How many goons
10/15/08
[donation]
By Joel Thurtell
How many goons does it take to padlock a public boat launch?
That was my question after visiting Detroit’s public Riverside Park on Tuesday, October 14, 2008.
I’d heard that some vigilantes liberated the boat launch last week. They took bolt-cutters to the chains that were placed on the park’s boat launch by minions of billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun.
The city of Detroit is now contesting Matty’s seizure of the boat ramp and another part of the park, i hear.
The boat ramp was open for less than a day.
New locks appeared, and the launch again is closed to the public, by edict, it would appear, of Matty.
Matty’s boys didn’t stop with one lock per gate.
They put two padlocks on the entrance gate and three — count ’em, three! — padlocks on the exit gate.
Can’t be too secure when it comes to terrorists, right Matty?
‘Course, it’s just possible that someone from the city locked those gates.
But I’m guessing the cash-strapped city would not have wasted three superfluous padlocks on two gates.
Matty’s a billionaire. he can afford lots of padlocks.
I picture five of Matty’s henchmen bickering over the right to be first to deny the public its right to the boat ramp.
Compromise: All five got to padlock the gates.
So that’s the answer to my riddle: It takes five goons to padlock a public boat ramp.
