The Sheriff's Department is investigating an incident that occurred a week ago when a man drove his large pickup toward a small group of anti-war protesters near state Route 67 and Dye Road.
The protesters say they feared for their lives and had to jump back to avoid being hit as the truck ran over several of their signs while traveling about 15 to 20 mph.
The driver of the truck, however, says that account is ludicrous and that all he was doing was expressing his belief that what they were protesting was wrong and “un-American.”
The protesters have been gathering at the intersection for the past several months between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. every Friday. Route 67 is always bumper-to-bumper at that time of day as residents return home from work.
According to a Sheriff's Department report, Keith Alan Davis, 55, of Ramona told deputies June 27 that he was upset because the protesters were at the busy intersection again. He said that as he approached, he pulled his Chevrolet 1500 pickup onto the shoulder and slowly drove by the protesters, who were holding signs with such messages as “End the War in Iraq” and “Support Our Troops, Send Them Home Now.”
“As he drove by the individuals protesting, he flipped each one of them off using his right middle finger,” the report says. “He wanted to look each one of the protesters in the face and tell them what he thought of them. He does not remember hitting any of their signs. He was not trying to run over any of the protesters.”
That account is disputed by the protesters, several of whom are in their 70s. They said they had to move back to avoid being hit by the truck, and that they are sure several of them would have been injured had they not stepped out of the way.
One witness, Robert Dobson, who was counter-protesting across the highway by holding a “Victory for Our Troops” sign, told deputies that after Davis gestured at the protesters, he then gave a thumbs-up sign to him and smiled widely.
Dobson said it appeared to him that Davis intentionally ran over several signs.
“I can't say for sure he was trying to hit them (the protesters),” Dobson said. “I can say he deliberately left the road and was deliberately trying to hit their signs, and the people were standing next to the signs. I saw them scatter.”
He estimated the truck's speed to be between 25 and 30 mph.
Dobson said he disagrees with the anti-war protesters, but that the driver of the pickup was the un-American one.
“In America, we just get a different sign. We don't attack people,” he added.
One of the protesters wrote down the truck's license-plate number, and deputies found Davis that day.
According to the Sheriff's Department report, the incident is being investigated as a case of disorderly conduct, with the protesters being victims of offensive words in a public place, apparently referring to the middle-finger display.
However, Detective Mike McNeill said Thursday that all the circumstances of the case are being looked at and everything is still under investigation.
Dave Patterson, the leader of the anti-war protesters, has written a letter to the Sheriff's Department taking exception to the direction of the investigation.
“It is my position that the driver's actions in this case were deliberate, and in taking these actions placed several people at risk of bodily injury. . . . Further, I believe that the driver committed an act of domestic terrorism and in doing so violated the demonstration participants' constitutional rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. I ask that you recommend suitable charges against the driver for the items listed above,” Patterson wrote.
Davis said Thursday that he never intended to hurt the protesters and told deputies he was traveling 3 to 5 mph.
“I was just trying to let them know America doesn't feel the way they do,” he said. “I'm tired of sticking my head in the sand and ignoring them.
“Apparently they've decided to blow this up and try to make something out of it. Maybe that's the way they operate.
“If those people really hate America as much as their signs indicate, they should probably just pack and go. I might even help them pack and go – that is, if they're not too afraid and go run away. I can't believe they said that. That is completely inaccurate.”
Davis added that he thinks it's ironic that the protesters talk about their First Amendment rights but don't want him to express his beliefs.
J. Harry Jones: (760) 737-7579; jharry.jones@uniontrib.com
