Valpo man arrested after singing gas price protest song from station rooftop

Tools

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: May 6, 2008 at 2:09 PM EST

Story Updated: May 7, 2008 at 7:49 AM EST

VALPARAISO (AP) — A man with a guitar and a megaphone climbed atop a convenience store roof to serenade commuters with his musical protest about high gasoline prices — until police halted the impromptu concert.

Once atop the roof of the Family Express store, and above pumps dispensing fuel at $3.78 per gallon, Jay Weinberg, 29, performed his ditty called "Price Gouge'n."

Dozens of supporters chanted: "I can't afford it. I'm banging on my dashboard. I can't believe they think I'm a fool."

The performance lasted about 15 minutes before three Valparaiso police officers arrived and arrested Weinberg on charges of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. Police said Weinberg was cooperative.

The crowd, made up of Weinberg's friends and other people who just happened to be pumping gas, continued singing. Then some, including his wife, Danielle, drove to Porter County Jail to bail him out. Weinberg left the building around 7:30 p.m and was greeted with cheers.

The incident came on the eve of Tuesday's primary election. Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have presented different strategies about how to bring relief from high gas prices. Clinton has proposed a gas tax holiday this summer, but Obama criticized her proposal, saying it was unsound and a pandering ploy.

Bobby Schaefer-Murray, who identified himself as a friend of Weinberg, said the event was not politically driven.

___

Information from: Post-Tribune, http://www.post-trib.com

More Good Stuff

WSBT Weather

Current Temp 52.4

More Weather

WSBT Weather

More Weather

On Demand

iPhone
Get the WSBT News and Irish Sports Report apps for your iPhone! Read more »
On DVD
Order a DVD of a WSBT news story! Read more »
Twitter
Follow us on Twitter! Read more »
Facebook
Connect with us on Facebook! Read more »
WSBT E-News
Daily StormTracker e-mails right to your Inbox! Read more »
Video On Demand
Miss a story on WSBT News? Watch it here! Read more »
CBS Shows
Watch CBS shows and news online, free! Read more »
WSBT Alert
Breaking News & Weather right to your cell phone! Read more »
Mobile
WSBT News on the go for your cell phone or PDA. Read more »
RSS Feeds
Get news and updates as soon as they're published. Read more »

Stock Quotes

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.