By Brian Carnell

Tuesday, March 19, 2002

After many months, Michael Moore's book Stupid White Men finally came out, and Moore is apparently on a tour to prove he can personally live up to the title. He appears to have continued on his merrily way of concocting fables and half-truths in his incessant self-promotion efforts.

A few days ago, Moore posted an rant on his website, "Police Raid, Shut Down My Booksigning in San Diego," claiming he was abused by police who, of course, want to shut him down because everyone knows Moore is the most hated man in America.

According to Moore,

It's a few minutes before midnight, on Friday night on 3/8/2002. I'm in San Diego, and I have just escaped being arrested by the San Diego police. This book tour keeps getting more surreal, but the last hour has been unlike anything I have yet seen.

. . .

When I go inside, give my usual talk, and begin to sign books. There's a 90-year-old lady whose granddaughter has driven her down from Orange County. There's a union organizer from the antiunion San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper who announces that his grandfather was a sit-down striker with my uncle back in 1937 in Flint. Some punk-poet kid tries to finish me off for good by offering me two Krispy Kreme donuts. Hundreds line up to have their books, their "Awful Truth" DVDs and, in one case, an Iron Maiden jean jacket, signed. I am told that we are getting close to the time when we will have to leave the school, as it has only been rented until 11pm. That is not good. Hundreds are still in line. I don't think any of these signings this week have been over before midnight.

Somewhere around 11:30pm, I hear a commotion at the back of the auditorium. I see people start to scatter. The San Diego police are coming down the aisle, their large flashlights out (the auditorium lights are still on, so we all understand the implied "other" use of these instruments). The police are telling everyone to "VACATE THESE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY OR YOU WILL ALL BE ARRESTED!" I cannot believe what I am hearing. "YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANOTHER WARNING. LEAVE NOW -- OR FACE ARREST!"

. . .

The cops approach the stage where I am signing the books. People are visibly frightened -- and about half the book-line bolts toward the doors. I stand up and speak to the officers. "I am the author of this book," I tell them politely. "These people are only here to get a book and all I am doing is signing them. We will be done shortly."

"I don't care who you are," they reply. "We have received a call from the school district and we have been told to remove you. You were supposed to be out of here at 11:00pm." We had apparently violated our curfew.

"C'mon guys, you can't be serious," I said. "Are you saying that you are going to arrest me for signing people's books, and arrest the people who are here because they want to read this book?"

The truth turns out to be less dramatic. The booksigning was supposed to end at 11 p.m. Janitor George Waller had to stick around until everyone was out and by 11:15 p.m. he became impatient and asked Moore to wrap things up. According to Waller, Moore refuse. Waller told the San Diego Union Tribune,

He didn't care that I had to work the next day. He didn't care that I had already put in a full day. I think he just wanted to sell books. He was all about the money.

That's our Mike -- a real standup guy just looking out for the little people. By 11:30 p.m. Waller was fed up with Moore and called the police.

Were the police dramatically ordering people to vacate the premises or be arrested? Union Tribune columnist Peter Rowe contacted Moore's host for the event, Tanja Winter of Activist San Diego, about those charges. According to Winter,

The police were stern, but polite. . . The police were not called because he was political. The police were called because we had a contract and the custodian wanted to go home.

There's one last flourish of detail in Moore's account that says a lot about the veracity of Moore's claims. On his web site, Moore writes that,

The brave lady who was the owner of the independent bookstore and who was there selling my book, leaned over and whispered to me, "I am willing to go to jail for this if you want me to." Ya gotta hand it to the independent bookstores -- they've been through hell lately, so much so that they are now ready to be led away in handcuffs!

Rowe contacted that woman, Carole Carden of Esmeralda Books & Coffee and asked her what she thought of Moore. Her reply? "Never meet your heroes."

Why does Moore seem to rewrite the events in his life to best serve his promotional efforts (such as his recent revision of the extent of his support for Ralph Nader)?

Source:

Police Raid, Shut Down My Booksigning in San Diego. Michael Moore, MichaelMoore.Com, March 11, 2002.

Don't judge an author by his cover: Michael Moore. Peter Rowe, San Diego Union Tribune, March 19, 2002.

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