A honey of a story: Cops involved in big sting say it's no laughing matter
As civil disobedience goes, it was a honey of a protest to some, just a Bee-grade movie to others. But either way, it created a lot of buzz on the internet. (Refill your coffee, it’s going to be a long column.)
It all began when a Longmeadow, Mass., family was about to be evicted from its home, as homes are understood in Longmeadow, Mass. No shotgun shack, this was five-bedroom, 7,900-square-foot, 5½-bath colonial valued at nearly $1.3 million.
As deputies from the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office converged to execute the eviction order, they found a handful of protesters at the house, but no owner. He was at the courthouse trying to save his home, so everyone waited around for him to return.
The owner didn’t show up, but another protester named Rorie Woods did, towing a flatbed trailer upon which were several bee hives.
Normally it’s the police who perform a sting operation, but not here. According to The Washington Post, “Noticing what was about to happen, Deputy Michael Joslyn tried to intervene. Woods then allegedly broke the cover of a hive, causing hundreds of bees to swarm the area. Woods flipped one of the hives off the flatbed trailer, making the bees 'extremely aggressive,' the sheriff’s office said in the news release.”
The bees didn’t like being evicted from their house any more than the Longmeadow homeowner. But a bee isn’t going to visit no courthouse. A bee is going to take matters into its own feelers.
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The Post reported, “Multiple deputies were stung before they could arrest Woods, officials said. She has since been charged with four counts of felony assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, three counts of felony assault with a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor."
So where’s Wayne LaPierre when you need him? I would have thought this was a clear violation of her right to keep and bear swarms.
But the sheriff said it was no laughing matter, because some of his deputies were allergic, and it could have been a life-threatening matter.
But in 2018, Woods had said her own health was jeopardized by an eviction. MassLive reported, “Evicted from her house, Woods has been staying in a tent on a friend's property. She said many of her belongings are missing or were destroyed in storage. She said her health has deteriorated. She has cancer and her treatment has been interrupted.”
Protesters say the court charges for appealing a foreclosure have been jacked up beyond people’s means. And if you can’t pay a mortgage, you probably can’t pay for a lawsuit.
It’s like the comedian Gallagher said about bank fees: “You bounce a check, what do they do? Charge you more of what they know you ain’t got.”
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So bees might be an understandable response, but you have to play the long game here. The story didn’t say, but I can’t imagine the stunt prevented the guy from losing his home. It’s like people who got all riled up on Jan. 6. OK, so you could bullrush the Capitol, but what are you going to do when the U.S. military shows up with tanks, bombs, laser-guided missiles and jet aircraft? How much good is that can of bear spray going to do you then, Otis?
Of course if protesting doesn’t work out for Woods, there’s always a career for her in cartoon writing. That’s always a reliable gag: Mouse climbs into a hollow tree, cat uses a plunger to suck out the mouse, but pulls out a hive instead and runs away shrieking in pain. Classic.
Although when I think of the things that amused us when we were 6, it’s no wonder we can’t solve the immigration problem.
So hopefully Ms. Woods has learned from this experience and, if we’re lucky, next time she’ll upgrade to skunks.
Tim Rowland is a Herald-Mail columnist.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Bees let loose on sheriffs' deputies creates buzz online
