Coastal Post Online
MARIN COUNTY'S NEWS
MONTHLY - FREE PRESS
(415)868-1600 -
(415)868-0502(fax) - P.O. Box 31, Bolinas, CA, 94924
September, 2004
Moo Town News
By Judy Borello
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K.O.
Mayo
(And that ain't mayonnaise)
Being in the West Marin Community for over 34 years, I've never
seen such citizen solidarity since the threat of offshore drilling. The line is
drawn between Park Ranger Mayo and the Pt. Reyesians, Invernesians and all of
West Marin.
The event that sparked this altercation was Ranger Roger Mayo and
his accomplice, Ranger Angelina Gregorio, handcuffing and then pepper spraying
a seventeen and eighteen year old brother and sister, Jessica and Chris Miller,
from Inverness Park.
The event unraveled like this, according to the Point Reyes Light.
Park Ranger Mayo pulled over a vehicle and driver, Will White of Marshall, and
passenger Emil Kemph of Inverness, at White House Pool for not having a front
license plate. White House Pool is not parklands. Kempf and White were taken,
not arrested, and cited for threatening behavior, apparently for asking another
ranger about Mayo's hostile behavior during the traffic stop.
At one point, Ranger Mayo pulled Kemph out of the car and made him
sit on the ground under threat of arrest for complaining that the stop was
unnecessarily long since the citation was issued two hours after the traffic
stop.
In the meantime Kemph and White had complained to deputies at the
Pt. Reyes Sheriff's Substation and then gone to a friends house on Levee Road.
Shortly thereafter Roger Mayo arrived in his patrol car and parked
outside the house.
When Kemph and White went outside to find out what was going on, they were
taken into custody and driven back to park headquarters. After they had been
cited, Mayo drove the two back to Pt. Reyes Station but refused to let them out
of the patrol car until a group of parents and young people dispersed. The
group had formed in order to be witnesses to what was going on.
Chris and Jessica Miller arrived on the scene at this point.
Jessica approached with her hands over her head and asked why her friends were
being detained.
Chris Miller followed his sister with his hands in his pockets.
When they were six to eight feet away, Ranger Mayo ordered the brother and
sister to stop and sit on the ground. Instead they began to walk away, only to
have Ranger Mayo stop Chris, demand he turn around and then pepper sprayed him
in the face when he did turn around.
Then Ranger Mayo forced Chris to sit on the asphalt outsider
former Chez Madeline Restaurant and then proceeded to pepper spray him again
before handcuffing him.
Ranger Gregorio meanwhile pepper sprayed Jessica in the face. She
was also handcuffed and also forced to the ground while Gregorio put her weight
on the kneeling 105 pound girl. Ranger Mayo pulled a visor away from Jessica's
face and manually spread her eyelids apart and pepper sprayed directly
into her eyeballs. As she writhed in pain, she was pepper sprayed over and over
again, witnesses later reported.
After receiving medical treatment from county firefighters, the
two were released without any charges.
Now, is this overkill?
Witnesses state that Ranger Mayo, whose house is in close
proximity to Highway One, stands in his front yard and sprays passing cyclists
right in the face with a hose.
Not only could the motorcyclist kill himself while veering off the
road but hurt someone else as well. This is coming from a man who should know
better and is trained to protect people.
Superintendent Don Neubacher, who I always found over the years to
be more than willing to communicate about a problem and be a fair man in
resolving it. Rangers I have know over the years have always been cordial,
helpful and never on such a power trip as Ranger Mayo.
I would recommend to Supt. Don Neubacher to get rid of Mayo
because one spoiled apple can spoil the bunch just by being in the press so
much over Mayo's scandalous conduct.
And what right do the Park Rangers have being law enforcement
officers outside park boundaries? If the Park fired Mayo, they'd probably be
saving his life because there is so much tension in our area over Mayo's
conduct. I don't even think anger management class will help Mayo.
Somebody's really going to be hurt if this situation isn't
rectified quickly and succinctly.
These are some of the sayings on posters from Inverness to Levee Road posted on trees and poles along Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
¥ "Keep our parks safe."
¥ "Fire these out-of-control rangers."
¥ "When the people fear the government you
have tyranny. When the government fears the people, you have freedom."
¥ "Pepper spray after handcuffs?"
Not good, Don. Handle it!
PS The Millers have talked to attorney Dennis Cunningham of San Francisco. The family has opened a legal fund account at at the Bank of Petaluma in
Pt. Reyes Station.