Hash House Harriers

[daftandbarmy]

The international drinking club with a running problem casuses yet more turmoil... I won't tell you what my 'Hash Name' is either


http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/070825/K082508AU.html

Running club members face felony charges for scare at store in Conn.

Published: Saturday, August 25, 2007 | 7:21 PM ET Canadian Press: CARA RUBINSKY

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Two people who sprinkled flour in a parking lot to mark a trail for their offbeat running club inadvertently caused a bioterrorism scare and now face a felony charge.

The sprinkled powder forced hundreds to evacuate an IKEA furniture store Thursday.

New Haven ophthalmologist Daniel Salchow, 36, and his sister, Dorothee, 31, who is visiting from Hamburg, Germany, were both charged with first-degree breach of peace, a felony.

The siblings set off the scare while organizing a run for a local chapter of the Hash House Harriers, a worldwide group that bills itself as a "drinking club with a running problem."

"Hares" are given the task of marking a trail to direct runners, throwing in some dead ends and forks as challenges. On Thursday, the Salchows decided to route runners through the massive IKEA parking lot.

Police fielded a call just before 5 p.m. that someone was sprinkling powder on the ground. The store was evacuated and remained closed the rest of the night. The incident prompted a massive response from police in New Haven and surrounding towns.

Daniel Salchow biked back to IKEA when he heard there was a problem and told officers the powder was just harmless flour, which he said he and his sister have sprinkled everywhere from New York to California without incident.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever anticipate anything like that,"
he said.

Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said the city plans to seek restitution from the Salchows, who are due in court Sept. 14.

"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know," she said. "It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious.
We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."

 

[xena]

Not sure if they're the same or related group, but people have been doing that around Vancouver too.  I know for a fact that they have been repeatedly warned that sprinkling flour on the ground looks a little suspicous - but I don't think it sunk in because they've kept doing it.

 

[daftandbarmy]

That would be the Vancouver HHH.

http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/vanhash/

 

[xena]

That looks like them.  All we had to do with them was that my boss had a bit of a "chat" with one of the people doing the flour sprinkling.  Apparently, post 9-11 world, bioterrorism, and all that jazz, were something this person had never heard of...

I guess it doesn't take brains to run...

 

[c_canuk]

<i>"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know," she said. "It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious.
We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."
</i>

because listening to a guy walking up and identifying it as flour that he put down to mark a route, something they have been doing for years with no complaints, as soon as he heard some one was afraid of what it could be, is really expensive.

if any terrorist lays out a running course complete with distance markers and routing directions in chalk to attack us it's probably Wile E Coyote and thus the only person injured will be the terrorist themself.

<Sarcasm ON>

I am wondering when they are going to charge city works with breech of peace because they are caught manipulating mass amounts of white powder first thing in the morning around winter ish... some of them will even be driving around trucks spraying white powder that amazingly melts snow and ice! that can't be natural!

What about the guys with suspicious looking spray tanks on their backs spraying white lines in the parking lot, sure it looks like a grid of parking spaces but you never know, it could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious!

Terrorists under every rock!

</sarcasm>

This is the same sort of idiocy that results in the police being called when civilians see the military, or as they put it "Guys with Assult rifles" carefully leaving out we're wearing uniforms, on urban exersizes even after there were notices on TV, Radio, Signs, Smoke Signal, the Bat Light and flyers.

 

[xena]

because listening to a guy walking up and identifying it as flour that he put down to mark a route, something they have been doing for years with no complaints, as soon as he heard some one was afraid of what it could be, is really expensive.

if any terrorist lays out a running course complete with distance markers and routing directions in chalk to attack us it's probably Wile E Coyote and thus the only person injured will be the terrorist themself.

Perhaps.  In the case I was speaking of, this was the first time it had ever been witnessed, it wasn't clear that he was marking a running route, and he appeared to be just a random person dumping stuff on the sidewalk in front of a Federal Government building.  Seem odd to anyone else?  Maybe I'm just old and cranky, but it seemed weird and suspicious when it happened.

I guess if the person doing the dumping was wearing a shirt or vest, or somesort of clothing that identified himself as with a running club it might be different...

 

[daftandbarmy]

Unfortunately, this silly little episode (subsequently elevated to national news item) is a good example of the levels of paranoia present in socities unaccustomed to dealing with terrorism. If this were Spain or the UK (and I've seen the 'Hashers' in action in the UK, flour and all) they wouldn't get a second glance. But can you blame the US? Probably not... just part of the learning curve.

Welcome to the club, Uncle Sam.

This message was brought to you by National Secuirty Level 'Elevated'

http://www.dhs.gov/xinfoshare/programs/Copy_of_press_release_0046.shtm

 

[c_canuk]

Perhaps.  In the case I was speaking of, this was the first time it had ever been witnessed, it wasn't clear that he was marking a running route, and he appeared to be just a random person dumping stuff on the sidewalk in front of a Federal Government building.  Seem odd to anyone else?  Maybe I'm just old and cranky, but it seemed weird and suspicious when it happened.

A responsible citizen would walk over and ask what they were doing and that would be the end of it, an irresponsible citizen would panic call the police and if the particular officer dealing with the situation had brains they would press charges against the irresponsible citizen or at least give them a warning for breech of peace, wasting crown funds, and misuse of emergency services. As far as I'm concerned this is the same as yelling fire in a crowded movie theater.

 

[Big Red]

I guess if the person doing the dumping was wearing a shirt or vest, or somesort of clothing that identified himself as with a running club it might be different...

Well since he's the hare he would be wearing running clothing, just like all the other Hashers.  This is a new low for the sheeple of Canada.

 

[Duck]

As the saying goes ... common sense is not all that common.

I used to run with the Mount Vernon H3 just south of Washington DC ... after 09/11 (no less), and we never had any problems dumping flour from DC to Quantico.  Besides, flour is biodegradeable and washes away in the next rain (allowing new trails to be set without too much drunken confusion). 

Hashing, as it turns out, is a noble pursuit/tradition that has been embraced by civilians and military personnel the world over.  Some people (especially those folks in New Haven, Conn) need to get off their butts and go running!  On!  On!

 

[daftandbarmy]

Agreed. The world needs fewer BLABs and more FFFRBs

 

[xena]

Well since he's the hare he would be wearing running clothing, just like all the other Hashers.  This is a new low for the sheeple of Canada.

Yeah, well, in the instance I am referring to he wasn't even in PT gear.  Weird.