well, this is cool

My dad served as police officer in the 70's-80's and when I told him recently that I like Tom Waits, he told me this little story: My dad was called to go down to a massage parlor because there was some guy waving a knife. It was out of his district so they called another guy on it. That guy was killed when the loony took the gun out of his holster and shot him. Three days later was the funeral, thousands of radio cars, the mayor, all that. My dad was driving by the Tropicana Hotel where Tom Waits lived and out on the porch, looking right at the radio cars, Tom Waits and Chuck E. (2) were singing "I Shot the Sheriff" (3) loud enough for all the cars to hear. My dad never forgot that... Years later: There's a dispute at a bar. Chuck E. and Tom Waits are there. My dad and two other guys are called to check it out. Chuck E. makes a move like he's going for a gun and my dad pulls out his piece. Tom Waits jumps on my dad and the two cops and my dad beat Tom Waits down on the floor. Tom Waits sues, the county loses money".

http://www.tomwaitsfan.com/tom%20waits%20library/www.tomwaitslibrary.com/extras/cops.html

According to Waits, after a confrontation with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, he and Weiss were manacled, held at gunpoint and finally arrested. One of Duke's patrons phoned the police to protest the incident and at press time the Sheriff's Internal Investigations Bureau had begun an inquiry. According to the sheriff's report, Waits and Weiss came to the defense of a man who had crowded ahead of 3 plainclothes deputies in line at Duke's. The report states that "Suspects Weiss and Waits ... yelled to the unknown male, 'Hey man, I've got these dudes covered ...' and then told the deputies 'You guys want to fight? Come on.' Waits and Weiss went outside and when "the deputies exited the location, suspects Weiss and Waits assumed the combative stance with clenched fists, stating "Let's go at it.'" The deputies then identified themselves and, due to a "sudden movement" by Weiss toward his waistband, "grabbed his arms." Both suspects were placed under arrest.

Waits' version is that the three deputies picked fights with customers at Duke's. Waits, Weiss and a female companion(5) left and stopped outside to make a phone call. "The next thing they knew," said Herb Cohen, Waits' manager, "the cops came running out, pulled their guns, threw them down on the ground and handcuffed them. They told Chuck they were arresting them for homosexual soliciting and being drunk and disorderly."

At their arraignment June 8th, Waits and Weiss pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial, which was set for June 20th. "When we start taking the testimony of the witnesses, the police will look pretty stupid," stated Cohen, "They are going to get a little upset. But they deserve it." Tom Waits commented that "those guys must have gotten their dialogue from watching too many reruns of Dragnet."

(Source: "Tom Waits arrested in LA". Delores Ziebarth. Rolling Stone p.15. July 14, 1977)

"Tom Waits and Chuck E Weiss were found not guilty in a unanimous decision by a 12 person jury on 2 charges of disturbing the peace. The verdict concluded a bizarre 3 day trial in which Waits' attorney, Terry Steinhart(10), presented 8 eyewitnesses who disputed the report of the original arresting officers and presented testimony of extreme abuse to Waits and Weiss by the deputies.

One witness, Mike Ruiz(11) of the rock group Milk 'n' Cookies testified that one of the plainclothes sheriffs had Waits in a headlock and was pounding his head into the side of a telephone booth. When Ruiz was cross examined by Deputy District Attorney Ronald Lewis, he was asked to reenact with Lewis what he saw. Lewis said, "I'll be the deputy and you be Waits and show me what happened." Ruiz replied, "No, you be Waits and I'll be the cop."

Judge Andrew J. Weisz was hard put to maintain decorum in the courtroom. Accused of challenging the deputies to fight and using profane language, Waits (uncharacteristically well groomed) testified that he had "growled a little under my breath. It was somewhere between a harrumph and a Bronx cheer."

Waits and Weiss have filed a claim against the county for false arrest, false imprisonment, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution and defamation of character. They are asking for $100,000 each in general damages and reimbursement of attorney fees and court costs."

(Source: "Random Notes". Rolling Stone p. 29-31. August 11, 1977)

According to Waits' attorney, Terry Steinhart(10), the plainclothesmen "spread- eagled my client, threw a couple of rabbit punches and held a gun to the side of his head before handcuffing hirn and taking him to jail." After a jury trial in Beverly Hills Municipal Court that summer, Waits and Weiss were found not guilty of all charges. Subsequently, Waits filed the civil action that finally went to judicial arbitration earlier this year. After a three-day hearing, Waits won the $7,500 award, which his attorney says will be paid by the county Auditor's Office.

Maybe you can fight City Hall, but why was Waits willing to go through the five-year legal battle? There are so many people who feel powerless when it comes to dealing with institutions like the police who have unlimited authority," he sald. "I just felt like I'd take my own problem on as a project and see it through."

(Source: "Tom's Wait Is Finally Over", Los Angeles Times. March 14, 1982. P. K82)

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