No Trespassing Signs and Modern Day Monkey Wrenching

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Brave from the Johnny Walker, I surveyed all the “no trespassing” signs. What are they protecting? “Keep Out!” Violating the sign's premise, I wandered through a broken-down, former meth-amphetamine house. Abandoned. And obviously in the disrepair that people who don’t care about their lives leave behind. Trash. Biker magazines. More trash. Refuse. And posted as a public nuisance. No small wonder these folks didn’t want anyone to trespass.

An idea: If Butte County could declare such a property a “public nuisance,” couldn’t I, as a guardian of the ridge, do the same? I made a decision to tear down the nuisance “no trespassing” signs. Ed Abbey would be proud. One by one, on my two-mile walk, I rid my daily route of the gnarly beasts.

Six months later, the walk is much prettier. And none of the signs have returned.

However, on our road, there is one last property. A chain across the dirt path, with a large “keep out” sign, forbids my access. Of course, these folks drive through my property to get to theirs. Why so uninviting? Why should my walk be so unpleasantly cut short? What are the rights of walkers, hikers and sightseers?

Freedom to Move About

I live in the wrong country. The rights of property owners are well respected here. Sabotage of private property of any sort is dealt with forcefully. The anarchist group, the Earth Liberation Front, knows this. They got a 25-year prison sentence for burning an SUV in protest of inappropriate consumerism. My own spouse sat in a tree in a national forest. For this (because she protected the rights of a 400-year-old Engelmann spruce), she was branded an “eco-terrorist felon” and did a month in prison.

But I’m not talking about sabotage. I’m talking about taking a walk.

I’m not a fan of restricted access to anything (except when it comes to greedy corporations). We need access to the Internet. To information. To beauty. Especially if what you are accessing is human-powered. Legs should be able to take us anywhere. Walk any road. It’s good for you.

If there is a road already there, a walker/hiker should be able to walk it. And we should be protected to have that right. No one should be able to corner a part of the Earth as completely theirs. Public access to beaches, parks, national parks … and all rural roads. All should be encouraged.

Even if the property is private? Yes. A road should be closed to pedestrians only if by walking the road one is disturbing the flora and fauna of an area. Breeding seasons for seals come to mind. And the nesting of rare birds. Otherwise, let no human violate another human’s right to walk. Protect the animals, not the property owners. The property has been violated enough already by the road being there. For heaven’s sakes, let us take a walk.

And gated communities? Shouldn’t they have their right to privacy? No. Freedom of movement trumps any rich person’s right to privacy anytime. Open the gates! What the hell are they hiding back there anyway? If a community receives community services, then they should be open to the community.

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