, the City of Lansing and whatever function may be going on at the convention center in a negative light—an assertion that Mr. Keith appears to contradict in the subsequent City Pulse interview in the story they did covering the incident. However, later in the interview, Mr. Keith then indicated that he had no interest in pursuing the matter and, indeed, since that time Mr. Robertson has had no further serious instances of harassment from the Lansing Center. Perhaps as a portent of what might be expected in the future, on the last day that he performed on the Pedway that season, a security guard from the parking garage asked him to leave. (At least the proper jurisdiction was observed!) Mr. Robertson had just finished and, since the weather was now clement, he took his business outside and the point was moot . . . until the next season. 2012 The next instance of harassment was more severe. [It should be noted here that Mr. Robertson is a fast friend of law enforcement and bears no ill will towards those officers who may have, in the mistaken thought that they were enforcing the law, rather than breaking it, participated in this harassment.] The Executive Director of the Department of Planning and Neighborhood Development, Bob Johnson, since he has jurisdiction over the Pedway called the police this time. [In addition, the City Attorney, Brigham Smith, had given an opinion—as it turns out a faulty one—that Mr. Robertson did NOT have the right to operate there. He stated no reasoning behind this opinion as, indeed, there could be no reasoning behind this decision.] When the police came this time, they treated Mr. Robertson very poorly, threatening him with arrest and detainment and with the confiscation of his musical instrument as well, which threats they, of course, could not have made good on; even to utter such threats was an illegal act. After a while the officer’s superior showed up and, though at first Mr. Robertson was relieved to see some ‘stripes’ on the scene, he was soon mis-treated by this officer as well; he was told to “just leave”. Which he did---going straight to the police department and a conference with internal affairs. He also took his complaint to City Council. He received relief from both: the police ‘red-flagged’ these complaints so that they would send no officers in answer to them and Carol Wood, senior City Council member, phoned Mr. Johnson, asking him to refrain from further harassment. She also asked that the City Attorney grant Mr. Robertson a ‘waiver’ to perform there. Mr. Smith could not, however do so; a waiver is granted so that someone can , during the valid period of the waiver, be immune from prosecution for various ordinances for various reasons. However, since no ordinance was being broken, no waiver could apply. Mr. Robertson went to Mr. Smith’s office anyway to get the waiver but was told that he would not get it. However, when asked why, Mr. Smith was less that truthful. He at first evaded Mr. Robertson’s question and told him instead HOW they COULD get rid of him. He corrected the City Attorney over the HOW vs. WHY and then the City Attorney uttered what was probably the most un-lawyerly thing he could have said. He told Mr. Robertson that it was essentially “a matter of fairness:” He said that “sometime in the future” someone else “may” perform there and “they may not sound good.” In the courtroom that would earn him an objection for stacking conjecture upon conjecture upon conjecture. Some time after this, Mr. Johnson , himself, came to the Pedway to, in direct contravention to Ms. Wood’s request, to attempt to dissuade Mr. Robertson. During this, their first conference, Mr. Johnson began by attempting to get Mr. Robertson to believe that the Pedway was a “glorified hallway”, upon which Mr. Robertson immediately corrected him by asserting that if it were anything it would be a “glorified sidewalk”. Mr. Robertson felt very childish attempting to explain to a grown man, a city official of some degree of importance, the difference between a hallway and a sidewalk. Mr. Johnson continued to needle Mr. Robertson and, after it became evident that the performance was over, left. Mr. Johnson had succeeded in interrupting Mr. Robertson’s performance and seriously injuring his income for that evening. Mr. Robertson met the police officer that had finally came on the way out and they talked briefly. And, again, the weather got warm and Mr. Robertson returned outside. 2013 During one of Mr. Robertson’s first few performances of this season, he noticed the man whom he recognized as the security guard for the parking garage ‘lurking’ at the end of the hallway (he was actually listening to Mr. Robertson’s performance while waiting for the police to come, since he had earlier called them. (I suppose it would come as no surprise that the security guard is now one of Mr. Robertson’s fans as well!) On the way out, they passed the police officer and, although Mr. Robertson was leaving, having finished his performance, he was still harassed by this officer. This officer, as well, was acting on the mistaken belief that Mr. Robertson did NOT have the right to be there. This officer used the ‘dirty trick’ of offering to the management of the Radisson, whose lobby Mr. Robertson passed through while conversing with the officer, to eject him as a trespasser against the Radisson. This ‘dirty trick’ was duly noted and related in Mr. Robertson’s subsequent conference (again) at internal affairs and also in City Council. Again relief was promised to Mr. Robertson. However, again this was violated—and in the person of Bob Johnson—again! This time Mr. Johnson attempted to dissuade Mr. Robertson because of where the funding for the Pedway came from! Previously Mr. Robertson had been accused of loitering and then, later, of blocking the emergency exit from the Pedway [it should be noted that the stairway which the emergency exit opens onto is closed for the winter every year, thereby nullifying any emergency exit objections.] They are clearly by now grasping at straws! Since Mr. Robertson had finished his performance for that evening he left and, as for as anyone can tell, even though Mr. Johnson spent a great deal of time trying to call the police, none ever came. CONCLUSION Obvious is the chicanery and mendacity employed by these three gentlemen in trying to exclude Mr. Robertson from his duly-licensed right of performing on the Pedway. There are many instances where these men flat out lied or otherwise acted to contravene the law. Again and again they changed their reasoning behind ousting Mr. Robertson. As it appeared to one observer, most likely, the affair began when Mr. Keith blindly backed up his subordinate, this Tristan/Kristan, although it was clear they were wrong. Mr. Keith KNOWS that he has no jurisdiction over the Pedway, yet he tried to get Mr. Robertson to believe he had. Likewise, Mr. Smith, in uttering that nonsense about future performers not sounding good is equality disingenuous. And Mr. Johnson in his continual attempts to oust Mr. Robertson some way or another appears almost comical . The shameful thing, perhaps the frightening thing, is that these three city officials of somewhat high standing, upon whose shoulders much of the city’s business rests, appears to have made decisions not based upon whether they were right or wrong, but whether they could do so with impunity. It can be said that when a person in power exhibits these traits, this person is abusing this power. The question which is begged is: how many other instances in which they knew they were wrong did they try to do something anyway just because they thought they could get away with it? Therefore Mr. Robertson will not tolerate any more of this. If another performance is interrupted and has to be cancelled, Mr. Robertson will not hesitate an instant in filing criminal charges against harassment. Every instance can be documented through police reports, telephone records and personal testimonies. Instance of harassment will earn one criminal count. In addition, since Mr. Robertson was the victim of these three gentlemen advising amongst each other to oust Mr. Robertson, we believe a conspiracy charge can also be proffered. Finally Mr. Robertson will file a civil suit and sent compensatory and punitive damages.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 21:47:43 +0000
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