Is this ANGRY enough over a rezoning ?

[JNA]

"Zoning issues can be contentious at times, and that's what happened." RMN

From the Denver Post
Granby 'dozer rampage terrifies mountain town
Saturday June 5,2004
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2193848,00.html

"Something snapped": Suspect called emotional, angry over rezoning fight
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E53%7E2193850,00.html

From the Rocky Mountain News
Rampage guts Granby
http://www.insidedenver.com/

"All the buildings Heemeyer targeted had a connection to a heated zoning dispute going back to 2000, which involved the rezoning of land adjacent to Heemeyer's muffler shop."

RELATED...
News 4 video: Bulldozer rampage in Granby 8-! :-0 :-c

 

[Chet]

I was the video on last night's news, and the little kid in me was pumping a fist in the air and yelling "YYYYEEEESSSSSS! AWESOME!"

 

[Cardinal]

Oh great, these are my new neighbors?

Sadly, we all probably know one or two people like this (except for donk, who knows dozens of them). We had a local who didn't think his welding shop needed to be on city sewer or septic. We have people who were disgruntled at being told they could not store as many junk cars on their lot as they liked. We have people who were told they needed to clean up their properties. Some handle it well. Others think we are out to get them. There is one guy in the city who holds a grudge against me because of something my predecessor's predecessor did fifteen years ago.

 

[boiker]

In my experience, the level of grudge and vengence that these individuals hold is inversely proportional to their economic level. The higher their economic class, the less the revenge factor.

After hearing this story, Mrs. B said, "I know your brother is a federal police officer for the BLM, but all of a sudden your job seems to be riskier." :-D

 

[Zoning Goddess]

Haven't we all encountered someone who we've wondered might go postal over a zoning decision? I once found myself alone in the elevator with the guy who carved the giant butt statues (see "Quirks in Your Community" thread under Cities and Places) and my only thought was "Oh s%%t, hope he doesn't recognize me". He's a powder keg. I've seen too many people in tears during zoning hearings over the years, I can see how the frustration gets to them.

 

[sisterceleste]

At my first planning job, I worked with the board of zoning adjustment and one day some looney did not get his variance..stormed out of the boardroom and five minutes stormed back in...We thought he had a gun and all of us hit the floor fast. He didn't have a gun but he was pointing something at us...he was quickly removed by the police. No hazardous pay that day, but I deserved it.

 

[donk]

As cardinal inferred do you really want me to play the trump cards?

I only wish they made the local news, but where I was that type of behavior was considered civilized.

Just remember kids a bouncing burning tire can solve all land use (or other conflicts)

 

[H]

I am actually surprised backlash (less severe, of course) doesnt happen more often over (percieved) property rights. I certainly have seen the look in people's eyes who want to do it.

 

[The One]

"Zoning issues can be contentious at times, and that's what happened." RMN

From the Denver Post
Granby 'dozer rampage terrifies mountain town
Saturday June 5,2004
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2193848,00.html

"Something snapped": Suspect called emotional, angry over rezoning fight
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%7E53%7E2193850,00.html

From the Rocky Mountain News
Rampage guts Granby
http://www.insidedenver.com/

"All the buildings Heemeyer targeted had a connection to a heated zoning dispute going back to 2000, which involved the rezoning of land adjacent to Heemeyer's muffler shop."

RELATED...
News 4 video: Bulldozer rampage in Granby 8-! :-0 :-c

JNA:

Having spent some time in another Colorado jurisdiction where a crazed heavy equipment operating citizen did the same thing (almost exact same thing, also murder) .....(Park County/Alma- 1998), I'm not surprised at all. On a related note, is anyone aware of any studies of rural populations and the prevalence of mental illness....particularly at altitude :-# ? It doesn't help matters that another town in the same county elected a cat or was it a dog as mayor..... :m:

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

JNA:

........ On a related note, is anyone aware of any studies of rural populations and the prevalence of mental illness....particularly at altitude :-# ? It doesn't help matters that another town in the same county elected a cat or was it a dog as mayor..... :m:

I don't think the guy was crazy. He snapped, but I thin there was a good healthy push given by those he had been in conflict with.

When he lost his appeals to prevent the cement plant, It sounds like the village found a way to get back at him through code enforcement. But of course, it had NOTHING to do with the fact he faught the cement plant that really might not have belonged there (it was rezoned for residential and light commercial to industrial). Of course, he needed a sewer easement of 8 feet from the cement plant, that they would not give to him, so he had trouble staying in business. He bought the bulldozer to put in an alternate driveway to his business. But again, he had made enemies, so they wouldn't grant him that and he had to eventually lease out his space to somebody else.

I Think there was small town payback being applied to this guy. It happened out west so they MUST be crazy right? The guy was pretty selective about what he went after, and there is no way any village would EVER try to get involved in personal paybacks right? (Paragraph spoken in GREAT sarcasm)

I want to see the design of this bulldozer in better detail. He really did a good job of putting that thing together. Covered it in grease to make it difficult to climb on (I thought this was a very great touch), as well as going to the effort of protecting armoring the exhaust outlets. I am thinking of a new Junk Yard War episode! :-D

 

[The One]

Design Modifications

I don't think the guy was crazy. He snapped, but I thin there was a good healthy push given by those he had been in conflict with.

When he lost his appeals to prevent the cement plant, It sounds like the village found a way to get back at him through code enforcement. But of course, it had NOTHING to do with the fact he faught the cement plant that really might not have belonged there (it was rezoned for residential and light commercial to industrial). Of course, he needed a sewer easement of 8 feet from the cement plant, that they would not give to him, so he had trouble staying in business. He bought the bulldozer to put in an alternate driveway to his business. But again, he had made enemies, so they wouldn't grant him that and he had to eventually lease out his space to somebody else.

I Think there was small town payback being applied to this guy. It happened out west so they MUST be crazy right? The guy was pretty selective about what he went after, and there is no way any village would EVER try to get involved in personal paybacks right? (Paragraph spoken in GREAT sarcasm)

I want to see the design of this bulldozer in better detail. He really did a good job of putting that thing together. Covered it in grease to make it difficult to climb on (I thought this was a very great touch), as well as going to the effort of protecting armoring the exhaust outlets. I am thinking of a new Junk Yard War episode! :-D

Yes, he did improve on the "ALMA" Design from 6 years earlier.... Maybe this bulldozer design can be called the "Granby" design? The next one will be called the "M-1 Abrahms", oops ;-) me thinks that one has been used...ha ha ha.... Yes, small town politics can be dreadful and certainly have included the type of actions you mention... BUT if he just "snapped", he wouldn't have spent 2 months preparing his tank...er dozer....(read the 2 month thing in the papers? true?)

 

[The One]

Fun Forum?

It seems to me that any comments made on a forum called "Friday Afternoon Club" should automatically be considered tongue in cheek, flippant, lighthearted, sarcastic or any of the other synonym for the aforementioned words....unless clarified.....if not, maybe this topic should have been in the more serious "Zoning" thread above...? I absolutely think this event can spark SERIOUS discussion on related rural planning issues.....

What say administrator.....am I on track with this comment.....

 

[SGB]

He really did a good job of putting that thing together. Covered it in grease to make it difficult to climb on (I thought this was a very great touch), as well as going to the effort of protecting armoring the exhaust outlets.

He also designed it with a clear intent of never exiting it alive. One news account reported he welded himself in.

Yet another reason why municipalities must have well thought and effective crisis managment plans.

One town office I worked in was on the second floor, with only one way in or out. Not exactly a safe environment when "clients" got angry.

 

[Gedunker]

About eight years ago we had a rash of four called-in bomb threats. The first three were all to the Mayor's office and we exited the building in a calm but quick manner until the PD and FD searched the place and gave the "all clear". They didn't even tell us about the fourth one until the FD/PD arrived and they were p****d off that nobody had evacuated us (the call apparently went to a county official's office). We were slightly miffed as well |-)

I don't even want to imagine what would happen with a bomb threat post-Sept'r 11.

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

It seems to me that any comments made on a forum called "Friday Afternoon Club" should automatically be considered tongue in cheek, flippant, lighthearted, sarcastic or any of the other synonym for the aforementioned words....unless clarified.....if not, maybe this topic should have been in the more serious "Zoning" thread above...? I absolutely think this event can spark SERIOUS discussion on related rural planning issues.....

What say administrator.....am I on track with this comment.....

Thats what graphical smileys are all about! :-D

Personally, I really would like to see how he put this bulldozer together. I have always had a fascination with armored vehicles (thats how I ended up as a tanker in the army :-D ). A sports car is a complete waste of time and money in my opinion and I could not care less if a person thinks they are cool cause they have one, but I am transfixed by this bulldozer.

As far as the sheeple in Granby, they probably did need the jobs the cement plant braught, but if you screw with somebody bad enough, why do people act surprised when they get pissed and fight back?

 

[The One]

D-11

Thats what graphical smileys are all about! :-D

Personally, I really would like to see how he put this bulldozer together. I have always had a fascination with armored vehicles (thats how I ended up as a tanker in the army :-D ). A sports car is a complete waste of time and money in my opinion and I could not care less if a person thinks they are cool cause they have one, but I am transfixed by this bulldozer.

As far as the sheeple in Granby, they probably did need the jobs the cement plant braught, but if you screw with somebody bad enough, why do people act surprised when they get pissed and fight back?

My favorite dozer was the D-11 , did they ever make a D-12? :-0 (simply huge)

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

My favorite dozer was the D-11 , did they ever make a D-12? :-0 (simply huge)

I don't know, I am not normally into construction equipment, but once he turned his bulldozer into an armored vehicle with a capability for effective operations out of the realm of construction, I was hooked! :-D

I want to know the following things:

1) Did his concrete anti-armor piercing concrete have rebar in it.
2) If he somehow protected the track from things like log or iron poles to prevent the track from being thrown from the sprockets (it would have been effective at stopping him).
3) Did he armor the engine compartment to prevent the engine from being ruined (molotov cocktails managed to disable many a russian tank in 1968 (?) in checkoslovakia).
4) How did he modify his exhaust system to prevent the flash bang grenades from disabling the engine.
5) Being the only man in the vehicle, did he double up on the amount of armor plating used on the top of the vehicle (typical armor design saves weight by using a thin sheet of armor on the top and bottom.

Other interesting things to think about:
1) Shows like Junk Yard Wars, robot wars, etc... show what you can do if you have access to good junk. Does this mean that people are learning how to upgrade a potential weapon by being entertained?
2) Should SWAT teams be taught how to disable armored vehicles.
3) Nobody in Granby had military experience with tanks and knew thier vulnerabilities? There hand to be a grunt with an IQ of 30 somewhere in the bunch! :-D
4) With a little more inventiveness, how much worse could it have gotten?
5) Didn't the guy have any friends that told him this was NOT a good idea?
6) When the sherif saw the thing go by his office on the flatbed truck, don't you think he should have went and investigated BEFORE the ruckus could have gotten started? It obviously was NOT your standard dozer! 8-!

 

[Cirrus]

... Further blurring the line between South Park and reality.

 

[el Guapo]

...Yet another reason why municipalities must have well thought and effective crisis management plans...

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See el Guapo for all your rampage suppression needs.

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

ANNOUNCEMENTb]

Ahh come on Guapo! Aren't you the least bit curious as to how he put that thing together and to wheather or not you could make improvements? :-D

 

[cololi]

I wonder if he bought the concrete from the concrete plant that he was pissed off about.

 

[Tranplanner]

Update on this Story

There's even a small pic of the machine for you DoD!

 

[monkeyflower]

I don't know, I am not normally into construction equipment, but once he turned his bulldozer into an armored vehicle with a capability for effective operations out of the realm of construction, I was hooked! :-D

Other interesting things to think about:

4) With a little more inventiveness, how much worse could it have gotten?

In high school, my social group was into potato guns. We built several with 200-300 meters of range, and one that shot arbitrarily-shaped objects (handfuls of ice cubes, for example) about 20 meters.

I can therefore imagine this having gotten much worse.

 

[Duke Of Dystopia]

In high school, my social group was into potato guns. We built several with 200-300 meters of range, and one that shot arbitrarily-shaped objects (handfuls of ice cubes, for example) about 20 meters.

I can therefore imagine this having gotten much worse.

Built a few of those myself but never got that kind of range! :-D

Aquanet Hairspray seemed to have worked better than other propellents for me.

Its lucky the guy did not have a CO2 beer system, it occured to me that it would have been easy to create a flame thrower. He could have rampaged longer by not getting stuck in the building. 8-!

I am WAY to OBSESED with this guys armored bulldozer! :-D

 

[giff57]

Aquanet Hairspray seemed to have worked better than other propellents for me.

Try adding a small squirt of starting fluid to the aquanet

 

[jaws]

In honor of the two year anniversary of the Marv Heemeyer armoured bulldozer uprising, I present to you the unofficial music video "killdozer".

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ORLnxOsoM1U