While Little Girl and I were walking into Ukiah, two Mendocino Sheriff introduced themselves, asked the usual questions and we gave the usual answers, and they said have a good day and we continued our journey.
Tag: Police Encounters
The Mules and the National Park Nomadic Lifestyle Pass
Yesterday sometime around dusk where we stopped to spend the night on what turned out to be land administered by the National Park Service, two rangers appeared informing us we were illegally camping and we could not spend the night here.
The Mules informed the rangers we were traveling across country and anybody doing so either by horseback, bicycle or foot has the right to stop and rest for the night on public space. We were not dragging in rugs, bedsprings, mattresses nor would be changing our oil or doing maintenance on our motorhome. Simply be here for the night, clean up after ourselves, be gone come morning.
The ranger got on his communication device, talked to headquarters, a decision was made to let the Mules spend the night.
The above event of yesterday is the National Park Service acknowledging and understanding the value and importance of a National Park Nomadic Lifestyle Pass. This Pass will be issued to all citizens who wish to travel throughout this country non-motorized either by horse, bicycle or foot.
Showing in a real way, one step at a time, a human being living outside responsibly with respect and reverence for the Natural World. Certainly condusive to the mission and purpose of our National Parks.
The Mules
The Mules and their first day in Redding
Due to the fact that I had my smartphone stolen the other night while sleeping on the side of Public Thoroughfare 273 a bit south of Clear Creek, the communication between myself and the 3 Mules Facebook administrator was hindered by not having use of my phone. An accounting of yesterday’s occurrences in Redding and WinCo were not completely accurate. We offer a revised accounting of yesterday’s events.
Upon awakening at 5:30am along Public Thoroughfare 273, I discovered that my smartphone had been stolen. I then proceeded to pack up Little Girl and head to Redding City Hall about 7 miles away to deliver the Declaration of Emergency. I grazed Little Girl for about an hour on the clover at City Hall when a Redding police officer approached us, introduced himself and told us he had mules and how much he enjoyed them. We had a nice conversation about that subject on the city hall steps. Afterwards, we proceeded to WinCo.
At approximately 2:30pm, we arrived at WinCo. I tied Little Girl in the shadiest spot I could find in the WinCo parking lot, then entered the store to buy oats, a can of pineapple, black beans, diced tomatoes, a small carton of yogurt, a bagel, and carrots for Little Girl. I paid for the items, placed them in grocery cart and went back to where Little Girl was tied. I then opened up my can of pineapple and yogurt which I bought for lunch.
Shortly thereafter the WinCo security guard approached us and said that he had been watching us and we had been there long enough and had to leave immediately. We said we certainly would be leaving but not immediately.
We had been walking in the heat since 6:30am. It was 110F. Myself and Little Girl walk using our own power. We are not machines. We do not move at the same rapid effortless pace as the automobile and its occupants.
The security guard said he had called animal control and the police and they were on their way. I requested him to get the store manager. He refused. I went into the store sought out the store manager. The manager came out shortly thereafter and informed me we were fine and that there was no problem. I went back to where Little Girl was tied, continued to eat my lunch then packed up the supplies, we then left. We never had any contact with animal control or the Redding Police Department.
The experience the Mules had in Redding at the WinCo grocery store (a good store, great variety, good prices, good food) is in our mind a perfect example of the challenge the Mules face as we live in stark contrast to this age of machines and to the way and pace of living which is being imposed on all of us.
When the WinCo security guard came over to the Mules and said we had been there too long and we would have to leave immediately, he was not being mean, he was simply doing what he was trained to do – keep everything everybody moving at a pace that is set by machines.
The Mules live in respect and reverence for the Natural World and all its inhabitants and in a pace which is in stark contrast to that of the machines. The Mules cannot, will not, ever conform to the will or pace of living which the machines are now demanding. There is an epic struggle in motion between these two now most powerful forces – the Natural World and the Man-made World – as to which will win and dominate the earth.
The Mules have thrown as always throughout history all their chips to the Natural World. The Mules know that the amount of hope and faith freely given to this epic struggle will materialize into the answers needed to win this struggle.
Truckee, CA
Sacramento Police Department’s Lieutenant Freeman
Yesterday as the Mules were walking in Sacramento, Lieutenant Freeman stopped to greet us and ask how we were doing. We met Lt. Freeman back in 2013 the first time we brought the energy of the nation, The 3 Mules Nation, into the confines of Sacramento.
The Mules had a good conversation with Lt. Freeman. The Mules talked about our ages old nomadic way of life and the positive effects of it being shown and practiced in Sacramento and all other cities throughout the state. Lt. Freeman agreed.
The 3 Mules Nation says thank you to the citizens of Sacramento, Lt. Freeman, and Sacramento Police Department for our safe and enjoyable passage through Sacramento, the capitol city of California.
Sacramento, CA
While Little Girl and me were wondering which direction to go next, three Sacramento Police Officers came by, introduced themselves and expressed their curiosity as to what we were doing. So we said we were using our constitutional right to travel and move freely in anyone of all four directions, how we choose, when we choose. They said that’s cool.
Sacramento Megatropolis
On May 1, 2017 the Mules entered the Elk Grove in Sacramento county.
On the outskirts of town near Dillard Road, we came across the remnants of a 22 train car derailment that occurred during the heavy winter rains that flooded the area in February. We haven’t seen a derailment like this in a long time.
We found an quiet spot to rest with lots of green grass and shade to give Little Girl some rest. Here, the birds were singing and the geese were flying overhead releasing their energy of magic and power spurring the Mules into a new day of the same.
After we arrived in Sacramento, we spent the night along an abandoned railroad line. In the morning, I released Little Girl from her picket line so she could graze while I fixed my oatmeal for breakfast. Upon finishing breakfast, I went to get Little Girl about 200 feet away then packed her up. Off we went for another spontaneous unplanned day in the 3 Mule Nation.
Got to a Starbucks, secured Little Girl to a tree, went in, and charged my phone. Thank you Starbucks.
After phone got charged, we proceeded north to Del Paso and turned east. It was getting hot so we decided to stop and rest Little Girl under a tree. We were there for an hour when police showed up in two patrol cars, two officers asking many questions.
The first question we were asked was why were we here. They said somebody called saying there was a horse tied to a tree. Didn’t mention me. I was six feet away. One officer said he had had two horses and he knew that a horses should not be out in the heat. I just dropped my jaw, asked if I was being detained, received no answer, untied Little Girl and left. End of our resting time.
We proceeded along the boulevard for a mile went into a parking lot, got under a small tree and stopped.
Shortly afterwards, a reporter for the Sacramento Bee showed up, said he was curious as to what we were about and asked if he could interview us. We said sure, so he did for about 30 minutes asking questions and taking video. We explained our ages old nomadic way of life and the reason why we continue to live the way we do to preserve and exercise everybody’s right to travel by foot in the public thoroughfare and rest for the night. We saw the article and video that the Sacramento Bee posted online.
We were displeased of what the Bee published, focusing on the trivial and had no mention of our purpose of what we do all day every day. Following the Bee post, reporters from CBS13 and ABC10 have reached out and requested an interview with the Mules. We have not called them back as we found from past experience, local news stations cannot adequately report who The Mules are in the thirty seconds that they have to air a story, and most often the story is edited down to fluff. We find that the only three writers who have every captured the Mules true essence are Rick Paulas for The Kernel/The Daily Dot, Mark Luckach for The Atlantic, and Sarah Christie’s column for Mules and More.
Later that night, we found a place to rest for the evening/sleep.
The next day, as we were traveling through the Sacramento megatropolis, temperatures was in the 90s. It was time to obtain Little Girl a drink of water. We stopped at a business, asked if we could get water from the faucet on his building and person said no. He said that if we did try to get any water from the faucet, he would call the police.
This response to our request prompted the Mules to bring forth and into view Mule Proclamation 2645-B passed by the legislature of common sense and decency. This Proclamation states as follows: “Any corporation, business or private party who refuses any person traveling with or without an animal companion water for said personnel survival has committed an act of extreme inhumanity. A penalty of not less than 10 years in a not so nice place plus a $50,000.00 fine which will be placed in a multi-use state trail system fund, which will be assessed against the convicted.
The Mules will be in the Sacramento area showing how we live and the challenges we meet on a day to day basis and gathering people’s thoughts and energy as we walk along. In the past few days, Little Girl and I have enjoyed meeting and talking to many of the Three Mule Nation followers that live in the Sacramento Megatropolis.
The Mules are pleased to say that for every negative encounter the Mules may experience as we walk north, south, east, west, when we choose, how we choose, we have ten times more positive experiences with people that we meet while walking and living responsibly outside all day every day.
Manteca, CA
City of Ripon’s unconstitutional law
Upon arriving here last night within the city limits of Ripon, we the Mules were informed by the Ripon City Police that the Ripon City Council had recently passed a no camping law forbidding anybody traveling by foot, bicycle or horseback from stopping anywhere within city limits of Ripon on public space to sleep for the night.
The above being understood, we the Mules have taken it upon ourselves to deliver this day 4/24/2017 Mule Proclamation number 2645-A to the Ripon City Council.
PROCLAMATION #2645-A states:
Anybody traveling by foot, bicycle, horseback, crutches or wheelchair using their own physical resources to do said within the constitutional boundaries of the United States is doing so under the constitutional guarantees to move freely in anyone of all four directions, how you choose, when you choose. Stopping to sleep for the night is a necessary component for our right to move freely. For if the necessary function of sleep is denied, all other human activity and living experience is also being denied. To put it short and sweet without sleep, you die.
The Mules have come to the inevitable conclusion we cannot obey this law for to do so will be our death.
For any municipality and its city officials within the constitutional boundaries of the United States to spring forward and declare this most necessary function to life itself sleeping to be illegal and subject to heavy fines and jail time is a slap in the face in blatant disregard to all those who have given life and limb throughout this country’s history to protect and preserve humanity’s God given right to move freely.
The Mules will not give up this right. We’ve been here for hundreds of thousands of years. We haven’t given it up then nor will we now. The Mules invite the mayors and city council members of the many towns which the Mules will be traveling through to send their explanations and justifications as to why they have passed the no camping law in their town. The Three Mule Nation will be interested to hear the rational for enactment of such laws to be used against people traveling via non-motorized vehicles by foot, bicycle, horse. The Mules will gladly post their response in its entirety on our website 3Mules.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
The Mules
Little Girl stolen and found by Selma Police Department
On Thursday, October 13, 2016 around 1:15AM, while I was asleep behind the Selma Plaza Shopping Center in Selma, CA, the shopping center’s security guard drove up in his truck and woke me up. He said he had seen me with my two mules earlier in the evening at the shopping center. He wanted to let me know that he had just seen a man on a bicycle leading Little Girl, my 28-year old white mule, away on Highland Avenue.
Before I went to sleep, I had secured Lady and Little Girl on a picket line to the fence with a secure knot that can’t come undone by itself. I looked where Little Girl had been picketed and she was gone. I flagged down a police officer and told him what happened. I couldn’t risk leaving Lady alone and waited in place.
Around 2AM, Selma police returned and said that they located Little Girl. One officer stayed with Lady and my belongings, while the other officer took me to get Little Girl.
The Mules want to thank the Selma Plaza Shopping Center night security guard who woke me up to alert me that Little Girl was taken as it resulted in her quick recovery. I neglected to get his name and hope he sees this and writes us. I also want to thank the four Selma Police officers on duty last night – Officers Alvarez, Officer Johnson, Officer Hissong and Officer Musso, who responded and located Little Girl. Without the security guard as witness and fast action of all the officer involved, it would have been very difficult to locate Little Girl if we had awoken hours later without any witness information or any idea which direction to look if she got hidden. We also want to thank Selma Police dispatcher who we spoke to on the phone who gave us updates while we were waiting. We are forever grateful more than our words can express.
We do not want to go into details about the person who took her, so please do not ask for more info. We are just thankful that Little Girl, who has been with me and Lady for the past 25-years, was located and unharmed. This is the first time in in our 30+ year journey that this has ever happened.
This morning, we walked to Selma Police Department to thank the four officers but they had finished their night shift. These are photos of other Selma officers who came out to meet Little Girl and Lady. After we thanked the Selma Police Department for their help, we left Selma and continued on our migratory journey south.
