No pillow fights for you!
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...=2009904040400
Quote:
Detroit -- Plans to hold an impromptu pillow fight at Campus Martius Park apparently ruffled the feathers of police and they confiscated pillows from people who trickled into the park Saturday for the frivolity.
The pillow fight, which was to be one of at least 50 across the world Saturday organized by people on social networking Web sites, was shut down by Detroit police officers who were stationed at the park.
"I am furious," 23-year-old Elida Quesada of Ferndale said as she fumed while watching officers take pillows as soon as people showed up with them. "It (a pillow fight) is so silly and childlike. It would have been fun. It seems like everything that is fun is illegal."
Officers in blue jumpsuits were polite to the people who were stopped, but firm about seizing the pillows. One officer told a would-be pillow fighter that 5,000 pillows had been seized by the planned 4 p.m. start of the event.
Detroit Police spokesman James Tate would not say how police learned about the event in advance. He said there were numerous Internet postings. He said the event posed a clean up issue because typically there are large amounts of feathers and other pillow fillings left behind. There also were concerns of people getting hit who did not wish to participate, he said.
Michael Davis, 32, of Hamtramck said, "They took my pillows, but let me keep my cases." "They told me I needed a permit. I can understand."
Scott Harris, a 48-year-old Ferndale resident whose pillow was taken by officers, was not as understanding.
"It is not illegal to own a pillow," he said.
The event was to be in keeping with so called "flash mobs," impromptu events in which thousands can show up at a predetermined time for a silly event such as a pillow fight or to dance around listening to mp3 players.
Many people who participate in such events call themselves members of the Urban Playground Movement. A similar event was held Oct. 26 in which people went to Ferndale in the Nine Mile and Woodward area dressed as zombies and imitated zombies while walking around.
Quesada said she is going to organize an event in which participants will show up somewhere and dance while listening to their CD players or mp3 players.
"Dancing is not illegal," she said. I am not going to post anything (on the Web). We will just show up. I was looking forward to this all week."
