I wish I could show you a memory card full of stunning photos from all of the beautiful and creative installations, sculptures and handsomely lit grounds at the Triangle L Ranch for this past weekend’s GLOW festival, but it’s hard to take photos when a Oracle cop is shooing you down the path while making sarcastic comments.
The good news was that the festival of light and creativity that is GLOW has caught on. But that was also the bad news.
Due to word of mouth and all the press (presumably), the turnout for the second night of the celebration was much larger than it ever has been. The rows of cars parked alongside Oracle’s normally desolate roads near the ranch and the pedestrians crossing the highway attracted the attention of local police, some of whom were perfectly lovely and some of whom basically went on the warpath.
As a result, most of my photos were of cruiser lights flashing in the desert as well as the officers themselves, a couple of whom did not take kindly to being photographed. Fortunately, jailtime was avoided, except in the case of a musician who performed that evening, who made an unwelcoming remark upon seeing the police officers.
The tragedy for those who didn’t arrive “bright and early” at 8 p.m. was that they just got a tease of how much thought and effort went in to the art, performances and decorating of the ranch grounds, without really being able to enjoy it. But judging from the massive quantity of vehicles already present when we arrived, plenty of lucky folks were able to take a good chunk of it in. And I was told that Friday went off without a hitch.
Hopefully, Triangle L Ranch owner Sharon Holnback, along with DJ Kidd Squidd, will be able to work things out so this gathering will be able to take place again next year. Holnback said that she had permission from the Chamber of Commerce, but news of the event apparently hadn’t been conveyed to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department. Pity. To be fair, one of the officers said that some of the neighbor’s driveways were blocked.
Exchange of the evening:
Police officer: “Everybody has to clear out right away. This event is illegal.”
Precocious 11-year-old: “Why is it illegal?”
Police officer: “Because it is!”
So there.
Many of us feel that this issue was poorly handled by law enforcement. On a personal level, it terrified my two little granddaughters, who thought that the family car, beloved stuffed toys and all would be towed away before we could hike back to our parking spot. We of course assured them that no one could tow all those cars away that quickly. The children have been taught that police are there to help them. We did not feel that we were treated fairly or kindly that night.
— Dawn Weiss 09/11/2006 11:06 AM #
Thank you for clarifying things regarding the police. And I agree, quite a few people (including the teenagers and preteen that we were with) were very worried and upset by what they were being told by the police. It’s hard to believe that an actual police officer could get so upset and offended by a teenager calling them, “idiot” behind their backs. Who didn’t call cops idiots when they were 14?
The words “arrest”, “illegal” and “impound” were being thrown around and though I never said anything to the police, they said several nasty, sarcastic and threatening things to me, especially when they saw my camera. If there truly were neighbor complaints, I completely understand why it was their job to address the situation. But you’re right, upsetting kids, frightening the elderly and harrassing law abiding citizens is not a terribly professional way to handle it.
— adrienne 09/11/2006 12:02 PM #
www.trianglelranch.com
Pinal County has launched an investigation and she is collecting “experiences” as part of the investigation.
Thanks,
Sue Ann
— sue ann carroll 09/12/2006 12:34 PM #
— Danielle 09/12/2006 05:35 PM #
— Peter Else 09/12/2006 10:48 PM #
With this in mind, we are making every attempt at ascertaining as much first-hand knowledge as possible from offended parties and/or witnesses of the actions at the Glow festival on Saturday, September 9, 2006. We are especially interested in copies of any photographs or video of PCSO staff members on scene.
Please feel free to contact either Sergeant LeBlanc or I.
Sgt. LeBlanc, 520-866-5171
Philip.LeBlanc@co.pinal.az.us
Cpl. Ellsworth, 520-866-5120
John.Ellsworth@co.pinal.az.us
Thank you in advance for any and all assitance.
— Detective Corporal John Ellsworth 09/15/2006 01:33 PM #
— Philip LeBlanc 12/14/2006 11:56 PM #