Another Mardi Gras has come and gone, and it continues to get stupider (is that a word?) every year. This year, there was a “riot” that was quelled by brave police officers.
The fracas erupted while police were “clearing” the streets at 1:00 am, as they have been instructed to do on Friday and Saturday nights during Mardi Gras.
Officers, some on foot, some mounted on horses and motorcycles, all armed, and wearing riot gear advance like soldiers in a skirmish line down the street, sweeping away all people in their path. Any resistance means arrest or worse. That’s how Mardi Gras is done in G-Town by the Sea . It’s as if the City and those who are getting rich off the event are saying “Thanks for the money, now get the fuck out, right fucking now!”
They don’t do this in New Orleans. The only time they clear the streets there is at midnight on Fat Tuesday, when the Lent season begins. On the weekends, the party goes on until dawn. That’s how the real Mardi Gras works.
They also don’t have a cover charge in Nawlins. They also haven’t harassed all the bars out of existence, so there are cool places to pop in and hear some music or buy a drink. All of which is why the Galveston Mardi Gras is a piss-poor imitation. Anyone who has been to the Crescent City for Mardi Gras will agree.
So, what about this alleged riot?
Well, police advanced on a group of people who were waving a large American flag, chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A!”
Some in the crowd threw beads. The police fired tear gas or pepper spray grenades into the crowd. Bottles were thrown. Seven were arrested, including Zach Flanagan, who had the misfortune to be leaving “The Lounge” at the time the melee occurred.
“The police beat the crap out of me for no reason. I walked out of The Lounge and had no idea there was a riot happening outside. The next thing I know, I am being slammed to the ground by a cop. He slams my face into the concrete, puts me in hand cuffs, and almost breaks my arms as he is lifting me up off the ground by my handcuffs. I did absolutely nothing wrong. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I got arrested. I was one of the seven. Now I have to go to court and pay for a lawyer.”
All of the media have praised the police and the event for how well they handled the rowdy partiers, and the handwringers are all worried that these miscreants are going to hurt tourism in Galveston.
Let me say this:
I paid for myself and my wife to get into this event, which closes down public streets (which I paid for) for the benefit of private businesses. I also paid to park. Then I spent my money to have a good time.
So, under what Constitutional authority do the police and the event operators tell any adult that he cannot be on any public street at whatever hour he chooses?
When did they become the owners, and when did we become the cattle?
That is my fucking street. It does not belong to the City of Galveston, the State of Texas, or the United States of America, it belongs to We the People. It sure as fuck does not belong to the organizers of this watered-down ersatz version of Mardi Gras.
This “riot” did not start until the police started advancing on the crowd, who were doing fine until the goon squad showed up.
The people in that crowd probably thought it was very un-American to be forced off public property where they were peacefully and lawfully assembled. I agree.
I’m not upset with the Galveston police. They just do what they are told to do. If they are told to clear the streets, they will do so. But whoever came up with this bright idea is a goddamned Nazi, and this is their fault.
If the powers in Galveston want Mardi Gras to be “successful”, they need to deregulate it. Get the City and the politicians out of it.
Do what they do at the real Mardi Gras and Let the Good Times Roll. Get rid of the cover charges and the strip searches.
And for christsakes, stop trying to make an adult party event into some kind of “family friendly” tourist attraction!
About Gatorpress
Stands for truth and justice.-
GALVESTON AREA
- Alert: Netanyahu at Biden's urging will send Israeli officials to Washington to discuss ... - Chron Come sail away on iconic Galveston tall ship for $300 · Gulf Coast · Come sail away on iconic Galveston tall ship for $300 · Astros pitcher José ...
- Houston teenager presumed dead after going missing while swimming at Surfside Beach Surfside Beach is about 65 miles south of Houston and about 40 miles southwest of Galveston, which is another popular coastal destination for Houston- ...
- Galveston's Elissa offering limited number of day-sailing trips next month - Chron Much more than a symbol of Galveston, the historic tall ship Elissa actually heads back onto the open seas almost every April. Visit Galveston. The ...
- Top 10 Dog-Friendly Beaches in Galveston, TX in 2024 - Dogster Galveston, TX is well-known for being a dog-friendly vacation destination since there are many beaches to explore. We bring you the list of our ...
- Galveston's Elissa offering limited number of day-sailing trips next month - Laredo Morning Times The Galveston Historical Foundation is putting the historic 1877 sailboat Elissa back in the water for limited number of day-sailing trips next ...
- Port of Galveston gearing up for new business | AJOT.COM Sandwiched between two of America's busiest and most prominent ports—New Orleans and Houston — Galveston Wharves is ramping up for a new generation of ...
- Venomous 'Blue Dragon' Sea Slugs Swarm Texas Shores, Galveston County - Hoodline Venomous blue dragons, small sea slugs, have invaded Texas beaches, prompting safety warnings for spring break crowds.
- Sweden midfielder Kristoffer Olsson moved to a rehab center. Still can't walk or talk | Sports FILE - Sweden's Kristoffer Olsson waits to take a free kick during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Portugal and Sweden at the Jose ...
- Netizen's Concerns Rise Over Upcoming Reddit IPO - Galveston County Daily News On February 22nd, Reddit officially filed for an initial public offering (IPO) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Galveston County bar shooting after fight leaves 1 dead, 1 injured - Houston Chronicle One person has died and another was injured after a shooting at a Galveston County speakeasy early Sunday morning leading authorities to ...
- Alert: Netanyahu at Biden's urging will send Israeli officials to Washington to discuss ... - Chron
-
Recent Posts
- Lake Jackson Cop Tyrant Loses His Job Over This
- The Bully of the Beach at Galveston & Bolivar Peninsula – Deputy Jack Walker
- Texas Female Cop Beats the Daylights Out Of Pregnant Woman, and Gets Away With It!
- Baytown Texas Cops Arrest Man For Parking Suspiciously, Three Officers Indicted
- I Went to the Texas City Buc-ees for gas – and THIS happened…
- How Pam Matranga destroyed her career as Galveston County Constable
- Why is it ILLEGAL to FEED HUNGRY PEOPLE in Texas???
- Ex Pastor Republican Who Called Others Groomers, Resigns After Getting Caught Grooming
- Police Arrest Deaf, Blind Woman during Breakup – Freeport, TX
- Texas cop threatens to kill driver during traffic stop near Houston
- Texas Cops Arrest Diabetic Man For Eating in Parking Lot
- The Story of Otto the Watchdog
- Confronting Galveston Police Officer
- Victoria by Benny Brasket
- Kemah Safety Concerns
- Bert Wills – Dangerous Man
- Prison Guards Beat Woman Into Quadriplegic State, Get Off Scot Free.
- Republican Congressional Candidate Tries to Throw His Weight Around With Cop
- Child Sex Ring Busted At Church, Pastor Facing Life in Prison
- Pastor Kenneth Copeland Assaults Man In Wheelchair!
- Pastor Molested 16 Year-old Church Member
- YOU Can be Arrested for DUI even if you are 100% Sober
- Tulia, TX: Police Frame Innocent Citizens on False Drug Charges
- Texas DPS is Corrupt From Top to Bottom
- MESSAGE FROM MY UNCLE IN EAST TEXAS:
- WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN AFGHANISTAN:
- REPORT FROM EARTH #2:
- MEANWHILE, IN DICKINSON:
- Book of Martyrs: George Floyd
- TRAITORS SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE.
- Ted Cruz Does Not Care About You.
- A FAREWELL TO TRUMP 11/23/20:
- HANG IN THERE, TRUMP! 11/22/20:
- THANKFUL FOR TRUTH IN AN ERA OF BIG LIES 11/22/20:
- ZOMBIE TRUMP WILL STAY AT THE HELM:
- TRAITORS IN MICHIGAN 11/17/20:
- Mayor comes home late, choked by husband
- COPLAND: Clear Lake Shores
- Gator’s Rant: Trump to meet with Putin
- Illegal Immigrants Returning To Mexico For American Jobs
- Flying Saucer crash at Roswell in 1947
- Trump Asked White House Janitor for “Loyalty” Oath
- Man Stabbed in Cavalier Manor
- A Gringo visits Mexico
- UFOs / Flying Saucers are in the immediate vicinity
- Make me laugh…
- Make me laugh & I will buy you a beer…
- Hands Off My Happy Hour
- Move over, asshole!
- Rockabilly Pioneer Alvis Wayne – Bacliff, Texas
- Karaoke singer signs with Columbia Records
- I can’t feel right until these questions are answered about 9-11….
- Gifts I Didn’t Want
- Make me laugh & I’ll buy you a beer…
- Make me laugh & I’ll buy you a beer…
- Gator’s Rant: Stop Picking On Bullies
- Bad Sam’s Report: Dick Cheney’s bizarre actions on 9-11
- Make me laugh & I’ll buy you a beer…
- FBI Says Missing Teen Is Likely a Hooker By Now…
- Great Moments In Texas Music – Dooley Wilson
- Ken Lay Is Alive & Well…
- Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer…
- It Really Happened…
- Clifton Chenier, The King Of The Bayou
- Gator’s Rant: coping with uncooperative sharks
- Great Moments in Texas Music – Lewisville, 1969
- Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer…
- Ten Reasons the Official Story of 9-11 Can’t Be Trusted
- Know Your Rights!
- Romneys encourage underpriveleged kids to try polo, yachting, and equestrian sports:
- Bad Sam: Tax The Churches to Balance the Budget
- Coloring Contest: We Have A Winner
- Gator’s Rant: Cash Windfall, Advice to Writers
- Purple Cow
- Paid Seawall Parking Is A Tremendous Success
- Tripping Daisy Rises From Deep Ellum
- The assassination of reporter Michael Hastings:
- Gator’s Rant: Dealing with the Mean Drunk
- A Streetcar Named Deceit…
- Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer
- It Really Happened…
- Phil Ochs – The Singing Journalist
- Gator’s Rant: Adopting A Mutt From The Doggie Jail
- The Truth About Waco – An Eyewitness Account
- Ghosts Of The Coast: Local Haunted Places
- Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer
- It Really Happened…
- THE FIRST ELECTRIC LEAD GUITARIST – T-BONE WALKER
- Gator’s Rant: It pisses me off when…
- Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer…
- HOW TO GET ALL TORE DOWN AND HAVE A REAL BIG TIME…
- Bold Teen Saves His Family From Death in Webster Home Invasion
- Unsolved Beach Death Update:
- Why We Must Hate Hugo Chavez:
- San Leon Prepares For Spring Break
- Police State Mardi Gras in Galveston
- Kangaroo Court Capers Entertain in Galveston County
- Downtown Galveston Merchants Want Changes In Mardi Gras
- Missing Woman Found In Local Bed
- Miniature Capsule Will Carry Deadly Germs Across The Universe
- Medicinal Pothead Wins Case
- Make Me Laugh…
- 50 Years Of Government Drug Dealing
- The Silencing Of Margie Schoedinger:
- Make me laugh and I will buy you a beer…
- Protected Witness Getting Settled In
- Blind Group Sues Over SOB Laws
- County Attorney Files Lawsuit To Require Club to Stop Illegal Activity
- Electric Reliability Council Meeting Postponed Due To Power Outage
- $1,000,000 Cocaine Found Aboard Crude Oil Tanker
- Copper Thieves Busted By Coppers
- Environmentalist Wackos Blockade Keytone Pipeline Offices
- Houston Rodeo Music Lineup: Send in the clowns
- My new career as a poet…
- Make me laugh and I will buy you a beer…
- Marijuana Shortage after Hurricane Sandy has Yankee Pot Dealers Driving South For Supplies
- Dickinson Man Calls 9-1-1 to report Domino’s Won’t Deliver to Him
- Things To See Before You Die…
- Where Did The Conservative Movement Go Wrong?
- What Now For Business Owners?
- It Really Happened
- Gators Rant: Acronympomania
- The Official Story of 9-11:
- Prison For Sandcastle Artist
- The Day the Music Died – A Special Report
- Buying cyanide.
- Double Amputee Gunned Down By HPD Executioner:
- Habitual Offender Faces 25 Years
- Bartalk: Staying the Course
- Gator’s Rant: Jam Session Etiquette
- Ten Years Ago in Gator Press:
- Invasion of the Booby Snatchers
- It Really Happened…
- Make me laugh & I will buy you a beer…
- How Weed Can Save America
- General George S. Patton was Murdered
- A message from the bartender:
- The Guilty Go Unpunished In Mass Civilian Murders
- A married couple was asleep when the phone rang
- It Really Happened
- Fukitol
- Drink like a manly man:
- Apparently…
- Kiss my ass:
- It Really Happened…
- Know thy Bartender…
- One Giant Leap Backwards For Space Exploration
- A soldier was given the job of hunting buffalo
- Did Laura Bush Purposely Kill Her High School Boyfriend?
- The Strange Death of Patrolman J. D. Tippet
- I ain’t had no fun in months
- Full Moon Fever and Mr. Smith:
- Things That Piss Me Off
- Actual News
- An Interview With An American Hero
- It Really Happened
- Imbeciles Are Precluded…
- Make Me Laugh & I Will Buy You A Beer
- Learn The English To Speak
- Funny Bones – Jokes
- A blonde with two red ears
- A group of deer hunters were in camp
- Stray Cats For The Homeless
- A young man meets an attractive girl in a bar.
- Castro’s Buddy in Bacliff
- Stupid Crooks Dept:
- Thanksgiving Reality Check
- Bar Talk
- Corection of Misteak
- Bar Talk
- Lies From MADD
- Bar Talk
- Bad Sam on the Federal Reserve scam
- It Really Happened
- San Leon UFO Crash
- Gator’s Rant
- It Really Happened…
- Brew Ha Ha
- Wall Street Protesters Are Legitimate American Heroes
- BarTalk
Travel through time!
-