Steve Rude Arrest Details: Help Rude Fight His Neighbors and Police

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by Mike Hansen

Tom Spurgeon at the Comics Reporter has learned more details of Steve Rude‘s arrest from his wife, Jaynelle (my commentary following):

* Monday night’s incident was as reported the latest development in a longstanding dispute between Rude and his neighbors. This includes the barking dogs cited in some reports. This also includes Rude stating at some point during a previous permutation of their encounters that he’d like to kill the neighbors, which was apparently enough for them to secure a restraining order.

* the incident in question from Monday night concerns the aforementioned barking dogs, which were out again where Rude could hear them as he handed out Halloween candy in costume. Rude responded to the barking dogs by throwing rocks at the fence behind which the dogs were barking in an attempt to silence them.

* one of the dog-owning neighbors confronted Rude verbally, followed by the other when the first one retreated inside. Rude says this quickly became verbally abusive, and included an invite for Steve to come over to where the second neighbor, a male, was standing. This ends with Rude ripping the neighbor’s shirt and shoving him backwards, causing the second neighbor to also go indoors. This would be the basis of the assault charge.

* Rude returned to handing out Halloween candy. The cops — Rude says in four police cars — found him at his candy-dispensing station and asked after a concealed weapon. When the cop to whom he was speaking asked him to turn around and put his hands behind his back, Rude at first tried to ascertain if he was being arrested and then complied.

* Rude suffered some physical abuse during the arrest and later at the jail, the latter of which will be looked at by a doctor. 

So that’s the best information that I have, and I think provides a rough idea as to events — even though, and let me emphasize this, it shouldn’t for a single second be treated as sworn testimony or an all-sides account.

This is all more reason than ever to help Steve Rude and buy his work.

First, anyone – ANYONE – who allows their dogs to be left outside to bark and harm the neighborhood’s quality of life deserves to be punished, not the person who confronts them about this. Yes, given their previous acrimony, maybe Rude should have called the police with a noise complaint, but when there are stories of the neighbors threatening his kids because of a badly thrown frisbee, or whatever, it’s no wonder Rude was being protective of the neighborhood and its kids.

Based on these (yes, one-sided) accounts, these neighbors were being inconsiderate bullies, and are obviously bad dog owners. Screw them.

It’s been known that Rude has had problems with depression, and this kind of B.S. isn’t going to help. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression in the past (and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with discussing this: it’s no different than any other chronic illness that needs treatment), and trying to create art in an unhealthy environment has to be maddening. My heart goes out to the Rudes during this rough time.

I’ve also had my own confrontations with bad neighbors in the past (almost always about noise, often about barking dogs), and it took a few quiet complaints to the police to solve the problem in most cases.

Unfortunately, since Rude lives in Maricopa County, he’s stuck with one of the worst, most infamous police forces in the nation. If he was mistreated by the cops, I hope art buyers and donors can help him afford a good lawyer to knock those bastards down a peg.

I wonder: does anyone know if the Hero Initiative can help in some way?

And maybe other people could help in other ways. Boy, it sure would be a shame if something happened to these neighbors’ property or finances as a result of all this… Imagine if there were a number of calls about their improper treatment of their animals… or if they received fines due to too many noise complaints… Hmmm…

 

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• Video: Arkansas Man Arrested After Videotaping Police From His Own Front Yard (jonathanturley.org)
• Yes, You Can Be Rude to Cops [Dispatches from the Culture Wars] (scienceblogs.com)
• “The criminalization of American society” (maureenholland.wordpress.com)