NORTHEAST HARBOR, Aug.23, 2022 - Annalin Kruger is waiting to hear from the Mount Desert police on how they will handle her protest art last night in front of Leonard Leo’s house.
The protest drew a larger crowd than usual after the New York Times disclosed a $1.6 billion donation to a new fund operated by Leo. He apparently has been busy this summer at his abode at 46 South Shore Road. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/us/politics/republican-dark-money.html
In an email, Kruger stated:
“I will be asked to use a chalk paint with less staying power. I am waiting to hear from Capt. (David) Kerns. Hopefully we can write ‘closed’ to dubious pressures on and actions by the Mount Desert Police. Not sure about DA Matthew Foster's office. Possibly the proper chain of command of communications may not have been followed last night in getting authorization for Criminal Mischief charges.
Yesterday she wrote,
“This evening I participated in a protest in NorthEast Harbor outside the estate of Leonard Leo. I painted graffiti in chalk paint on the public road. It read ‘Google Leonard Leo = Corrupt Courts" and included a drawing of how I imagined Leo turns dark money into corrupt courts. Pretty tame stuff.
“I just (9:30 pm) got off the phone with Mount Desert Police Sergeant Soren Sundberg who gave me the option of ‘doing the right thing’ and going out to NEH now and removing the chalk paint graffiti or being served to appear before the court on charges of Criminal Mischief Title 17A sub. 806 of the Maine Criminal Code. (Class D. Maximum sentence 364 days in jail, $2000 fine. I looked it up.) Sergeant Sundberg informed me that he had already consulted with ADA Heather Staples in DA Matthew Foster's office and they are ready to serve me. I said that was interesting. And it might be interesting to have Leo put me in jail for chalk paint graffiti.
“Well we got Leo's attention. And he moves fast. As you may know, Leo has already had a local 21 year old arrested on charges of Disorderly Conduct for shouting an obscenity out of a moving car. But I am surprised that between 6pm and 9:00 pm he already had the police and the DA on this. I told the sergeant that saddling a 21 year old with an arrest record at the start of his adult life is very different from threatening a 73 year old with less at stake.
“Part of the background. Before protesting and 'tagging' I consulted with the Bar Harbor Police (who are a joint force with Mount Desert) to find out the rules. I was told that using chalk paint on public property is allowed. Later BH Police got a complaint, found me in the act, and agreed I was in compliance with the law. That is how Mount Desert Police got my name and contact. So here we are.
“An interesting point. Sergeant Sundberg said he had hosed the road and it did not remove the chalk paint. He said he did that because it is part of the police's job to protect public property. (Although he did not say anything about similar graffiti I had painted at various prominently visible places elsewhere in NEH.) And the charge against me is ‘intentional damage and destruction’ of public property and Mount Desert is the victim of my crime. I explained the composition of the chalk paint, and while it is not permanent, it may be water and abrasion resistant for a while. Other graffiti I painted with it has washed away some or completely in the rain, worn away with foot traffic, and been washed off by persons unknown. In my opinion, my chalk paint graffiti did not damage the tarmac materially or hinder normal use of the road. But Sgt. Sundberg told me my opinion does not matter. So there we are.”
Police Chief Jim Willis did not return my email seeking details.
I think we should all take a hand in the painting. We should never go alone. The idea, to my mind, is to do everything we can to LL to make him as miserable as possible but we need to do everything with others as in there is safety in numbers. These threats will calm down when they know with one comes all.
Another true believer.