by Travis Mateer
The cop who responded to my presence under the Beartracks Bridge wasn’t interested in knowing whether or not the Boone and Crockett Club owns the land directly under the bridge, he just wanted to know when I would be moving my house on wheels, or if I would need to be brought before a judge while my vehicle was being towed, regardless of who owned the property.
“I’ll have it moved by sundown,” I said, and I did.
For some quick history on who and why this club was established over a century ago, here’s an excerpt from their website:
Established in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell, the Boone and Crockett Club was founded by hunters who dedicated their lives to the conservation of wildlife. As the turn of the 20th century approached our nation, these men had to make a choice: stand by and watch our cherished wildlife disappear or work for the protection and propagation of our wildlife resource. Thankfully, they rose to the challenge and chose the latter.
Before I relocated, I documented a challenge I doubt the woman inside the nice building could rise to address–or ANYONE in that iconic Missoula building–and that’s how less capable homeless people use the bridge infrastructure.
Yes, that’s what you think it is, and no, I didn’t touch any of that literal shit, but I did pick up a few other trash items, then I used a city trash can to throw the shit away.
Later this week, at Western Montana News, I’ll be using my interaction with that pretty good cop to highlight the reality of Missoula’s Urban Crisis Camping Ordinance (UCCO) vs. the perceived implication of the SupCo Grants Pass decision.
To give you a taste of why perspective is unique, here’s a brief video of me talking to one of my peers, Huckleberry. I admit I wasn’t that receptive to how the conversation started, but upon reflection I think me and Huckleberry both agree that technology, Fentanyl, and China SUCK.
Some of the groundwork I’ve been doing the last few days involves a claim from a source that Detective Guy Baker got himself in official trouble. Is this true? I haven’t been able to confirm this yet, but when the good cop was approaching my truck on Monday I was in the middle of leaving a message with Kyler Nerison, the communication person for the Attorney General’s Office, about my inquiry, and when he called me back later in the day the only thing he could offer was that Montana’s Department of Justice didn’t employ Detective Baker. Duly noted.
Another news story I’m looking into involves human remains found in the Deep Creek area outside Missoula. For those who aren’t aware, this is the part of town where Johnny Lee Perry was shot and killed by the Sheriff’s Office AND the area where Joey Thompson went missing before turning up dead downstream, in the Clark Fork.
The “news” report about this discovery of human remains outside Missoula is, as usual, nearly totally devoid of actual information. See for yourself:
Human remains were discovered in a rural area west of Missoula over the weekend, the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Detectives were unable to immediately identify the remains, which were found Saturday afternoon along Deep Creek Road, according to an update from the sheriff’s office published on Facebook. The road runs through a mountainous area to the north and west of Blue Mountain.
No further details were provided in the social media post. A sheriff’s office spokesperson did not immediately respond to a phone call Monday requesting more information.
Well, since local media is so incredibly disappointing, I called around to places like the Crime Lab and the Funeral Home, and though I didn’t uncover much, I will write something up, hopefully, later this week about it.
So stay tuned, donate if you’re able, and THANK YOU for reading.
