It's a good thing that the Detroit police moved quickly on this. These pillow fights (new window) can get out of hand.

I'm glad that before they did this the detroit police got rid of all the other crime in the city.

/sarcasm off.

lajimi: It's a good thing that the Detroit police moved quickly on this. These pillow fights (new window) can get out of hand.

Haha! Nice vid. Those down pillows look pretty weak, though. I would go for the synthetic fluff that's less likely to come flying out of a bursting seam. Probably squishes down into a lump on one end making it easy to smack the bejesus out of someone.

Detroit? If you ain't showin up with guns and knives GTFO!

Hey, Justice never sleeps....

Where do I apply for my concealed pillow permit?

Thus depillowfied, everyone returned to shooting each other with guns.

Because everyone knows that detroit is crime free and therefore the police have plenty of time to deal with situations like this.

A depillow-tory cream would be safer to use in this instance.

too bad it's not an Iowa story, that could have been "pillow-biting citizens"....

Came to whine because my "Hero" tag wasn't greenlit:

Detroit Police stop fight organized by armed thugs, confiscate weapons without permit.

/congrats, smitty
//I'll be sulking in the corner

vaconex: Michael Davis of Hamtramck says police confiscated the 32-year-old man's pillows but returned their cases. He says he was told that he needed a permit.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble

As absolutely stupid this "bust" was, your interpretation of the First Amendment is equally as stupid.

I can understand Detroit Police being a little leary of large groups of people gathering and simulating violence. They have a history of riots, and the city is pretty much a powder keg of resentment and unease these days. No one has a job, and the city is practically empty of anything resembling a healthy economy.

But I think that this kind of thing could have been therapeutic, in a way. A way for people to blow of steam, and unless someone knocks down a person with a throw pillow and then curb stomps them, no one is likely to get seriously hurt.

I would say to officially sponsor this kind of thing, and you might even be able to get tourists to come in and participate in the world's biggest pillow fight. Insurance for that kind of thing would likely be a biatch, but if you make it 18+ and only use "official" pillows, and patrol it constantly to keep it from getting too out of hand... I think they might be able to get a little fun out of this along with relieving some city-wide stress.

But, this is Detroit I'm talking about here. That city hasn't been creative since the 70's era muscle cars stopped rolling off the line.

/miss the greatness of D-Town
//summers downtown at the International Auto Show and Tigers stadium are but a memory

The only offence I can see here is littering, on a grand scale but it's doubtful it was really worth this much attention.

James T. Smirk: Detroit? If you ain't showin up with guns and knives GTFO!


Excuse me, but that's because it's just so much easier to hose blood and grey matter into the sewer than it is to rake up fluffy feathers.

We have a Downtown to keep clean, you know.

Stupid is all around us.


I have a right to bear pillows. What do I do if I'm waking down the street and get attacked by a nap?

You can have my pillow when you pry it from my sheet burned fingers?
Doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Thank god

Thanks for the vid too.
Needed a laugh this am

Marcintosh: I have a right to bear pillows.

You should try goose down.

I weep for the future of semi-pornographical videos starring scantily-glad sorority girls enjoying slumber parties.

Ask: The only offence I can see here is littering, on a grand scale but it's doubtful it was really worth this much attention.

Seriously, a much bigger offense by the city these days is that they would not allow the Spirit of Detroit to wear a Spartan jersey this week without a $25,000 fee. They're saying the jerseys erode the finish on the statue and the fee covers the upkeep.

But I think it's more likely to pay for the City Clowncil's tiaras and chauffeurs.

/Go STATE!

Shadowknight: But, this is Detroit I'm talking about here. That city hasn't been creative since the 70's era muscle cars stopped rolling off the line.

You obviously haven't been to Detroit in a long time.

KwameKilstrawberry: Ask: The only offence I can see here is littering, on a grand scale but it's doubtful it was really worth this much attention.

Seriously, a much bigger offense by the city these days is that they would not allow the Spirit of Detroit to wear a Spartan jersey this week without a $25,000 fee. They're saying the jerseys erode the finish on the statue and the fee covers the upkeep.

But I think it's more likely to pay for the City Clowncil's tiaras and chauffeurs.

/Go STATE!

KwameKilstrawberry: Ask: The only offence I can see here is littering, on a grand scale but it's doubtful it was really worth this much attention.

Seriously, a much bigger offense by the city these days is that they would not allow the Spirit of Detroit to wear a Spartan jersey this week without a $25,000 fee. They're saying the jerseys erode the finish on the statue and the fee covers the upkeep.

But I think it's more likely to pay for the City Clowncil's tiaras and chauffeurs.

/Go STATE!

My sister lives in Lansing and goes to MSU (she graduates this fall). She says it's a nuthouse this weekend, and that she fully expects at least a car or two to get burned sometime soon. Win or lose.

KwameKilstrawberry:
But I think it's more likely to pay for the City Clowncil's tiaras and chauffeurs.

Well said. The main problem with Detroit is that it doesn't have leaders or representatives; It has a handful of people who get the cushy jobs with all sorts of kickbacks, and a lot of people who don't.

Detroit cannot respond to 911 calls, they can't respond to fires, they cannot stop crime. But tell them someone is going to make some clean up work for them and they are ON it. Somebody else here said it best, Welcome to Soweto.

When you outlaw pillows,
only outlaws will take comfortable naps.

Shadowknight:

My sister lives in Lansing and goes to MSU (she graduates this fall). She says it's a nuthouse this weekend, and that she fully expects at least a car or two to get burned sometime soon. Win or lose.


And I'll bet two Internets that come Tuesday morning, there will be no riot in Detroit, not one cop car will be burned and the only dead bodies that will be found will murdered suburbanites dumped there.

/Win or Win

Detroit's biggest problem right now is the City Council.

MIguy: Shadowknight: But, this is Detroit I'm talking about here. That city hasn't been creative since the 70's era muscle cars stopped rolling off the line.

You obviously haven't been to Detroit in a long time.

I am talking more about the city council than GM, but hey...

But as far as the cars go, they really haven't had much in the way of "interesting" until recently. I've owned all American cars because my Dad, 5 Uncles, 3 Aunts, Grandmother and 2 Grandfathers, and multiple friends all work for GM or Ford and are members of the UAW. Owning a foreign car would be a hanging offense.

But let's face it. During the 80's and 90's, a Sunfire looked like a Grand Am which looked like a Lumina which looked liked a Neon... Everything was rounded, bubbled, and had no personality.

Americans love their cars, and they want more than JUST reliability. They want something slick to look at and show off too.

In my driveway right now I have my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan (shut up, I'm a stay-at-home dad...), a 2004 Monte Carlo Pace Car edition, and my supped up 1987 Ford Mustang 5.0 with 3.5" headers and custom Cat Backs, lower gear ratio, and a beautiful set of high set, deep dish rims. I basically went for the American Car sampler platter.

The problem with Detroit is that the only people left living there are so ignorant and uneducated that they are unable to vote in their own self-interests. They just reelect any race-baiting populist who blames all their ills on "the suburbs" (ie, whitey), while the city crumbles around them. At least the governor FINALLY had the balls to appoint an emergency reciever for the school system, but it's far too little, far too late.

Marcintosh:
I have a right to bear pillows. What do I do if I'm waking down the street and get attacked by a nap?

Did you intend that typo? Funny either way, but very subtle ...

/getting attacked by a nap right now
//losing

aiiee: Detroit cannot respond to 911 calls, they can't respond to fires, they cannot stop crime. But tell them someone is going to make some clean up work for them and they are ON it. Somebody else here said it best, Welcome to Soweto.

One thing that Detroit does well, better than any other major city in the US (are we still "Major"?), is keep the Downtown proper area safe.

The pillow fight was to take place smack in the middle of a public square near the Final Four games, Fox Theatre, etc. An area that during events, is perfectly safe to walk around at night.

I'll almost bet that the police would have allowed the pillow fight if someone had asked for a permit, and if the Final Four was not here this week. They are being overly cautious while the eyes of the country are on us and they don't want something seemingly innocent to get out of hand with all the extra people around.

If the same group waits another day, they can have a snowball fight instead.

/6 - 10 inches tonight
//and I don't mean that in a good way

KwameKilstrawberry: And I'll bet two Internets that come Tuesday morning, there will be no riot in Detroit, not one cop car will be burned and the only dead bodies that will be found will murdered suburbanites dumped there.

/Win or Win

Having been to Detroit within the last four months, I can see that. People are beat down, angry, and dejected... Yet they still maintain a weird sense of contentment and friendliness. I can walk down the streets there, and people will still wave and tell you hello. People that can't afford a car of their own will see you broke down on the side of the road and will come out with a tool kit to help you get yours running again. It's really an amazing place.

I have this article from Sports Illustrated that was one of the coolest reads I have had in a long time. I suggest giving it a read, as it's only about sports in the peripheral, but more about how the people of Detroit are saddened but not willing to just let their city go.

The Courage of Detroit

MIguy: Detroit's biggest problem right now is the City Council.

Pretty much agree here. The people are more than willing to do the work to fix up their city, and want to see it return to greatness. But they keep electing people that would rather take multiple "research trips" to Miami 70% of the time.

elvindeath: The problem with Detroit is that the only people left living there are so ignorant and uneducated that they are unable to vote in their own self-interests. They just reelect any race-baiting populist who blames all their ills on "the suburbs" (ie, whitey), while the city crumbles around them. At least the governor FINALLY had the balls to appoint an emergency reciever for the school system, but it's far too little, far too late.

Agreed. Just wait until they can't get out of their $300 million budget debt and Jenny will send in someone to smack the city council around just like she did to the schools and Pontiac. That should have been done decades ago.

The Bananadragon: Marcintosh:
I have a right to bear pillows. What do I do if I'm waking down the street and get attacked by a nap?

Did you intend that typo? Funny either way, but very subtle ...

/getting attacked by a nap right now
//losing

You're not the only one.

KwameKilstrawberry: One thing that Detroit does well, better than any other major city in the US (are we still "Major"?), is keep the Downtown proper area safe.

The pillow fight was to take place smack in the middle of a public square near the Final Four games, Fox Theatre, etc. An area that during events, is perfectly safe to walk around at night.

It's like the police said "This is where we stand our ground, folks. We won't let this go. The Joe Louis Arena shall. Not. FALL!"

It's like Detroit's version of the Green Zone.

Boum
Quand notre cœur fait Boum
Tout avec lui dit Boum
Et c'est l'amour qui s'éveille.
Boum
Il chante "love in bloom"
Au rythme de ce Boum
Qui redit Boum à l'oreille

I hope this is not obscure.

Asclepius: Boum
Quand notre cœur fait Boum
Tout avec lui dit Boum
Et c'est l'amour qui s'éveille.
Boum
Il chante "love in bloom"
Au rythme de ce Boum
Qui redit Boum à l'oreille

I hope this is not obscure.

Since that video was linked up at the top of the thread, not really.

Proposed method for ensuing feather clean-up:

Now! Poke her with the comfy pillows!

Pillow fight??? Meh..it's been done...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn927JFrob4

/I participated

James T. Smirk: Proposed method for ensuing feather octopus clean-up:

It almost seems like the State punishes anything that's out of the ordinary, or anything that might be fun, or theraputic, or whimsical, or funny. No, much better to have the people live like automatons. They're much easier to control.

Gods forbid anybody participates in anything that isn't regimented and monitored and controlled.

/ that would be doubleplusungood

And that's how we got the term rap sheet.

Jujubunnie: Haha! Nice vid. Those down pillows look pretty weak, though. I would go for the synthetic fluff that's less likely to come flying out of a bursting seam. Probably squishes down into a lump on one end making it easy to smack the bejesus out of someone.

I haven't had a pillow fight in a while, but I do remember that if you let your guard down and took one square in the head (we couldn't afford down--all synthetic in my house), you would be woozy for five or ten seconds.

They should have this as a form of conflict resolution in schools. Disagreement? Settle it in the ring with two heavy pillows. Yeah!

/they should teach boxing in inner city schools

buzzvert: too bad it's not an Iowa story, that could have been "pillow-biting citizens"....

your troll was weak

Shadowknight:

I have this article from Sports Illustrated that was one of the coolest reads I have had in a long time. I suggest giving it a read, as it's only about sports in the peripheral, but more about how the people of Detroit are saddened but not willing to just let their city go.



Goddamn you, the last three words of that article made me weep.


FTFA:

People in Detroit can still tell you where they were when they heard about that limo smashing into a tree in suburban Birmingham six days after the Cup win of '97, forever changing the lives of Vladimir Konstantinov, Slava Fetisov and Sergei Mnatsakanov. Vigils were held outside the hospital.

The ex, the kids and I had left The Palace after a soccer game. The girls were on a league then and we had gotten free tickets. We came down Opdyke to Woodward Avenue and it was crawling with cops and flares and there in the median was a limo smashed against a rather small tree. When we got home, we learned who it was.

The hospital they were in is within walking distance of my home and I had to take my nephew up to the ER for some reason. All I remember is the the battalion of sattelite news vans.

Yes, we really were collectively praying for 'our boys' for quite some time. Even people like me, who could aren't particularly sports-minded.

Detroit: Still the best sports and music town in America.

Shadowknight: My sister lives in Lansing and goes to MSU (she graduates this fall). She says it's a nuthouse this weekend, and that she fully expects at least a car or two to get burned sometime soon. Win or lose.

I'm graduating in May, so I'm getting a kick out of all of your reply.

I was at home watching the game. It was really quiet here. I even remember commenting to my wife that maybe everybody was at the Breslin Center watching it there.

Then the clock ticked down to zero and our complex just ERUPTED. You could feel vibration on the floor when people started jumping up and down. You could hear yelling and screaming from accross the pond as people celebrated. It was INSANE. But no cars were overturned--at least at our complex!

Despite being a graduate student here, I wasn't much of a fan. I'm still loyal to my undergraduate big ten team. But this week, and especially after yesterday, I'm bleeding green. The state has had a rough time of it these last few years. We need something to celebrate.

/hopefully the MSU students get some class and celebrate peacefully
//not counting on it. they're a bunch of drunks. Well, not all of them, but a good half of them.

spartywrx: elvindeath: The problem with Detroit is that the only people left living there are so ignorant and uneducated that they are unable to vote in their own self-interests. They just reelect any race-baiting populist who blames all their ills on "the suburbs" (ie, whitey), while the city crumbles around them. At least the governor FINALLY had the balls to appoint an emergency reciever for the school system, but it's far too little, far too late.

Agreed. Just wait until they can't get out of their $300 million budget debt and Jenny will send in someone to smack the city council around just like she did to the schools and Pontiac. That should have been done decades ago.

THIS. WTF did Pontiac do that Detroit leaders haven't done worse? The Feds could close the Council down on the Synagro sludge deal alone.

HULLO?!? Dear US Government, there are 800,000 voices here. Forget the bailouts, rescue us from our 'leaders'!

the one in DC went off without a hitch

AND WAS AWESOME.