The first caller reports seeing a "Caucasian man with white hair and pajama pants walking with what looks like and AK-47."
A second caller says he saw an older man walking down the street with what looked to be an assault rifle, although he admits it could also be a pellet or BB gun. He says the man had the gun up by his shoulder and "didn't look dangerous or nothing." The dispatcher asks if the gun is in the man's hands, to which the caller replies it is not. "He's an elderly man and I just want to make sure everything's all right," he says.
A third caller gives police more cause for alarm. "There's an older gentleman carrying what looks like a large semi-automatic rifle through the streets," the male caller says. "He does appear to be intoxicated; he's stumbling around a little bit and kind of bumping into some stuff."
KDPS Sgt. Sean Gordon is the first officer on the scene and observed the man with a gun slung across his shoulder and jaywalking across the street in a state of intoxication.
He carefully makes contact with the individual:
Gordon: Hey partner, how you doing? Can you set that down real quick and talk to me?
Houseman: I'm not setting it down.
Gordon: Well you can't cross the street like that.
Houseman: Am I being detained?
Gordon: Yes, you are being detained right now. You crossed the street illegally. Place the weapon down on the ground please.
Houseman: I will not.
Gordon radios that it appears the man will not drop his rifle.
Gordon: "Look, you crossed the street illegally; I just want to talk to you. I just want to talk to you. You're walking around here scaring people, man.
A second Public Safety vehicle arrives just after 4:11 p.m. About a minute later, Gordon asks Houseman for his name. Houseman says he is "Joe Schmoe."
"Based on training and experience I know that this is a euphemism used as an alias and knew it was not correct," Gordon would later write in his report.
Houseman: I am free to go?
Gordon: "No, you're not free to go. Right now you're committing a crime of resisting and obstructing (for failing to identify himself after being stopped for jaywalking). Now you've stepped up to a misdemeanor crime.
Houseman: Why don't you (expletive) shoot me?
Gordon: I don't want to shoot you; I'm not here to do that.
As the interaction continues Houseman calls the officers "gang members" and mentions a coming "revolution." Which you may all remember is the same language used by those cop killers in Nevada.
More officers arrive, including SWAT, but the police continue to negotiate with Mr. Houseman and avoid the use of force.
Another officer takes the lead, KDPS Lt. Stacey Geik, who finally convinced Houseman to lay down his weapon, which turns out to be empty.
He then has the following exchange with Houseman:
Geik offers to allow Houseman to walk home and retrieve his rifle the following day, or to drive him home and continue the discussion there. Houseman declines both offers.
Geik: But you're not stable mentally, which now takes you away from that rifle.
Houseman: I'm not stable mentally? How do you decide that?
Geik: You're damn right. How did this happen with open carry? What are you supposed to do when you contact law enforcement? Do you say, 'I hate you mother(expletive), (expletive) you? I hate you, there's a revolution coming.' Do you say that? Is that what you're taught?
Houseman: It was wrong of me.
Houseman agains asks for his gun back. Geik tells him he wants to make sure he isn't a risk to himself or others.
Geik: You saying (expletive), (expletive), (expletive) and yelling across the street with a rifle in your hands ...
Houseman: That's my First Amendment right.
Geik: No it's not. You can't swear.
Houseman: That's bull---. I can threaten you if I want to.
Geik: That's incorrect.
Houseman: I can threaten you. I can threaten you're family. I didn't threaten your family, I said I could.
Unidentified officer: You said a war was coming.
Houseman: I didn't say a war was coming.
Unidentified officer: You said a revolution is coming.
Houseman: Think about it. You know it is.
My first thought is that the Kalamazoo police are very patient people.
My second thought is that these idiots need to stop quoting the Constitution until they have somebody sit down and explain it to them.
And my third thought is that if these assholes keep talking about a revolution they are going to find themselves yelling that kind of crap through iron bars.
This idiot is very lucky he did not end up looking like a chunk of Swiss cheese, but if this keeps up there is definitely going to come a time when an abrasive Open Carry advocate runs into an irritable police officer and then shit is going to get real.
