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Freedom Man - All Charges against dropped against Jason Paschal
Jason Paschal, an African-American tarot card reader, has successfully ended a 9-month battle to beat charges against him--after he called the Santa Cruz police last summer to complain that a patron of O'Neill's Sports Shop on Pacific Avenue called him a "nigger" and spat on him.
Freedom Man -- All Charges dropped against Tarot Card Reader, Street Entertainer, Jason Paschal
by Becky Johnson April 16, 2008
ETCHED IN STONE
Santa Cruz, Ca. --- Outside the Elm St. Mission in Santa Cruz, the overtly racist term "nigger" is etched in stone, courtesy of the Santa Cruz Public Works Department and an unsecured piece of fresh concrete. "How long has that been there?" Jason Paschal asks two of his local friends. Neither of them know. "It shouldn't be there," he says. Jason, an African-American tarot card reader and street performer knows a thing or two about the word "nigger."
On July 15th, 2007, a man on a bicycle came up to street artist, Jason Paschal's protest table near O'Neill's Surf Shop on Pacific Avenue, said “O'Neill's been here longer than you have. Get the fuck out of Santa Cruz, Nigger!” and spat in his face. Paschal briefly pursued the man on foot, before placing a 911 call to report the assault. Police arrived and arrested Paschal instead. Nine months later, in Commissioner Stephen Siegel's court, all charges against Paschal were dropped.
HATE CRIME OR FAILURE TO DISPERSE?
Eyewitness Steve Harper, a homeless Vietnam Vet was interviewed by SCPD Vasquez at the scene. He was too far away to hear what was said. In his report, Vasquez wrote “Harper saw a bicylist ride up to Paschal and spit on him. Paschal was hit in the face with spit. The bicyclist then rode off and Paschal chased after him.”
Harper described the bicyclist as “a skinny, 6'02” white male with a Mohawk on a 21 speed bicycle.” Despite the vivid description, police were unable to locate the suspect.
Paschal was booked and released but the jail kept his insulin needles and insulin. His blood sugar levels were skyrocketing. And this was not the first time this had happened to him.
The next day, Jason himself located the suspect, Jeremy Burkett and his girlfriend on Pacific Ave. and placed another 911 call. Police arrived and were able to interview Jeremy Burkett. But he was not arrested or charged.
When police interviewed Jeremy Burkett, he admitted spitting in Paschal's direction. But no prosecution was recommended. Because 4 minutes prior to Paschal's 911 call, Bill Chapman, a shopper at O'Neill's had called police claiming Paschal “had been threatening people.” Later, SCPD Officer Vasquez interviewed Chapman and said “based on the details provided to me by Chapman, I determined that Paschal had been using offensive language that was likely to cause a physical, violent confrontation.” In his report he wrote “Paschal specifically called Chapman and his wife a “cunt.” This is odd because Chapman's wife was not accompanying her husband that day, and this appears to be the basis of the complaint. Paschal says “He came up, towering over my table, and said “What's YOUR problem?” I told him “Get the fuck away from my table, you pussy.”
Paschal was charged with two counts: Offensive words in a public place and failure to disperse. NONE of the eyewitnesses report that Paschal was asked to disperse and refused.
Chapman, interviewed by telephone on April 16, 2008 for this article, stated that on July 15th, 2008, he HAD seen spittle hit Paschal. He said “I don't think it made physical contact with skin.” When asked if that meant it had landed on Paschal's clothing he said “yes.” This directly contradicts his statement in Vasquez' police report, which says: “Chapman specifically stated that the unknown bicyclist had not spit on or near Paschal.”
Also in the report Chapman says he “did not believe that Paschal was physically threatening him.” When asked to explain the discrepancy, Chapman said “He was physically threatening the man on the bicycle. That's why I placed the 911 call. I was personally not bothered by Paschal's statements. But other people were.”
The other major point of dispute in this case is the language that Burkett used just before he spit either on or near Paschal. Chapman was standing near Jason's table and saw the altercation between Burkett and Paschal. In the police report, it says “Chapman stated that none of the people whom had been confronted by Paschal had used offensive or racial language.” Paschal says that Burkett spoke to him in pressured language and ended his statement with “Get the fuck out of Santa Cruz, Nigger!” All witnesses agree that he sped off on his bicycle when Jason gave chase.
The SCPD decided to investigate but chose to treat the case as two discreet events, despite that three 911 calls had been placed, all at the same location, and involving the same set of people and witnesses into both cases. Hence, Jason's Public Defenders were not looking at any reports of Jason as a victim of an assault, battery and possible hate crime. Nor could he get any records on that investigation via his Public Defender, Kristin Carter. The case, People vs. Jason Paschal, had became about the right to say “pussy” in a public place.
CRAZY RULING
Paschal had been arrested on two charges: 415 (3) PC: Offensive words in a public place and 410 PC Neglect or refuse to disperse rioters although NONE of the eyewitnesses report that Paschal was asked to disperse and refused. At his first hearing, the DA offered to allow him to plead to an infraction with a one-year stay away order from Pacific Ave. Paschal insisted he was not guilty and demanded a jury trial. He urged Carter to obtain records on his complaint against Burkett, but Carter resisted. Paschal asked her to obtain the police reports. She didn't. Finally, Jason had her removed in a Marston hearing and Elizabeth Caballero was appointed to take over the case. In a sidebar, Judge Thomas Kelly told Caballero that Jason could plead guilty, or no lo contend re, but if he insisted on pleading “not guilty” and demanded a jury trial, he must submit to a mental competency hearing to see if he was fit to stand trial.
Paschal moved to Southern California where he set up his Tarot card reading table on Venice Beach with little interference from local police there. He continued coming back to Santa Cruz for multiple hearings.
Frustrated that his Public Defender, Elizabeth Caballero, was simply accepting Kelly's conditions without question, Paschal sought help from a lawyer in Southern California. A call was placed to the California Bar Association and they investigated. Kelly was reprimanded for ruling contrary to commonly recognized law and Paschal's case was removed from his docket. Apparently people have a RIGHT to plead not guilty and have a jury trial!! Although, Kelly was stripped of Paschal's case due to his extrajudicial ruling, he hasn't changed his ways. Currently Warren West, a long-time homeless man, is wading through hearing after hearing in Kelly's court. On Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 8:30AM in Department 1, West will again appear before Judge Thomas Kelly for a scheduled mental competency hearing since he too has insisted on pleading “not guilty” and has invoked his right to a jury trial.
ROSA PARKS WOULD NOT BE WELCOME HERE
Back in July of 2002, Jason Paschal, a tarot card reader, artist, and satirist began setting up his non-commercial display device (a card table) on Pacific Ave. in locations where such activity is permitted. He immediately troubled the merchants on Pacific Ave. who often called police to complain about him for a number of real and imagined concerns. Several times, police or merchants invoked "the Move-Along Law," MC 5.43.020(2) which compels “non-commercial display devices” to be moved along to over 100 feet away after 60 minutes. This law has been enforced very irregularly since its enactment under the administration of Mayor Emily Reilly. HUFF* has opposed the law as unconstitutional in that it limits freedom of speech, and is at risk for selective enforcement against unpopular activists or shabby individuals, while kempt, respectable groups or individuals would be left unmolested.
CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A MILK CRATE
SCPD Sgt. Loran Baker threatened to cite Paschal for harmlessly setting up his rocks and crystals atop the concrete water box on the sidewalk. When Paschal returned to Pacific Ave. with his own table on July 30, 2002, Baker had him physically arrested and taken into custody for misdemeanor "possession of a milk crate."
During Baker's arrest of Paschal (who is a diabetic), they discovered his insulin needles and charged him with a 4140 BP ; possession of hypodermic needle/syringe and for a 11364 HS Possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia when he found his pipe. Paschal also had a small baggie of marijuana and a bottle of insulin with 5 doses remaining. Baker pulled the needles out of Jason's backpack, held them up above him to show to anyone passing nearby on the sidewalk and said "Is this what we want in our town?
Fearing an arrest for a pending warrant for a marijuana charge in New Hampshire from 1998, Paschal gave a false name. For this, he was tried, convicted, sentenced, and served 10 days in jail. In addition to suffering from diabetes, Paschal has a neurological disorder as well as epilepsy. All three conditions are helped by use of medical marijuana. So the narcotics paraphernalia and marijuana possession charges disappeared since they were entirely groundless in the first place.
TAROT CARD READING WITHOUT A LICENSE
On another occasion, Officer Willie Brandt gave him a ticket for giving a "Metaphysical reading without a license” when he performed a tarot card reading for a donation. The City of Santa Cruz does not issue Metaphysical Licenses! Those charges were eventually dropped “in the interest of justice.” Paschal is self-supporting and does not utilize traditional homeless services. He pays for his own food and shelter on a daily basis and does not consider himself homeless. He accepts donations for his psychic readings, and to date no client has filed a complaint against him for fraud.
DEFACING NEW HAMPSHIRE
This was Sgt. Loran "Butchie" Baker's mission: to run Jason Paschal out of town. Rather than apologizing to him for seizing his needles and insulin, and fully aware that Paschal was a legitimate medical marijuana user, Baker continued to press for a way to remove Paschal from downtown. Though frustrated that New Hampshire showed no interest in extradition, Baker again jailed Paschal on a 11357 (b) HS “ possession of less than an ounce of marijuana” on November 7th, 2002. The case was again dismissed.
New Hampshire was reluctant to send officers across the entire continent to pick up a parole violator who had already served 8 months in prison, 4 months in a halfway house, and had 8 months left to serve. All this for a single incident when as a teenager, he sold half an ounce of pot to an undercover agent. A person awaiting extradition can only be held for 30 days. So Baker held him for 30 days. But still, authorities there failed to performing an extradition. Paschal was again released.
But Baker did not give up. January 17, 2003 he had Jason arrested again for possession of marijuana. He continued to call multiple agencies in New Hampshire and demanded they come and pick up Paschal. They didn't. After 30 days, Paschal was released again.
On April 1, 2003, Baker jailed Paschal, this time for only the old warrant and put New Hampshire on his speed dialer. On May 3rd, Baker's campaign paid off. New Hampshire agreed to send federal marshals to transport Paschal back to serve the rest of his sentence for that half ounce of grass sold five years before.
Marijuana plant at WAMM parade in Santa Cruz, Ca. 2005 Photo by Becky Johnson
Ironically, as Jason Paschal, a legitimate medical marijuana user sat in jail awaiting extradition to New Hampshire, a non-medical marijuana state, Mayor Emily Reilly and Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt held a press conference in front of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse to support a lawsuit by the Women and Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) against the Federal DEA seeking an end to raids on patients' gardens. New Hampshire Deputy's arrived and transported Paschal in chains back to a New Hampshire prison. On May 3rd, the day he arrived back in New Hampshire, the iconic granite "Old Man of the Mountain" stone face, memorialized on the NH state quarter, the State Emblem, and on the 1955 US 3-cent postage stamp, slid off the mountain forever.
180 DAYS IN THE HOLE
During the four months he was incarcerated, a prison guard there witnessed a cop punch Paschal in the neck and call him a "nigger. " The guard reported the incident to the State Police who launched an investigation. As a result of the investigation, not only was the cop disciplined, but they also found that Paschal was currently serving what was to have been 180 days "in the hole" ( solitary confinement) in direct violation of the prisons' own regulations. He was released from New Hampshire 4 months early and paroled to his family home in Arkansas for the remainder of his four month sentence.
RETURN OF THE REVEREND
Over his mother's strong objections, Paschal, who sometimes portrayed himself as The Reverend Doctor Electronic Galaxy Jay returned to Santa Cruz and Pacific Avenue. Partly it was the life he had made for himself, and partly it was a feeling that he needed to right a terrible wrong that had been done to him.
LICENSE TO SMEAR
One day, a female worker at Gelatomania came over to Jason's table. She told him that the police had come into their business and told all the staff there that Paschal was a pedophile and that they should watch their children around him. She said they had been going from business to business warning people about Paschal. Since then, Paschal has been regularly confronted in public by people who claim he is a "child rapist."
(A search performed at the Office of the Attorney General's "Megan's Law" website for the State of California for the name, Jason Paschal, returned no results.)
FAILURE TO SERVE AND PROTECT
While his tarot card reading table was popular with some, others targeted him for taunts or abuse. When a man Paschal describes as a "Neo-Nazi Skinhead" sporting a shaved head and two tattoos of the SS on his arm, panhandled Jason for a dollar, he gave it to him. “But I told him "I thought you guys were too proud to panhandle. You're always talking about white pride." The man suddenly grew angry and threw rocks at Paschal who called police and filed a complaint. The next day, Jason sighted the man down near the riverbank and he again called police. They arrived and arrested the man, but no prosecution ensued. When Jason called back to see what progress had been made in the case, they said "we couldn't get in touch with you because you are homeless so all charges were dropped." Jason, who is housed, had a working cellphone the entire time and had never gotten a single call. He was furious that the police, who were so diligent in citing and arresting him, had only made a token effort to do a proper investigation when he was the victim of an assault.
Paschal went off. He marched down Pacific Ave. to the Downtown Information Center and loudly complained along the way about the racist police not assisting him when he had been attacked by white supremacist, Nazi skinheads. Several people called police to complain. Paschal eventually had a run-in with a young man who claimed his father was a police officer. That man later claimed that Jason had challenged him to a physical fight, but Paschal says it happened the other way around. "He challenged ME to a fight, and I refused," Paschal said.
BANISHMENT ORDERS
Jason was charged with disturbing the peace. Attorney Anthony Bole who represented Paschal for the misdemeanor charge, told him a disturbing story. He had been approached by Judge Heather Morse who told Bole that she had been to lunch with Judge Robert Atack. Bole told Paschal that Judge Atack said he had seen Mr. Paschal's table with a sign that said “They don't want to keep Santa Cruz weird, they want to keep it white!” Then, Paschal, not knowing he was speaking to a judge, ended up calling him "A Mormon." Atack was so put off by the encounter that he told all the judges that if Paschal ever appeared before them, they should do what they can to punish him, or get him out of town because “we don't need people like him around here.” Bole counseled Paschal to plead to the deal offered as he was sure he couldn't get a fair trial in a Santa Cruz County Courthouse. Jason plead to an infraction "excessive noise" charge along with a one year stay-away order from Pacific Avenue. Reminiscent of Jim Crow days, Paschal was told he “could continue to frequent Pacific Avenue businesses but only through the back door.”
The ruling to ban Paschal was based on a single event, not a series of crimes as the public is led to believe is necessary to produce such orders. HUFF considers stay-away orders to be medieval, the equivalent of banishment, and used far too often with far too little provocation. They are also ripe for selective enforcement against activists and homeless people.
Banned from Pacific Avenue, he left the area and returned to Venice Beach where he continued reading tarot cards for tourists there. When the year long stay-away order had expired, Paschal returned to Pacific Avenue. But it wasn't to read tarot cards. Not this time.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS
On July 15, 2008 Paschal set up his table on Pacific Ave. across the street from the Cinema Nine. This was a day of protest. Having had it with the campaign of police, merchants, and the DA to banish him from the downtown,harass him, and fail to protect him as is their sword duty, Paschal planned to tell everyone who came by his table about the injustices he had suffered. He set up his table and told people not to shop on Pacific Avenue because the merchants "were a bunch of racists" and that it was bad karma to spend their money there. Paschal was not there to make friends.
The manager of O'Neill's Surf shop, Mark Mackay placed a call to the police about a man who was urging people not to shop on Pacific Avenue and accusing the merchants and the police of being "racist." The police arrived but did not cite or arrest Paschal.
Instead, they told him they had received a complaint from O'Neill's Surf shop and he now had one hour before he must "move along."
Twenty minutes later, Jason moved his table to another location, this time about 20 feet away from the door of the O'Neill's Surf Shop. From a seated position behind his table, he urged people to not spend money at O'Neill's. This caused quite a commotion at O'Neill's where two male managers, customers, and passersby congregated by the door, watching as Paschal hawked at any person coming or going.
Some kids who had been inside O'Neill's came over to Paschal's table and placed some O'Neill's Sex Wax there. He yelled at them and told them to leave his table alone.
When Bill Chapman, a customer of O'Neill's walked out of the store with some bagged purchases in his hand, Paschal told him that buying from O'Neill's would lead to bad karma. Chapman walked over to Paschal's table and towered over him. “What did you say?” Chapman demanded. “Get the fuck away from me, you pussy!” Jason told him. At that point a tall, skinny white man with a 10 inch Mohawk hairdo on a bicycle circled around Jason's table. “He came up to me and said “O'Neill's has been here a lot longer than you. Get out of town, nigger!” In Vasquez' police report, Chapman says he spat nearby. However, interviewed by phone for this article, Chapman reported that Paschal had indeed been spit upon. In either case, Paschal was arrested and taken into custody. Again his needles and insulin were seized and not returned to him when he was released after booking, his blood sugar levels soaring.
Despite Harper's vivid description, police were unable to find the suspect. Jason did that himself the next day when he spied the man on Pacific Ave. walking with his girlfriend. Jason again called police and they eventually were able to track down her boyfriend to interview him.
Interviewed by police the next day, the spitter, Jeremy Burkett, denied both that he called Paschal “a nigger” or that he spat in Paschal's face. This completely contradicts Steve Harper's testimony, that Paschal had been hit in the face by Burkett's spit.
Sgt. Baker was assigned to investigate the merits of Paschal's case, that he was the victim of an assault, with extenuating circumstances which could amount to a racially -motivated hate crime. He reported “ I have had previous contact with Paschal and know he is regularly involved in disturbances Downtown. He has been arrested on numerous occasions for incidents where he challenges other to fight or actually gets involved in a fight.” Never mind that, with few exceptions, the arrests Baker made of Paschal turned out to be bogus.
Surprisingly, Baker did not find enough evidence to charge Burkett with a crime. He did state that “if spittle did actually strike Paschal, this may have constituted a misdemeanor battery per PC 242” and mysteriously considering Harper's testimony that “there is not a witness that corroborates either side of the issue.”
IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE
When Paschal's first Public Defender, Kristin Carter, didn't support his decision to refuse to plea to a lesser charge, Jason fired her in a Marston Hearing. He almost fired his second attorney as well. “I am NOT going to plead guilty to a lesser charge when I did nothing wrong. If I can't say “pussy” on a public street then I have no freedom of speech at all. My whole lifestyle is about freedom. I have the freedom to travel. I have the freedom to work or not to work every day.
“I like my lifestyle. I meet a lot of beautiful people, I smoke only the best chronic, and I'm always hearing music. I work out of doors surrounded by beautiful crystals. I consider myself a mirror of society. And sometimes what I reflect is bad.
“Some people in Santa Cruz don't want to hear the negative. They try to put the negative out of their lives and only emphasize the positive. That's how neurolinguistic programming works--all they want is to think about positive comments and they refuse to see the negative. It's what “The Secret” is about. How to get everything. But the downside is they can't look at suffering going on around them. They just can't see it. They are so positive all the time that they have actually become obnoxious to be around. I kind of have to tell them to come down to earth.
“I come from a long line of fighters. I'm a warrior. I'm a spiritualist. I like to be confrontational sometimes... if the situation warrants it being confrontational.I'm a big man. I weigh almost 250 lbs. But I can't fight back physically. I have to use my words. Most of all, I cherish my freedom. I am well aware that this country started out as a Slave Nation. As far as I'm concerned, they should give the entire state of California to African Americans to atone for that.”
ALL CHARGES DROPPED
When asked if he felt vindicated that all charges against him have been dropped, Paschal said “no.” “Now I have to go after the DA and find out why they haven't prosecuted the man who assaulted me and called me “a nigger.” I have to file a complaint against Sgt. Baker for making false and prejudicial statements about me in his police report. I am considering suing several parties for false arrest, such as Chapman for telling dispatch that I had threatened him when he was only offended by my language. I feel O'Neill's played a role as well. They filed the complaint for the first “move-along” and may have instigated others as well. The whole Downtown Association bears the blame too.”
He wonders how long the word “nigger” has been etched into the sidewalk on Elm St. and how long it will take before Public Works removes it.
Becky Johnson can be contacted at becky_johnson222 [at] hotmail.com
This article can be reprinted for free by non-profits or not-for-profits which work for social justice.
Article by HUFF*
Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom
309 Cedar St. PMB 14B – Santa Cruz, CA. 95060
http://www.huffsantacruz.org (831) 423-4833
by Becky Johnson April 16, 2008
ETCHED IN STONE
Santa Cruz, Ca. --- Outside the Elm St. Mission in Santa Cruz, the overtly racist term "nigger" is etched in stone, courtesy of the Santa Cruz Public Works Department and an unsecured piece of fresh concrete. "How long has that been there?" Jason Paschal asks two of his local friends. Neither of them know. "It shouldn't be there," he says. Jason, an African-American tarot card reader and street performer knows a thing or two about the word "nigger."
On July 15th, 2007, a man on a bicycle came up to street artist, Jason Paschal's protest table near O'Neill's Surf Shop on Pacific Avenue, said “O'Neill's been here longer than you have. Get the fuck out of Santa Cruz, Nigger!” and spat in his face. Paschal briefly pursued the man on foot, before placing a 911 call to report the assault. Police arrived and arrested Paschal instead. Nine months later, in Commissioner Stephen Siegel's court, all charges against Paschal were dropped.
HATE CRIME OR FAILURE TO DISPERSE?
Eyewitness Steve Harper, a homeless Vietnam Vet was interviewed by SCPD Vasquez at the scene. He was too far away to hear what was said. In his report, Vasquez wrote “Harper saw a bicylist ride up to Paschal and spit on him. Paschal was hit in the face with spit. The bicyclist then rode off and Paschal chased after him.”
Harper described the bicyclist as “a skinny, 6'02” white male with a Mohawk on a 21 speed bicycle.” Despite the vivid description, police were unable to locate the suspect.
Paschal was booked and released but the jail kept his insulin needles and insulin. His blood sugar levels were skyrocketing. And this was not the first time this had happened to him.
The next day, Jason himself located the suspect, Jeremy Burkett and his girlfriend on Pacific Ave. and placed another 911 call. Police arrived and were able to interview Jeremy Burkett. But he was not arrested or charged.
When police interviewed Jeremy Burkett, he admitted spitting in Paschal's direction. But no prosecution was recommended. Because 4 minutes prior to Paschal's 911 call, Bill Chapman, a shopper at O'Neill's had called police claiming Paschal “had been threatening people.” Later, SCPD Officer Vasquez interviewed Chapman and said “based on the details provided to me by Chapman, I determined that Paschal had been using offensive language that was likely to cause a physical, violent confrontation.” In his report he wrote “Paschal specifically called Chapman and his wife a “cunt.” This is odd because Chapman's wife was not accompanying her husband that day, and this appears to be the basis of the complaint. Paschal says “He came up, towering over my table, and said “What's YOUR problem?” I told him “Get the fuck away from my table, you pussy.”
Paschal was charged with two counts: Offensive words in a public place and failure to disperse. NONE of the eyewitnesses report that Paschal was asked to disperse and refused.
Chapman, interviewed by telephone on April 16, 2008 for this article, stated that on July 15th, 2008, he HAD seen spittle hit Paschal. He said “I don't think it made physical contact with skin.” When asked if that meant it had landed on Paschal's clothing he said “yes.” This directly contradicts his statement in Vasquez' police report, which says: “Chapman specifically stated that the unknown bicyclist had not spit on or near Paschal.”
Also in the report Chapman says he “did not believe that Paschal was physically threatening him.” When asked to explain the discrepancy, Chapman said “He was physically threatening the man on the bicycle. That's why I placed the 911 call. I was personally not bothered by Paschal's statements. But other people were.”
The other major point of dispute in this case is the language that Burkett used just before he spit either on or near Paschal. Chapman was standing near Jason's table and saw the altercation between Burkett and Paschal. In the police report, it says “Chapman stated that none of the people whom had been confronted by Paschal had used offensive or racial language.” Paschal says that Burkett spoke to him in pressured language and ended his statement with “Get the fuck out of Santa Cruz, Nigger!” All witnesses agree that he sped off on his bicycle when Jason gave chase.
The SCPD decided to investigate but chose to treat the case as two discreet events, despite that three 911 calls had been placed, all at the same location, and involving the same set of people and witnesses into both cases. Hence, Jason's Public Defenders were not looking at any reports of Jason as a victim of an assault, battery and possible hate crime. Nor could he get any records on that investigation via his Public Defender, Kristin Carter. The case, People vs. Jason Paschal, had became about the right to say “pussy” in a public place.
CRAZY RULING
Paschal had been arrested on two charges: 415 (3) PC: Offensive words in a public place and 410 PC Neglect or refuse to disperse rioters although NONE of the eyewitnesses report that Paschal was asked to disperse and refused. At his first hearing, the DA offered to allow him to plead to an infraction with a one-year stay away order from Pacific Ave. Paschal insisted he was not guilty and demanded a jury trial. He urged Carter to obtain records on his complaint against Burkett, but Carter resisted. Paschal asked her to obtain the police reports. She didn't. Finally, Jason had her removed in a Marston hearing and Elizabeth Caballero was appointed to take over the case. In a sidebar, Judge Thomas Kelly told Caballero that Jason could plead guilty, or no lo contend re, but if he insisted on pleading “not guilty” and demanded a jury trial, he must submit to a mental competency hearing to see if he was fit to stand trial.
Paschal moved to Southern California where he set up his Tarot card reading table on Venice Beach with little interference from local police there. He continued coming back to Santa Cruz for multiple hearings.
Frustrated that his Public Defender, Elizabeth Caballero, was simply accepting Kelly's conditions without question, Paschal sought help from a lawyer in Southern California. A call was placed to the California Bar Association and they investigated. Kelly was reprimanded for ruling contrary to commonly recognized law and Paschal's case was removed from his docket. Apparently people have a RIGHT to plead not guilty and have a jury trial!! Although, Kelly was stripped of Paschal's case due to his extrajudicial ruling, he hasn't changed his ways. Currently Warren West, a long-time homeless man, is wading through hearing after hearing in Kelly's court. On Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 8:30AM in Department 1, West will again appear before Judge Thomas Kelly for a scheduled mental competency hearing since he too has insisted on pleading “not guilty” and has invoked his right to a jury trial.
ROSA PARKS WOULD NOT BE WELCOME HERE
Back in July of 2002, Jason Paschal, a tarot card reader, artist, and satirist began setting up his non-commercial display device (a card table) on Pacific Ave. in locations where such activity is permitted. He immediately troubled the merchants on Pacific Ave. who often called police to complain about him for a number of real and imagined concerns. Several times, police or merchants invoked "the Move-Along Law," MC 5.43.020(2) which compels “non-commercial display devices” to be moved along to over 100 feet away after 60 minutes. This law has been enforced very irregularly since its enactment under the administration of Mayor Emily Reilly. HUFF* has opposed the law as unconstitutional in that it limits freedom of speech, and is at risk for selective enforcement against unpopular activists or shabby individuals, while kempt, respectable groups or individuals would be left unmolested.
CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A MILK CRATE
SCPD Sgt. Loran Baker threatened to cite Paschal for harmlessly setting up his rocks and crystals atop the concrete water box on the sidewalk. When Paschal returned to Pacific Ave. with his own table on July 30, 2002, Baker had him physically arrested and taken into custody for misdemeanor "possession of a milk crate."
During Baker's arrest of Paschal (who is a diabetic), they discovered his insulin needles and charged him with a 4140 BP ; possession of hypodermic needle/syringe and for a 11364 HS Possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia when he found his pipe. Paschal also had a small baggie of marijuana and a bottle of insulin with 5 doses remaining. Baker pulled the needles out of Jason's backpack, held them up above him to show to anyone passing nearby on the sidewalk and said "Is this what we want in our town?
Fearing an arrest for a pending warrant for a marijuana charge in New Hampshire from 1998, Paschal gave a false name. For this, he was tried, convicted, sentenced, and served 10 days in jail. In addition to suffering from diabetes, Paschal has a neurological disorder as well as epilepsy. All three conditions are helped by use of medical marijuana. So the narcotics paraphernalia and marijuana possession charges disappeared since they were entirely groundless in the first place.
TAROT CARD READING WITHOUT A LICENSE
On another occasion, Officer Willie Brandt gave him a ticket for giving a "Metaphysical reading without a license” when he performed a tarot card reading for a donation. The City of Santa Cruz does not issue Metaphysical Licenses! Those charges were eventually dropped “in the interest of justice.” Paschal is self-supporting and does not utilize traditional homeless services. He pays for his own food and shelter on a daily basis and does not consider himself homeless. He accepts donations for his psychic readings, and to date no client has filed a complaint against him for fraud.
DEFACING NEW HAMPSHIRE
This was Sgt. Loran "Butchie" Baker's mission: to run Jason Paschal out of town. Rather than apologizing to him for seizing his needles and insulin, and fully aware that Paschal was a legitimate medical marijuana user, Baker continued to press for a way to remove Paschal from downtown. Though frustrated that New Hampshire showed no interest in extradition, Baker again jailed Paschal on a 11357 (b) HS “ possession of less than an ounce of marijuana” on November 7th, 2002. The case was again dismissed.
New Hampshire was reluctant to send officers across the entire continent to pick up a parole violator who had already served 8 months in prison, 4 months in a halfway house, and had 8 months left to serve. All this for a single incident when as a teenager, he sold half an ounce of pot to an undercover agent. A person awaiting extradition can only be held for 30 days. So Baker held him for 30 days. But still, authorities there failed to performing an extradition. Paschal was again released.
But Baker did not give up. January 17, 2003 he had Jason arrested again for possession of marijuana. He continued to call multiple agencies in New Hampshire and demanded they come and pick up Paschal. They didn't. After 30 days, Paschal was released again.
On April 1, 2003, Baker jailed Paschal, this time for only the old warrant and put New Hampshire on his speed dialer. On May 3rd, Baker's campaign paid off. New Hampshire agreed to send federal marshals to transport Paschal back to serve the rest of his sentence for that half ounce of grass sold five years before.
Marijuana plant at WAMM parade in Santa Cruz, Ca. 2005 Photo by Becky Johnson
Ironically, as Jason Paschal, a legitimate medical marijuana user sat in jail awaiting extradition to New Hampshire, a non-medical marijuana state, Mayor Emily Reilly and Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt held a press conference in front of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse to support a lawsuit by the Women and Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana (WAMM) against the Federal DEA seeking an end to raids on patients' gardens. New Hampshire Deputy's arrived and transported Paschal in chains back to a New Hampshire prison. On May 3rd, the day he arrived back in New Hampshire, the iconic granite "Old Man of the Mountain" stone face, memorialized on the NH state quarter, the State Emblem, and on the 1955 US 3-cent postage stamp, slid off the mountain forever.
180 DAYS IN THE HOLE
During the four months he was incarcerated, a prison guard there witnessed a cop punch Paschal in the neck and call him a "nigger. " The guard reported the incident to the State Police who launched an investigation. As a result of the investigation, not only was the cop disciplined, but they also found that Paschal was currently serving what was to have been 180 days "in the hole" ( solitary confinement) in direct violation of the prisons' own regulations. He was released from New Hampshire 4 months early and paroled to his family home in Arkansas for the remainder of his four month sentence.
RETURN OF THE REVEREND
Over his mother's strong objections, Paschal, who sometimes portrayed himself as The Reverend Doctor Electronic Galaxy Jay returned to Santa Cruz and Pacific Avenue. Partly it was the life he had made for himself, and partly it was a feeling that he needed to right a terrible wrong that had been done to him.
LICENSE TO SMEAR
One day, a female worker at Gelatomania came over to Jason's table. She told him that the police had come into their business and told all the staff there that Paschal was a pedophile and that they should watch their children around him. She said they had been going from business to business warning people about Paschal. Since then, Paschal has been regularly confronted in public by people who claim he is a "child rapist."
(A search performed at the Office of the Attorney General's "Megan's Law" website for the State of California for the name, Jason Paschal, returned no results.)
FAILURE TO SERVE AND PROTECT
While his tarot card reading table was popular with some, others targeted him for taunts or abuse. When a man Paschal describes as a "Neo-Nazi Skinhead" sporting a shaved head and two tattoos of the SS on his arm, panhandled Jason for a dollar, he gave it to him. “But I told him "I thought you guys were too proud to panhandle. You're always talking about white pride." The man suddenly grew angry and threw rocks at Paschal who called police and filed a complaint. The next day, Jason sighted the man down near the riverbank and he again called police. They arrived and arrested the man, but no prosecution ensued. When Jason called back to see what progress had been made in the case, they said "we couldn't get in touch with you because you are homeless so all charges were dropped." Jason, who is housed, had a working cellphone the entire time and had never gotten a single call. He was furious that the police, who were so diligent in citing and arresting him, had only made a token effort to do a proper investigation when he was the victim of an assault.
Paschal went off. He marched down Pacific Ave. to the Downtown Information Center and loudly complained along the way about the racist police not assisting him when he had been attacked by white supremacist, Nazi skinheads. Several people called police to complain. Paschal eventually had a run-in with a young man who claimed his father was a police officer. That man later claimed that Jason had challenged him to a physical fight, but Paschal says it happened the other way around. "He challenged ME to a fight, and I refused," Paschal said.
BANISHMENT ORDERS
Jason was charged with disturbing the peace. Attorney Anthony Bole who represented Paschal for the misdemeanor charge, told him a disturbing story. He had been approached by Judge Heather Morse who told Bole that she had been to lunch with Judge Robert Atack. Bole told Paschal that Judge Atack said he had seen Mr. Paschal's table with a sign that said “They don't want to keep Santa Cruz weird, they want to keep it white!” Then, Paschal, not knowing he was speaking to a judge, ended up calling him "A Mormon." Atack was so put off by the encounter that he told all the judges that if Paschal ever appeared before them, they should do what they can to punish him, or get him out of town because “we don't need people like him around here.” Bole counseled Paschal to plead to the deal offered as he was sure he couldn't get a fair trial in a Santa Cruz County Courthouse. Jason plead to an infraction "excessive noise" charge along with a one year stay-away order from Pacific Avenue. Reminiscent of Jim Crow days, Paschal was told he “could continue to frequent Pacific Avenue businesses but only through the back door.”
The ruling to ban Paschal was based on a single event, not a series of crimes as the public is led to believe is necessary to produce such orders. HUFF considers stay-away orders to be medieval, the equivalent of banishment, and used far too often with far too little provocation. They are also ripe for selective enforcement against activists and homeless people.
Banned from Pacific Avenue, he left the area and returned to Venice Beach where he continued reading tarot cards for tourists there. When the year long stay-away order had expired, Paschal returned to Pacific Avenue. But it wasn't to read tarot cards. Not this time.
TELL IT LIKE IT IS
On July 15, 2008 Paschal set up his table on Pacific Ave. across the street from the Cinema Nine. This was a day of protest. Having had it with the campaign of police, merchants, and the DA to banish him from the downtown,harass him, and fail to protect him as is their sword duty, Paschal planned to tell everyone who came by his table about the injustices he had suffered. He set up his table and told people not to shop on Pacific Avenue because the merchants "were a bunch of racists" and that it was bad karma to spend their money there. Paschal was not there to make friends.
The manager of O'Neill's Surf shop, Mark Mackay placed a call to the police about a man who was urging people not to shop on Pacific Avenue and accusing the merchants and the police of being "racist." The police arrived but did not cite or arrest Paschal.
Instead, they told him they had received a complaint from O'Neill's Surf shop and he now had one hour before he must "move along."
Twenty minutes later, Jason moved his table to another location, this time about 20 feet away from the door of the O'Neill's Surf Shop. From a seated position behind his table, he urged people to not spend money at O'Neill's. This caused quite a commotion at O'Neill's where two male managers, customers, and passersby congregated by the door, watching as Paschal hawked at any person coming or going.
Some kids who had been inside O'Neill's came over to Paschal's table and placed some O'Neill's Sex Wax there. He yelled at them and told them to leave his table alone.
When Bill Chapman, a customer of O'Neill's walked out of the store with some bagged purchases in his hand, Paschal told him that buying from O'Neill's would lead to bad karma. Chapman walked over to Paschal's table and towered over him. “What did you say?” Chapman demanded. “Get the fuck away from me, you pussy!” Jason told him. At that point a tall, skinny white man with a 10 inch Mohawk hairdo on a bicycle circled around Jason's table. “He came up to me and said “O'Neill's has been here a lot longer than you. Get out of town, nigger!” In Vasquez' police report, Chapman says he spat nearby. However, interviewed by phone for this article, Chapman reported that Paschal had indeed been spit upon. In either case, Paschal was arrested and taken into custody. Again his needles and insulin were seized and not returned to him when he was released after booking, his blood sugar levels soaring.
Despite Harper's vivid description, police were unable to find the suspect. Jason did that himself the next day when he spied the man on Pacific Ave. walking with his girlfriend. Jason again called police and they eventually were able to track down her boyfriend to interview him.
Interviewed by police the next day, the spitter, Jeremy Burkett, denied both that he called Paschal “a nigger” or that he spat in Paschal's face. This completely contradicts Steve Harper's testimony, that Paschal had been hit in the face by Burkett's spit.
Sgt. Baker was assigned to investigate the merits of Paschal's case, that he was the victim of an assault, with extenuating circumstances which could amount to a racially -motivated hate crime. He reported “ I have had previous contact with Paschal and know he is regularly involved in disturbances Downtown. He has been arrested on numerous occasions for incidents where he challenges other to fight or actually gets involved in a fight.” Never mind that, with few exceptions, the arrests Baker made of Paschal turned out to be bogus.
Surprisingly, Baker did not find enough evidence to charge Burkett with a crime. He did state that “if spittle did actually strike Paschal, this may have constituted a misdemeanor battery per PC 242” and mysteriously considering Harper's testimony that “there is not a witness that corroborates either side of the issue.”
IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE
When Paschal's first Public Defender, Kristin Carter, didn't support his decision to refuse to plea to a lesser charge, Jason fired her in a Marston Hearing. He almost fired his second attorney as well. “I am NOT going to plead guilty to a lesser charge when I did nothing wrong. If I can't say “pussy” on a public street then I have no freedom of speech at all. My whole lifestyle is about freedom. I have the freedom to travel. I have the freedom to work or not to work every day.
“I like my lifestyle. I meet a lot of beautiful people, I smoke only the best chronic, and I'm always hearing music. I work out of doors surrounded by beautiful crystals. I consider myself a mirror of society. And sometimes what I reflect is bad.
“Some people in Santa Cruz don't want to hear the negative. They try to put the negative out of their lives and only emphasize the positive. That's how neurolinguistic programming works--all they want is to think about positive comments and they refuse to see the negative. It's what “The Secret” is about. How to get everything. But the downside is they can't look at suffering going on around them. They just can't see it. They are so positive all the time that they have actually become obnoxious to be around. I kind of have to tell them to come down to earth.
“I come from a long line of fighters. I'm a warrior. I'm a spiritualist. I like to be confrontational sometimes... if the situation warrants it being confrontational.I'm a big man. I weigh almost 250 lbs. But I can't fight back physically. I have to use my words. Most of all, I cherish my freedom. I am well aware that this country started out as a Slave Nation. As far as I'm concerned, they should give the entire state of California to African Americans to atone for that.”
ALL CHARGES DROPPED
When asked if he felt vindicated that all charges against him have been dropped, Paschal said “no.” “Now I have to go after the DA and find out why they haven't prosecuted the man who assaulted me and called me “a nigger.” I have to file a complaint against Sgt. Baker for making false and prejudicial statements about me in his police report. I am considering suing several parties for false arrest, such as Chapman for telling dispatch that I had threatened him when he was only offended by my language. I feel O'Neill's played a role as well. They filed the complaint for the first “move-along” and may have instigated others as well. The whole Downtown Association bears the blame too.”
He wonders how long the word “nigger” has been etched into the sidewalk on Elm St. and how long it will take before Public Works removes it.
Becky Johnson can be contacted at becky_johnson222 [at] hotmail.com
This article can be reprinted for free by non-profits or not-for-profits which work for social justice.
Article by HUFF*
Homeless United for Friendship & Freedom
309 Cedar St. PMB 14B – Santa Cruz, CA. 95060
http://www.huffsantacruz.org (831) 423-4833
For more information:
http://www.huffsantacruz.blogspot.com
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What I've read is that the guy has an outstanding warrant for drug sales, drugs in his possession when arrested in Santa Cruz, was posting insulting signs about Santa Cruz wanting to stay white, was telling businesses they're racist, was spitting on people, etc., etc.
As you describe it, one homeless guy (pashal) pushed another homeless guys button (mohawk guy). And this was after Pashal had spent the day berating people on the mall, calling them racist, and spitting at them. Then, he wasted tax dollars with a public defender, a second public defender, and tried for a third. Now, it sounds like he's going to try to waste a lot more of the publics money filing harassment law suits against the Ipolice, the DA, the downtown association, etc, etc.
What sanctimonious crap. People in this town are too positive for him, so it's his self-appointed job to bring us down and remind us how obnoxious we are?
I wish he'd take his own words and roll with them. You have "the freedom to travel" Paschal? Do it. Travel. Roll. Move on. Go AWAY.
As you describe it, one homeless guy (pashal) pushed another homeless guys button (mohawk guy). And this was after Pashal had spent the day berating people on the mall, calling them racist, and spitting at them. Then, he wasted tax dollars with a public defender, a second public defender, and tried for a third. Now, it sounds like he's going to try to waste a lot more of the publics money filing harassment law suits against the Ipolice, the DA, the downtown association, etc, etc.
What sanctimonious crap. People in this town are too positive for him, so it's his self-appointed job to bring us down and remind us how obnoxious we are?
I wish he'd take his own words and roll with them. You have "the freedom to travel" Paschal? Do it. Travel. Roll. Move on. Go AWAY.
"TELL IT LIKE IT IS
On July 15, 2008 Paschal set up his table on Pacific Ave. across the street from the Cinema Nine. "
July 15 2008 nice work! thanks for instilling the fact you are spouting misinformation to the few that read your articles.
On July 15, 2008 Paschal set up his table on Pacific Ave. across the street from the Cinema Nine. "
July 15 2008 nice work! thanks for instilling the fact you are spouting misinformation to the few that read your articles.
Glad to see someone's doing some proofreading. The correct date is July 15, 2007.
The issues of racism, selective enforcement, judicial collusion, and merchant bias are important here.
The issue of racial profiling may get some more attention in June as Councilmember Madrigal's public meetings reveal more of the nasty underbelly.
He'll be following up, I'm told, on City Council's joining the police lynch mob attacking Madrigal for suggesting possible racial profiling during Halloween 2006. (See "Brief Interview with Councilmember Tony Madrigal on Free Radio Santa Cruz" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/16/18447869.php?show_comments=1#18450519 and "Copwatch the New Order Downtown Halloween Night" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/30/18457126.php?show_comments=1#18458658)
For new police powers, tools, and initiatives creeping out of the cave, check out "Sheriff's deputies have new tool for patrolling county beaches on holidays" at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_8942010?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com
The issues of racism, selective enforcement, judicial collusion, and merchant bias are important here.
The issue of racial profiling may get some more attention in June as Councilmember Madrigal's public meetings reveal more of the nasty underbelly.
He'll be following up, I'm told, on City Council's joining the police lynch mob attacking Madrigal for suggesting possible racial profiling during Halloween 2006. (See "Brief Interview with Councilmember Tony Madrigal on Free Radio Santa Cruz" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/16/18447869.php?show_comments=1#18450519 and "Copwatch the New Order Downtown Halloween Night" at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/30/18457126.php?show_comments=1#18458658)
For new police powers, tools, and initiatives creeping out of the cave, check out "Sheriff's deputies have new tool for patrolling county beaches on holidays" at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_8942010?IADID=Search-www.santacruzsentinel.com-www.santacruzsentinel.com
I think this was well written and important. Having been beaten in the county building at age 13, I know how the cops can act here.
Jason is not always... My kind of guy, but calling him a child molester is plain wrong and everyone knows it. The other numerous injustices can sort of lead you to how Jason does what he does. Yelling or whatever, all really unproven. You can disagree with Jason's actions and still be against the actions of the courts and some police in this matter. Don't shoot the messenger. They sometimes have things to say you need ti hear.
I think Becky did a very good job this time and I commend her on it. I saw Jason down south as the article says and he was doing well, acting well and treated well be the crowd and police. Not so here. As I can also attest. I have never seen him screaming, but heard reports. But that crime is not as bad as what happened here.
Thanks for the article and the time.
Tim Rumford
Jason is not always... My kind of guy, but calling him a child molester is plain wrong and everyone knows it. The other numerous injustices can sort of lead you to how Jason does what he does. Yelling or whatever, all really unproven. You can disagree with Jason's actions and still be against the actions of the courts and some police in this matter. Don't shoot the messenger. They sometimes have things to say you need ti hear.
I think Becky did a very good job this time and I commend her on it. I saw Jason down south as the article says and he was doing well, acting well and treated well be the crowd and police. Not so here. As I can also attest. I have never seen him screaming, but heard reports. But that crime is not as bad as what happened here.
Thanks for the article and the time.
Tim Rumford
YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT WRITES: "What I've read is that the guy has an outstanding warrant for drug sales, drugs in his possession when arrested in Santa Cruz..."
BECKY: Partially true. Paschal, as a teenager in New Hampshire had sold half an ounce to an undercover cop. For this he spent 8 months in prison, 4 months in a halfway house and had 8 months more sentence to complete. New Hampshire is not a medical marijuana state. If it had been, Paschal, with a diagnoses of diabetes, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder would have qualified for an exception. Now that he is in California, he fully qualifies. The only "drugs" in his possession when he was first arrested were insulin, insulin needles, and medical marijuana which he was authorized to possess.
Also: the only person doing any spitting was Jeremy Burkett (the man with the mohawk) who spit ON Paschal.
BECKY: Partially true. Paschal, as a teenager in New Hampshire had sold half an ounce to an undercover cop. For this he spent 8 months in prison, 4 months in a halfway house and had 8 months more sentence to complete. New Hampshire is not a medical marijuana state. If it had been, Paschal, with a diagnoses of diabetes, epilepsy, and bipolar disorder would have qualified for an exception. Now that he is in California, he fully qualifies. The only "drugs" in his possession when he was first arrested were insulin, insulin needles, and medical marijuana which he was authorized to possess.
Also: the only person doing any spitting was Jeremy Burkett (the man with the mohawk) who spit ON Paschal.
TIRED OF THE SPIN WRITES: "On July 15, 2008 Paschal set up his table on Pacific Ave. across the street from the Cinema Nine." July 15 2008 nice work! thanks for instilling the fact you are spouting misinformation to the few that read your articles. "
BECKY: Thanks for catching that typo. So in a 4, 235 word article that is your only comment? Are you saying all the rest is "misinformation?"
BECKY: Thanks for catching that typo. So in a 4, 235 word article that is your only comment? Are you saying all the rest is "misinformation?"
Your articles lack a lot of....truth and your spelling, grammar and syntax lack as well.
It's boring to read your transcript format when you answer people and than cite previous articles from Indy bay that you or your ex crafted.
I have anointed my self your article angel. I am always here for you.
It's boring to read your transcript format when you answer people and than cite previous articles from Indy bay that you or your ex crafted.
I have anointed my self your article angel. I am always here for you.
Your own grammar needs work. (Then) not (than) in your sentence.
I though it was well written for so much to cover.
I though it was well written for so much to cover.
I write a very long documented article about a black man, who was a victim of a hate crime, and the police arrest him----and TIRED OIF THE SPIN comes in and attacks me for my spelling and grammar????? (BTW "of" is not spelled with an "i")
What about the ISSUES raised in the article?
Does selective enforcement, failure to protect, falsification of police reports, requiring a black man to "enter by the back door" and ignoring a racially-motivated hate crime not concern you? Or how about how the police USE the marijuana laws to harass folks they don't like?
Your comments are on the level of "kill the messenger" rather than face the issues raised. And you do this while hiding behind a pseudonym. What a coward!!
What about the ISSUES raised in the article?
Does selective enforcement, failure to protect, falsification of police reports, requiring a black man to "enter by the back door" and ignoring a racially-motivated hate crime not concern you? Or how about how the police USE the marijuana laws to harass folks they don't like?
Your comments are on the level of "kill the messenger" rather than face the issues raised. And you do this while hiding behind a pseudonym. What a coward!!
For more information:
http://www.huffsantacruz.org
Let me clear about this, anyone who calls black people the n word is an asshole.
HOWEVER, Becky's revealing article can't possibly be intended to drum up sympathy for Jason, can it? You really need to find an editor, Becky. Why on earth should anyone care about this creep? In your own words, you admit he is rude and abusive to the people on the Mall.
AND in Jason's own words:
"If I can't say “pussy” on a public street then I have no freedom of speech at all. My whole lifestyle is about freedom. I have the freedom to travel. I have the freedom to work or not to work every day.
“I like my lifestyle. I meet a lot of beautiful people, I smoke only the best chronic, and I'm always hearing music. I work out of doors surrounded by beautiful crystals. I consider myself a mirror of society. And sometimes what I reflect is bad."
What a scumbag!
HOWEVER, Becky's revealing article can't possibly be intended to drum up sympathy for Jason, can it? You really need to find an editor, Becky. Why on earth should anyone care about this creep? In your own words, you admit he is rude and abusive to the people on the Mall.
AND in Jason's own words:
"If I can't say “pussy” on a public street then I have no freedom of speech at all. My whole lifestyle is about freedom. I have the freedom to travel. I have the freedom to work or not to work every day.
“I like my lifestyle. I meet a lot of beautiful people, I smoke only the best chronic, and I'm always hearing music. I work out of doors surrounded by beautiful crystals. I consider myself a mirror of society. And sometimes what I reflect is bad."
What a scumbag!
Note to Becky: Jason has always been good to me, and mild mannered whenever I have seen him. Yes I think the article needs to be reorganized. Here are some suggestions: Instead of starting where you did, start with the middle part of the article that describes what led up to Jason's rant on the mall that he was having when he was spat on. The article ends up repeating almost verbatim the unflattering stuff about Jason's prosecution later on in the article anyway. Flesh out the details about the prosecution AFTER you mention the problems of racism that led up to Jason's rant on the mall. If you need to use an introduction that talks about the prosecution, limit it to one paragraph, and summarize or paraphrase the miscarriage of justice, rather than presenting a long quotation of the court record. Don't be afraid to summarize your opinion in the intro. Call it an abstract if you must. Then I think you will win more people over.
What's up with that?
I was once sitting at Gelatomania with my little girl and Robert the umbrella guy was "walking" buy and we waved to him and suddenly a guy came up to our table and told me Robert was a child rapist and he was on the Megan's law website.
I tried to check that out but didn't find him listed on the website...and felt great about it cause we like him.
So, I guess I'm gonna look up see if I can find Jason but I like him too!
I have got to know and check but what's up with those allegations...
??
I was once sitting at Gelatomania with my little girl and Robert the umbrella guy was "walking" buy and we waved to him and suddenly a guy came up to our table and told me Robert was a child rapist and he was on the Megan's law website.
I tried to check that out but didn't find him listed on the website...and felt great about it cause we like him.
So, I guess I'm gonna look up see if I can find Jason but I like him too!
I have got to know and check but what's up with those allegations...
??
There was more to the allegations against Jason Paschal which I didn't include in the article as it was already pretty long. One day, Jason was surrounded by police who pointed a gun at his head. He was arrested and booked under "annoying a child" charges. Later that day, he was released and all charges were dropped.
What had happened is a 15-yr-old girl had come up to Jason's table and engaged him in a conversation. Later that day, when she was late meeting her boyfriend, she joked that "Jason had tried to rape me." She emphasized that it was a joke. Her boyfriend, however, was not amused. He called police and told them that Jason "had a gun" and that he had "tried to rape his 15-yr-old girlfriend." On the basis of the boyfriend's report, police swat teams surrounded and arrested Paschal.
When police interviewed the girlfriend, she again repeated that her comment had "been a joke." However, her boyfriend insisted she press charges anyway. So she filled out a complaint. Later, when prosecutors looked at the police report, they realized that:
1. Jason did not have a gun
2. The "victim" admitted that the charges were "a joke"
Was this incident the reason police went door to door to "warn" business owners and employees that Paschal was "a child rapist?" I don't know. I do know that he was never charged with any such crime and his name is not on Megan's list.
What had happened is a 15-yr-old girl had come up to Jason's table and engaged him in a conversation. Later that day, when she was late meeting her boyfriend, she joked that "Jason had tried to rape me." She emphasized that it was a joke. Her boyfriend, however, was not amused. He called police and told them that Jason "had a gun" and that he had "tried to rape his 15-yr-old girlfriend." On the basis of the boyfriend's report, police swat teams surrounded and arrested Paschal.
When police interviewed the girlfriend, she again repeated that her comment had "been a joke." However, her boyfriend insisted she press charges anyway. So she filled out a complaint. Later, when prosecutors looked at the police report, they realized that:
1. Jason did not have a gun
2. The "victim" admitted that the charges were "a joke"
Was this incident the reason police went door to door to "warn" business owners and employees that Paschal was "a child rapist?" I don't know. I do know that he was never charged with any such crime and his name is not on Megan's list.
Jason has always been nice to me, although I have heard of some incidents, he was always treated me with respect even when I told him I did not want to know my future on a daily basis. This is a very important article. Stop on the grammar attacks. Have you read the Sentinel lately?
If that is the only thing you can find to trash Becky with, than she must have written something that is worthy of being posted.
I personally want to know when cops or anyone are saying people are child molesters when they are not. This should be checked into with a lawsuit. I want to know when a judge tells a black man to use the back door; I want to know when people are called child molesters behind there back; I want to know when injustice occurs.
It doesn't matter if you like Jason, I do as an acquaintance. What matters is what how do you feel about what occurred. Does using the word "pussy" in a verbal confrontation between two men seem that out of place, get real, its said on TV every day. Its not a term I use, but it happens daily on the mall.
What happened to Jason is wrong. The fact the Becky added the parts that show Jason isn't perfect shows she was not biased in her writing. Again, thanks for writing on something the major media should be, which is why we use this site -- because they never do.
I am sorry and feel sorry for the people here who look for every tiny flaw, just for the very act of putting in your face to say
"Look I found a spelling error!"
Tim Rumford
If that is the only thing you can find to trash Becky with, than she must have written something that is worthy of being posted.
I personally want to know when cops or anyone are saying people are child molesters when they are not. This should be checked into with a lawsuit. I want to know when a judge tells a black man to use the back door; I want to know when people are called child molesters behind there back; I want to know when injustice occurs.
It doesn't matter if you like Jason, I do as an acquaintance. What matters is what how do you feel about what occurred. Does using the word "pussy" in a verbal confrontation between two men seem that out of place, get real, its said on TV every day. Its not a term I use, but it happens daily on the mall.
What happened to Jason is wrong. The fact the Becky added the parts that show Jason isn't perfect shows she was not biased in her writing. Again, thanks for writing on something the major media should be, which is why we use this site -- because they never do.
I am sorry and feel sorry for the people here who look for every tiny flaw, just for the very act of putting in your face to say
"Look I found a spelling error!"
Tim Rumford
I want to be clear about something. Is this the same Jason tarot card reader that sat out in front of ONeill that used to scream at women that they are whores and say things like "fuck you white assholes"?
Is this who's being defended here?
Is this who's being defended here?
Jason Paschal staged a one-day protest near O'Neill's. Was the date you saw him July 15, 2007?
He urged people to not shop on Pacific Ave. saying the merchants were racist. He has good reason to believe that they are, given the way he was treated. When O'Neill's invoked the unconstitutional "move-along" law, Jason moved his table to 20' from O'Neill's door and began to urge customers to not shop at O'Neill's. Are you at ALL familiar to how the merchants, police, and white power neo-nazi skinheads treated Paschal while he was here? Do you think its right that Judge Heather Morse told him that he could only enter Pacific Ave. businesses by the "back door?"
He urged people to not shop on Pacific Ave. saying the merchants were racist. He has good reason to believe that they are, given the way he was treated. When O'Neill's invoked the unconstitutional "move-along" law, Jason moved his table to 20' from O'Neill's door and began to urge customers to not shop at O'Neill's. Are you at ALL familiar to how the merchants, police, and white power neo-nazi skinheads treated Paschal while he was here? Do you think its right that Judge Heather Morse told him that he could only enter Pacific Ave. businesses by the "back door?"
To Frank A: Yes, that is him. This is one of the funniest causes in Indymedia history, right up there with "Support the Badass 2!"
To think that this loser would usurp the civil rights mantle of MLK, Malcolm X, etc. is hilarious. As far as I can tell, the only source that someone called him the N-word is Jason himself. Meanwhile there have been multiple eyewitnesses to his rude treatment of women and others on the Mall.
To think that this loser would usurp the civil rights mantle of MLK, Malcolm X, etc. is hilarious. As far as I can tell, the only source that someone called him the N-word is Jason himself. Meanwhile there have been multiple eyewitnesses to his rude treatment of women and others on the Mall.
The answer to the question "Was the date you saw him July 15, 2007?" is no.
I've seen him out on that corner quite a few times. Sometimes in the early morning and sometimes later in the evening. He's usually spouting something about religion and always something about women being whores. A few times I've heard the anti white people comments.
I don't think I ever heard him saying anything about not shopping at Pacific Ave businesses. Usually I see people just trying to get away from him as soon as possible.
I've seen him out on that corner quite a few times. Sometimes in the early morning and sometimes later in the evening. He's usually spouting something about religion and always something about women being whores. A few times I've heard the anti white people comments.
I don't think I ever heard him saying anything about not shopping at Pacific Ave businesses. Usually I see people just trying to get away from him as soon as possible.
I will add that I have not seen him out there lately. It's been awhile.
Frank,
Regardless of how you feel about Jason, everyone should have the right not to be called a child molester by the police, or wasting our tax dollars having him extradited on such a petty charges. Just because you or even I may not like what he says or how he acts does not mean the actions of the courts and the police are correct. I think that Becky being honest in pointing out that he is not a saint by many peoples measure shows this article is not biased.
We have to fight for the rights of everyone when the police are out of line, or the courts are unjust.
I don't think she is defending him as much as she is simply telling a story of what happened. I am biased I admit. I have seen the evils of this police dept. first hand. I have seen them take drugs and money and let people go. I have been beaten by a Cop desked for beating the homeless in the 80's. My crime was possession of marijuana. His job was to watch me for a few minutes. My case was thrown out when I asked to speak up in court regarding the incident. I had drugs planted on me as a teen to be used against me in the future if necessary. That officer was found guilty of some sexual abuse of teenage girls later, as he was then a cop who worked the teen beat. He was simply fired though, no charges of course. I have seen the racism here and we need to acknowledge it exists if we are to ever get past it.
This kind of stuff happens here and its wrong. Jason may have reasons for being mad and acting the way people have accused him. But if he breaks the law, fine, use the laws fairly against him. None of this seems fair or just. There is no excuse for making rumors of being a child molester; that is one of the worst things you can do to someone who is innocent of such behavior.
So are we defending Jason? No. I don't think the articles intent shows that, only a system that is far from fair and full of injustice and police abuse.
Thats just my take.
Peace
Tim
Regardless of how you feel about Jason, everyone should have the right not to be called a child molester by the police, or wasting our tax dollars having him extradited on such a petty charges. Just because you or even I may not like what he says or how he acts does not mean the actions of the courts and the police are correct. I think that Becky being honest in pointing out that he is not a saint by many peoples measure shows this article is not biased.
We have to fight for the rights of everyone when the police are out of line, or the courts are unjust.
I don't think she is defending him as much as she is simply telling a story of what happened. I am biased I admit. I have seen the evils of this police dept. first hand. I have seen them take drugs and money and let people go. I have been beaten by a Cop desked for beating the homeless in the 80's. My crime was possession of marijuana. His job was to watch me for a few minutes. My case was thrown out when I asked to speak up in court regarding the incident. I had drugs planted on me as a teen to be used against me in the future if necessary. That officer was found guilty of some sexual abuse of teenage girls later, as he was then a cop who worked the teen beat. He was simply fired though, no charges of course. I have seen the racism here and we need to acknowledge it exists if we are to ever get past it.
This kind of stuff happens here and its wrong. Jason may have reasons for being mad and acting the way people have accused him. But if he breaks the law, fine, use the laws fairly against him. None of this seems fair or just. There is no excuse for making rumors of being a child molester; that is one of the worst things you can do to someone who is innocent of such behavior.
So are we defending Jason? No. I don't think the articles intent shows that, only a system that is far from fair and full of injustice and police abuse.
Thats just my take.
Peace
Tim
Honestly, this is idiotic. It transcends the everyday idiocy of the Huffsters and actually reduces Indymedia to a laughing stock. Indymedia people, if you are reading this, you really should consider instituting some editorial guidelines for publishing content. Norse and Johnson never reflect well on the Indymedia community, but defending this guy really takes the cake. To even be associated with such anti-social tripe is beneath any of us.
Except for the clowns at your local HUFF franchise.
Except for the clowns at your local HUFF franchise.
FRANK A WROTE: "He's usually spouting something about religion and always something about women being whores. A few times I've heard the anti white people comments."
BECKY: I get it that you don't like him. But is any of this criminal? I would call it freedom of speech which you apparently only want to guarantee for yourself. Personally, I have never heard Jason refer to women as "whores." What you are missing is that not everyone felt the same way that you do about him. He had a regular group of supporters who came by his table and sought his advice.
I personally am outraged that Sgt. Baker used the old New Hampshire warrant from an outrageous prosecution of Paschal when he was a teenager to banish him. Santa Cruz County has taken a strong, public stand supporting medical marijuana patients. Paschal is a legitimate medical marijuana patient. Baker didn't care a fig about "community values" in his racist attempts to drive Paschal out of Santa Cruz. That you think this is a-ok disgusts me.
And Bakers so-called "investigation" of Paschal's claim of being a victim of a hate crime was ludicrous. He even stated in his report that "no one corroborated" Paschal's claim. But witness Steve Harper DID corroborate Paschal's claim (at least as far as the spitting went.) Chapman said that the spittle did land on Paschal, but in the police report it says that Chapman specifically stated that the spittle did NOT land on Paschal. Did the police write it down incorrectly? Was that accidental or on purpose? Did Chapman lie that day? The police report states that Paschal called Chapman and his wife "cunt" when Chapman stated that his wife was not present that day. The report was written to convict Paschal of using fighting words ---calling Chapman's wife a "cunt" when no such event occurred.
Baker was the LAST person who should have been investigating the merits of Paschal's claim. Or is it okay by you for the police to LIE on police reports, fail to investigate crimes, fail to consider witness statements, and to spread false rumors about Paschal (that he was a "child rapist?") Really. Do you have any values at all?
BECKY: I get it that you don't like him. But is any of this criminal? I would call it freedom of speech which you apparently only want to guarantee for yourself. Personally, I have never heard Jason refer to women as "whores." What you are missing is that not everyone felt the same way that you do about him. He had a regular group of supporters who came by his table and sought his advice.
I personally am outraged that Sgt. Baker used the old New Hampshire warrant from an outrageous prosecution of Paschal when he was a teenager to banish him. Santa Cruz County has taken a strong, public stand supporting medical marijuana patients. Paschal is a legitimate medical marijuana patient. Baker didn't care a fig about "community values" in his racist attempts to drive Paschal out of Santa Cruz. That you think this is a-ok disgusts me.
And Bakers so-called "investigation" of Paschal's claim of being a victim of a hate crime was ludicrous. He even stated in his report that "no one corroborated" Paschal's claim. But witness Steve Harper DID corroborate Paschal's claim (at least as far as the spitting went.) Chapman said that the spittle did land on Paschal, but in the police report it says that Chapman specifically stated that the spittle did NOT land on Paschal. Did the police write it down incorrectly? Was that accidental or on purpose? Did Chapman lie that day? The police report states that Paschal called Chapman and his wife "cunt" when Chapman stated that his wife was not present that day. The report was written to convict Paschal of using fighting words ---calling Chapman's wife a "cunt" when no such event occurred.
Baker was the LAST person who should have been investigating the merits of Paschal's claim. Or is it okay by you for the police to LIE on police reports, fail to investigate crimes, fail to consider witness statements, and to spread false rumors about Paschal (that he was a "child rapist?") Really. Do you have any values at all?
REPLY TO FRANK A: Of the people who came to visit me at my table, 90% of them were women. It's ridiculous to say I called women "whores." How could I earn money if I called women "whores." I was able to earn a living doing these psychic readings. I have many women friends in Santa Cruz. Your statement that I regularly called women "whores" is a lie and a smear job.
When someone came up to my table and told me they were a Christian fundamentalist and that I was "going to hell" I would tell them to "fuck off" and stay away from my table. I told people to not touch my table. They would come up and touch my property. I had put up a sign saying "do not touch." If they gave me lip or an attitude then I would tell them to fuck off. If you heard me using that kind of language, then it was in direct response to people who were hassling me. However, regardless of the language I used, my statements were my right under freedom of speech.
You can't even face me with your real name. If you came by my table today, I'd call you a "whore" too. It's easy for you to sit at your computer and find things to whine about. Especially if you are using a pen name or a pseudonym. Where is your proof? Where is your recording? Where are your witnesses? It's easy to sit in your room because you don't have any action in your life and claim that I called women whores. It sounds like you've been bought off by the Downtown Association. Why do you bother to waste your time?
I've been taunted by people saying I "should get a job" and that they would wait until I was sleeping at night and they would kill me. Actually I don't sleep out of doors. I take care of myself and am not a transient. I made very good money in Santa Cruz. Saying that all I did all day was call women "whores" is ridiculous.
When someone came up to my table and told me they were a Christian fundamentalist and that I was "going to hell" I would tell them to "fuck off" and stay away from my table. I told people to not touch my table. They would come up and touch my property. I had put up a sign saying "do not touch." If they gave me lip or an attitude then I would tell them to fuck off. If you heard me using that kind of language, then it was in direct response to people who were hassling me. However, regardless of the language I used, my statements were my right under freedom of speech.
You can't even face me with your real name. If you came by my table today, I'd call you a "whore" too. It's easy for you to sit at your computer and find things to whine about. Especially if you are using a pen name or a pseudonym. Where is your proof? Where is your recording? Where are your witnesses? It's easy to sit in your room because you don't have any action in your life and claim that I called women whores. It sounds like you've been bought off by the Downtown Association. Why do you bother to waste your time?
I've been taunted by people saying I "should get a job" and that they would wait until I was sleeping at night and they would kill me. Actually I don't sleep out of doors. I take care of myself and am not a transient. I made very good money in Santa Cruz. Saying that all I did all day was call women "whores" is ridiculous.
Jason,
I am truly sorry that all this happened. There is no excuse for the way the judicial system, cops and people have treated you. I say that from the personal experiences I have had with you. I for one have seen and spoken with you many times and have never witnessed you call anyone a whore, or act inappropriately to a female or anyone. Like you said; what would that do for biz? I was downtown nearly daily till my health went south and saw you MANY times. You have always been nice to me. I saw you in Venice too and you remembered me, despite the fact I never use your services -- you still took the time to say hi, introduce yourself to my girlfriend and were very friendly. So much so, she remembered you from that one introduction and was horrified after reading this. Few people would be so nice to someone they knew they were not going to get any biz from while they were working. Both racism and ignorance exist here as they do in reality, maybe more so. My guess is most of the people saying these things know little to nothing about you, only hearsay and street stories.
I have heard " street stories" about you getting mad, but street stories hold no weight with me as they change like like the wind as they travel from one person to the next. I should know, apparently I have died twice.
People who post under anonymous names are mainly here just to screw with the messenger. They don't care about you or the issues raised. They would rather squabble over a spelling error or find anything to talk about except the important issues. I think its very sad personally. I have not read one person here say they have had any direct conflict with you. So I have to assume they are full of shit. Their egos are overinflated but they still have a ravenous hunger to continue to feed them.
I did notice you were doing well in Venice. You seemed welcomed there and people were crowded around your table. The street sellers and performers there are what bring in the tourists. That is a lesson Santa Cruz never got. Instead they destroyed the downtown culture into what we have today, along with much of the biz.
Peace
Tim Rumford
I am truly sorry that all this happened. There is no excuse for the way the judicial system, cops and people have treated you. I say that from the personal experiences I have had with you. I for one have seen and spoken with you many times and have never witnessed you call anyone a whore, or act inappropriately to a female or anyone. Like you said; what would that do for biz? I was downtown nearly daily till my health went south and saw you MANY times. You have always been nice to me. I saw you in Venice too and you remembered me, despite the fact I never use your services -- you still took the time to say hi, introduce yourself to my girlfriend and were very friendly. So much so, she remembered you from that one introduction and was horrified after reading this. Few people would be so nice to someone they knew they were not going to get any biz from while they were working. Both racism and ignorance exist here as they do in reality, maybe more so. My guess is most of the people saying these things know little to nothing about you, only hearsay and street stories.
I have heard " street stories" about you getting mad, but street stories hold no weight with me as they change like like the wind as they travel from one person to the next. I should know, apparently I have died twice.
People who post under anonymous names are mainly here just to screw with the messenger. They don't care about you or the issues raised. They would rather squabble over a spelling error or find anything to talk about except the important issues. I think its very sad personally. I have not read one person here say they have had any direct conflict with you. So I have to assume they are full of shit. Their egos are overinflated but they still have a ravenous hunger to continue to feed them.
I did notice you were doing well in Venice. You seemed welcomed there and people were crowded around your table. The street sellers and performers there are what bring in the tourists. That is a lesson Santa Cruz never got. Instead they destroyed the downtown culture into what we have today, along with much of the biz.
Peace
Tim Rumford
REPLY TO YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT: So "we don't take kindly to your kind around here?"
People who sit there and judge me, can take their own advice. You can leave town too.
First you don't have your facts straight. I never spit on anyone. I was spit upon!
Second, just because I put out a sign saying that Santa Cruz wants to stay white, doesn't mean you have the right to go down and throw a rope over a tree and lynch someone, or run someone out of town.
Third, why should certain people be allowed to have medical marijuana clinics with the city's blessing, while I, a person who is helped by the use of marijuana am not allowed to use it?
Fourth, New Hampshire's treatment of me was to railroad a teenage boy. Can you imagine extradicting someone all the way across the country for a half an ounce of marijuana? What kind of a City do we live in that would do that? The FBI was investigating Valerie Corral and the city objected. How much marijuana did she have there? Far more than half an ounce.
New Hampshire didn't even want to pick me up. It was a "no hold" warrant unless I was in New Hampshire. It was at the urging of the Downtown Association, the SCPD and who knows who else. The sheriffs dept didn't even want to do it. It was probably a million dollars to fly out here to pick me up, transport me, and jail me. that is what the taxpayers spent. I was in the medical unit at the local jail which is much more expensive. The New Hampshire authorities told me that Santa Cruz paid for the extradiction costs for airfare and hotel rooms for the NH correctional division officers. That included being in San Francisco for two nights.
People who sit there and judge me, can take their own advice. You can leave town too.
First you don't have your facts straight. I never spit on anyone. I was spit upon!
Second, just because I put out a sign saying that Santa Cruz wants to stay white, doesn't mean you have the right to go down and throw a rope over a tree and lynch someone, or run someone out of town.
Third, why should certain people be allowed to have medical marijuana clinics with the city's blessing, while I, a person who is helped by the use of marijuana am not allowed to use it?
Fourth, New Hampshire's treatment of me was to railroad a teenage boy. Can you imagine extradicting someone all the way across the country for a half an ounce of marijuana? What kind of a City do we live in that would do that? The FBI was investigating Valerie Corral and the city objected. How much marijuana did she have there? Far more than half an ounce.
New Hampshire didn't even want to pick me up. It was a "no hold" warrant unless I was in New Hampshire. It was at the urging of the Downtown Association, the SCPD and who knows who else. The sheriffs dept didn't even want to do it. It was probably a million dollars to fly out here to pick me up, transport me, and jail me. that is what the taxpayers spent. I was in the medical unit at the local jail which is much more expensive. The New Hampshire authorities told me that Santa Cruz paid for the extradiction costs for airfare and hotel rooms for the NH correctional division officers. That included being in San Francisco for two nights.
REPLY TO TIRED OF THE SPIN: Who are you? Bill O'Reilly? you sound like an agent provacateur. don't distract with spelling and syntax errors. The issue is the injustices that are committed against others and myself. What's up with the Bill O'Reilly talk? I thought we had enough of him after the spatula incident and the spanking episode. Why don't you put some spin on that?
This isn't about helping me, it's about helping society. You get down on me for saying "pussy" on a public street and then you turn around and call me a "scumbag" on the internet. At least I made my comment directly to the man's face. Why don't you go and play on the train tracks?
REPLY TO RADICALLY SANE: I'm using my own mantle. I don't need anyone else's authority. I'm my own authority. Why do you bring up the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. here at all? Because I'm BLACK? The issue here is the injustices I have suffered and others are still suffering from members of the Downtown Association, the police. I'm a performer. Why do they try to keep me from performing?
I expected an apology from the Town Fathers and Mothers for what they did to me. They shouldn't banish people. The courts are set up where they pressure you to make a plea. They railroad you. They are unjust. Stop being so politically correct. You sound like a ninny.
I expected an apology from the Town Fathers and Mothers for what they did to me. They shouldn't banish people. The courts are set up where they pressure you to make a plea. They railroad you. They are unjust. Stop being so politically correct. You sound like a ninny.
REPLY TO MAO TSE TUNG: This isn't Tiannamen Square! As long as I don't say "fire" in a crowded theater, I have the right to freedom of speech. I'm not anti-social. I am very social. I am in the public eye. I have relationships with the most beautiful women and live like a rock star. Indymedia is doing this community a public service by publishing that a local judge was removed from my case for making an illegal ruling that violates California law. Do you think it should be kept quiet? Do you think that it should be swept under the rug that a Superior Court Judge, Tom Kelly, was sanctioned and had my case removed from his docket for making an unconstitutional decision? The local media didn't even check it out. Don't you think it's important considering that I am "public enemy number one," that I was only charged with sitting on a milk crate, and for giving a psychic reading, and a whole host of trivial charges, most of which were dropped?
Looks like the worst thing that could happen to your cause has happened, Bob and Becky! Jason has opened his mouth on this website...
Here's some of Jasons greatest hits:
"When Bill Chapman, a customer of O'Neill's walked out of the store with some bagged purchases in his hand, Paschal told him that buying from O'Neill's would lead to bad karma. Chapman walked over to Paschal's table and towered over him. “What did you say?” Chapman demanded. “Get the fuck away from me, you pussy!” Jason told him."
"If I can't say “pussy” on a public street then I have no freedom of speech at all. My whole lifestyle is about freedom. I have the freedom to travel. I have the freedom to work or not to work every day.“I like my lifestyle. I meet a lot of beautiful people, I smoke only the best chronic, and I'm always hearing music. I work out of doors surrounded by beautiful crystals. I consider myself a mirror of society. And sometimes what I reflect is bad."
"I'm using my own mantle. I don't need anyone else's authority. I'm my own authority. "
"I expected an apology from the Town Fathers and Mothers for what they did to me"
"As long as I don't say "fire" in a crowded theater, I have the right to freedom of speech."
(note to dumbass: harrassment is illegal and not covered by the First Amendment)
Here's some of Jasons greatest hits:
"When Bill Chapman, a customer of O'Neill's walked out of the store with some bagged purchases in his hand, Paschal told him that buying from O'Neill's would lead to bad karma. Chapman walked over to Paschal's table and towered over him. “What did you say?” Chapman demanded. “Get the fuck away from me, you pussy!” Jason told him."
"If I can't say “pussy” on a public street then I have no freedom of speech at all. My whole lifestyle is about freedom. I have the freedom to travel. I have the freedom to work or not to work every day.“I like my lifestyle. I meet a lot of beautiful people, I smoke only the best chronic, and I'm always hearing music. I work out of doors surrounded by beautiful crystals. I consider myself a mirror of society. And sometimes what I reflect is bad."
"I'm using my own mantle. I don't need anyone else's authority. I'm my own authority. "
"I expected an apology from the Town Fathers and Mothers for what they did to me"
"As long as I don't say "fire" in a crowded theater, I have the right to freedom of speech."
(note to dumbass: harrassment is illegal and not covered by the First Amendment)
Badmouthing bigots and black American boosters alike might check out the Wednesday night meeting of the Coalition on Race, Poverty, Equality, & Justice Public Meeting (see http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/10/18498435.php ). There's a rumor flying around that Paschal may show up there.
What happened to Becky's post about how this man was arrested, again, in Los Angeles recently?
The "Jason Paschal Arrested Again in Los Angeles" post by Becky Johnson has been incorporated into the main story at the head of the thread. Check it out.
I spoke to Jason Paschal after a family friend posted bail for him. According to Jason, he had been repeatedly bothered by a "skinhead" man with a vicious dog. One day, as Jason was walking home with his folded up card table, the man approached him after dark and Jason repeatedly warned him to stay away from him. The man came into his personal space and Jason defensively struck him with the folded up card table. Jason was then arrested for assault and despite the fact that the man who he hit was not seriously injured, Jason's bail was raised to $31,000.
He claims he was defending himself from an assault. Jason was previously assaulted by a dog who had gouged his arm. Police advised him to obtain pepperspray for his own self defense. He did. When he was later assaulted by another man (this on the Venice Beach sidewalk where thousands of people of all walks of life pass each day) Paschal used the pepperspray and was himself arrested for "assault." He was jailed briefly and later all charges against him were dropped. But with this latest incident, the pepperspray incident, still in the records, was used to increase his bail exponentially.
He reports that the LA jail was "a hellhole" and that it was "filthy and overcrowded." Collect phone calls are no longer allowed and those who receive phone calls from those incarcerated must surrender their credit card info and be charged for the call. This seriously prevents incarcerated individuals to seek help from family and friends or actively participate in their own defense.
He is currently out on bail and plans to plead "not guilty."
He claims he was defending himself from an assault. Jason was previously assaulted by a dog who had gouged his arm. Police advised him to obtain pepperspray for his own self defense. He did. When he was later assaulted by another man (this on the Venice Beach sidewalk where thousands of people of all walks of life pass each day) Paschal used the pepperspray and was himself arrested for "assault." He was jailed briefly and later all charges against him were dropped. But with this latest incident, the pepperspray incident, still in the records, was used to increase his bail exponentially.
He reports that the LA jail was "a hellhole" and that it was "filthy and overcrowded." Collect phone calls are no longer allowed and those who receive phone calls from those incarcerated must surrender their credit card info and be charged for the call. This seriously prevents incarcerated individuals to seek help from family and friends or actively participate in their own defense.
He is currently out on bail and plans to plead "not guilty."
There you go Radically-Sane! This just goes to show your own bigotry! you even try to segregate Civil Rights Leaders! It is now January 2011 and I am far from finished with my rants about Santa Cruz fake culture! You are a joke! You need to use a pen name? Malcolm X would of called you a Devil! I would not even give you that mantle! I would say, " That you are a coward!" A slithering little WORM! I am in the process of writing a book about the Santa Cruz community!
The Worst Has Happened
Can you image people stalking, tailgatting, starring, speeding, putting you in the spotlight, showing your love interest for the game which is football on t.v. and having it on too much, giving you no privacy, and making you want to run. I can!
Monica Lucas
Can you image people stalking, tailgatting, starring, speeding, putting you in the spotlight, showing your love interest for the game which is football on t.v. and having it on too much, giving you no privacy, and making you want to run. I can!
Monica Lucas
Jason
I am so very happy to see and know that you are in the spotlight! I am smiling inside.
Congratulations!
Monica Lucas
I am so very happy to see and know that you are in the spotlight! I am smiling inside.
Congratulations!
Monica Lucas
Triggers
Every day every where I stand tall
I am not strong I am weak
What I see What I hear
Triggers
Fireworks go off inside me
My anger feels like it is not under control
A woman or a man tallking on the cell phone
A man or a woman texting someone
He, she, or they looking right at me when doing it
A woman or man or both on a motorcycle ridding
A woman or man on a bicycle
I use to look straight ahead and now I look away
A very old woman or a very old man walking on the road, driving, or out shopping
and what I want to do is look away because I do not want to think about who I wrote to
Watching t.v., seeing and hearing
Football, cat pictures, and cat photographs
Listening to conversations and dealing with them
What is said is hurtful, sad, upsetting, and sets of triggers
I suffer every day inside and outside
Monica Jean Lucas
Every day every where I stand tall
I am not strong I am weak
What I see What I hear
Triggers
Fireworks go off inside me
My anger feels like it is not under control
A woman or a man tallking on the cell phone
A man or a woman texting someone
He, she, or they looking right at me when doing it
A woman or man or both on a motorcycle ridding
A woman or man on a bicycle
I use to look straight ahead and now I look away
A very old woman or a very old man walking on the road, driving, or out shopping
and what I want to do is look away because I do not want to think about who I wrote to
Watching t.v., seeing and hearing
Football, cat pictures, and cat photographs
Listening to conversations and dealing with them
What is said is hurtful, sad, upsetting, and sets of triggers
I suffer every day inside and outside
Monica Jean Lucas
"None Of Your Business" BY Salt and Pepper
What's the matter with your life?
Why you gotta mess with mine?
Don't keep sweatin' what I do
Cause I'm gonna be just fine - check it out
[CHORUS]
If I wanna take a guy home with me tonight
It's none of your business
And she wanna be a freak and sell it on the weekend
It's none of your business
Now you shouldn't even get into who I'm givin' skins to
It's none of your business
So don't try to change my mind, I'll tell you one more time
It's none of your business
Now who do you think you are
Puttin' your cheap two cents in?
Don't you got nothin' to do
Than worry 'bout my friends? Check it...
I can't do nothin', girl, without somebody buggin'
I used to think that it was me, but now I see it wasn't
They told me to change, they called me names, and so I popped one
Opinion's are like assholes and everybody's got one
I never put my nose where I'm not supposed to
Believe me, if he's something that I want, I'm steppin' closer
I'm not one for playing high-pole
Like the high soditty 90210 type of the ho
I treat a man like he treats me
The difference between a hooker and a ho ain't nothin' but a fee
So hold your tongue tightly, wish you could be like me
You're poppin' all that mess only to stress and to spite me
Now you can get with that or you can get with this
But I don't give a shit cause really it's none of your business
(1993, S and P, packin' and mackin'
Bamboozlin' and smackin' suckers with this track
Throw the beat back in!)
[CHORUS]
How many rules am I to break before you understand
That your double-standards don't mean shit to me?
I know exactly what you say when I turn and walk away
But that's OK cause I don't let it get it to me
Now every move I make somebody's clockin'
Don't ask me nothin', will you just leave me alone?
Never mind who's the guy that I took home...to bone
OK, Miss Thing never givin' up skins
If you don't like him or his friends what about that Benz?
Your Pep-Pep's got an ill rep
With all that macaroni trap for rap you better step
Or better yet get your head checked
Cause I refuse to be played like a penny cent trick deck of cards
No, I ain't hard like the bitches on a boulevard
My face ain't scarred, and I don't dance in bars
You can call me a tramp if you want to
But I remember the punk who just humped and dumped you
Or you can front if you have to
But everybody gets horny just like you
So, yo, so, yo, ho - check it, double deck it on a record butt-naked
Pep's ass gets respect, and this butt is none of your business
[CHORUS]
So the moral of this story is: Who are you to judge?
There's only one true judge, and that's God
So chill, and let my Father do His job
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again...
What's the matter with your life?
Why you gotta mess with mine?
Don't keep sweatin' what I do
Cause I'm gonna be just fine - check it out
[CHORUS]
If I wanna take a guy home with me tonight
It's none of your business
And she wanna be a freak and sell it on the weekend
It's none of your business
Now you shouldn't even get into who I'm givin' skins to
It's none of your business
So don't try to change my mind, I'll tell you one more time
It's none of your business
Now who do you think you are
Puttin' your cheap two cents in?
Don't you got nothin' to do
Than worry 'bout my friends? Check it...
I can't do nothin', girl, without somebody buggin'
I used to think that it was me, but now I see it wasn't
They told me to change, they called me names, and so I popped one
Opinion's are like assholes and everybody's got one
I never put my nose where I'm not supposed to
Believe me, if he's something that I want, I'm steppin' closer
I'm not one for playing high-pole
Like the high soditty 90210 type of the ho
I treat a man like he treats me
The difference between a hooker and a ho ain't nothin' but a fee
So hold your tongue tightly, wish you could be like me
You're poppin' all that mess only to stress and to spite me
Now you can get with that or you can get with this
But I don't give a shit cause really it's none of your business
(1993, S and P, packin' and mackin'
Bamboozlin' and smackin' suckers with this track
Throw the beat back in!)
[CHORUS]
How many rules am I to break before you understand
That your double-standards don't mean shit to me?
I know exactly what you say when I turn and walk away
But that's OK cause I don't let it get it to me
Now every move I make somebody's clockin'
Don't ask me nothin', will you just leave me alone?
Never mind who's the guy that I took home...to bone
OK, Miss Thing never givin' up skins
If you don't like him or his friends what about that Benz?
Your Pep-Pep's got an ill rep
With all that macaroni trap for rap you better step
Or better yet get your head checked
Cause I refuse to be played like a penny cent trick deck of cards
No, I ain't hard like the bitches on a boulevard
My face ain't scarred, and I don't dance in bars
You can call me a tramp if you want to
But I remember the punk who just humped and dumped you
Or you can front if you have to
But everybody gets horny just like you
So, yo, so, yo, ho - check it, double deck it on a record butt-naked
Pep's ass gets respect, and this butt is none of your business
[CHORUS]
So the moral of this story is: Who are you to judge?
There's only one true judge, and that's God
So chill, and let my Father do His job
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again
Cause Salt and Pepa's got it swingin' again...
Lauren "Butch" Baker was shot and killed 3 days from the 10 year anniversary of his arresting and extridicting me to NH.
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