Here I am on a Friday evening and I don’t feel like writing a long winded blog but I must share with the readers what happen to me during the last 48 hours.
Please be warn in advance??? IT’S A LONG ONE!!!
Yesterday morning as I promise the girl at Video King on Regent Street the day before?
I picked up the bottle and tried to get the bottle filled for the needy people in this City.
It was cold and windy.
I put the bottle at the corner of Regent and King street.
I’m certain that many people had some flashback once they saw me standing at the corner.
Their minds must have went back in time when I was all over the place collecting names for my petition asking the Government to do a study on the issue of Ritalin.
Over 10,000 people signed the piece of paper but Bernard Lord never listened to the voters.
Ok…never mind that story.
Around one hour later, Andy Scott showed up and gave me $20.00 in my hand. I got no money and I did think about taking the money for my personal use and no one
will know any better but I said to myself - Sorry! Not going to happen!
I put the money in the bottle with Andy standing by my side.
I noticed that he wasn’t wearing his new glasses and this is a good move from his part!!!...lol…
I told a woman what Andy did and she said - I’m matching Andy 20 dollars and I hope that he matched mine?
I never saw Andy afterwards to tell him of the challenge?
After standing there for 4 hours I was getting tired but I found out that people are followers and not leaders.
Large group of bureaucrats would walked by and I would say - Penny for the food bank???
If no one stops? No on gives!!!
If a couple of people stops? All will join in.
People are funny!
I’m certain that I collected between $150 to $200!!!
I said to myself? Heck!!! If all those loonies, toonies and bills would change into pennies?
The bottle would be filled!!!
One woman came by with a lunch telling me that I need food for the cold?
That was nice of her!
I carried the bottle back to the store. It was heavier than usual and that was a good thing!
That evening, I felt bad that the bottle wasn’t full so I decided to continue collecting money the next morning and which I did.
I wish to add that I took many pictures but none turned out today. I must have pressed a wrong button somewhere.
Oh well? C’est la vie!
I noticed a small shopping cart near a building and I carried the cart with me so I could put the bottle in the cart and push the bottle till King’s place.
It would be a different area but a little further.
Once there, I noticed a Native Panhandler standing against the wall.
I asked the guy if he mind that I place the bottle in his area?
He told me to go ahead and quickly disappeared from my sight.
The guy knew that it was for a good cause I guess.
Once again, people were generous!
All I told the people - There’s a woman in a store who wanted the bottle filled so since I have ADHD and being French?
I’m putting these two combinations to good use. Lol…
I bumped into Father White and the priest told me that I was doing a good thing.
Hey? A Priest backing me up??? Nothing else really matters.
After a while, a security guard name - Bill came out to check on me but once he found out who I was?
There were no problems. I met Bill during my protest and he’s a nice guy.
Some people are strange because someone complain to security that I was collecting pennies??? Come on???
Give me a break!
I noticed that the sun was hiding behind the building and I might add that it was warmer than the evening before so I decided to move in front of the Nova Scotia Bank.
Once there, it was funny because I would leave to bottle by itself and stood in the hallway of the Bank.
People would look at all the money in the bottle but there were nobody in sight. It was funny!
I noticed that people were busy to hit the crosswalk light so therefore too busy to stop and put pennies in a bottle so I decided to move back in front of King’s
Place.
Once there, it didn’t take long for me to receive a visitor.
It was a police Officer from the Fredericton Police Forces.
His name was Hachey I guess. I’m not sure.
He knew exactly who I was and he was friendly.
He asked me what I was doing?
I told the officer that I was collecting money for the poor!
He asked me for papers?
I told the officer to phone the Mayor Bard Woodside? He said that the poor people should get off their butt and get a job.
Well. I’m working big times.
He continued asking me – Who does that bottle belong too?
I explained the whole story and the officer told me in a stern matter- I’m going to check on your story Charles? If you’re lying? I’m coming back and charge
you with huge fraud! Big times!
I quickly said - FRAUD??? MY GOD??? THE IRVINGS MEDIA WOULD HAVE A FIELD DAY WITH THE STORY!!!
He quickly answered - Why makes you think that the Irvings even care about you Charles???
He must have been reading this blog site?...lol
I even went as far asking the officer to put a penny in the bottle?
He quickly answered- I don’t contribute to fraud!
I was also stern with the officer and answered - You go and check my story and I expect you to come back with an apology!!!
I noticed that a couple of plain dress officers stopped to asks if everything was ok?
Once I took the camera out? They quickly left.
Before leaving, he ordered me off the front of King’s place. I went back to the bank and I took many pictures but they never came out!
Around 20 minutes later, I noticed the police officer coming back to meet me.
I told the guy that it’s nice for him to come back and apologizes!
Well? He wasn’t in an apologizing mood!
He told me that the woman told him to tell me that she wants her bottle back!!!
I told the police officer that I will return the bottle but only after the bottle is full!
He told me to bring the bottle back right now or he was going to do it for me!!!
It was only 1:00pm and I’m certain that the bottle could have got filled.
I reminded the officer that I was staying put so I suggested that he should take the bottle back to her.
He gladly obliged and I should have hid the cart because he put the bottle in the cart and started the long ride to his car.
I followed the guy and took pictures.
It was funny seeing an officer pushing a shopping cart with a huge bottle full of money. He walked all under these pillars!
I might add that it sure attracted a lot of attention from the Citizens.
It must have been a long ride for him?
I followed him and shouted before he went into his car that he makes certain that the bottle goes back to the woman!!!!!!!!!!!
He reminded me that he wasn’t going to lose his job over a bottle full of money.
I also noticed that many citizens were watching the situation very closely and many came to me asking what was going on???
I also found out that word spread on the streets very quickly that the police confronted Charles.
One individual told me that I was being charge with fraud.
People do talk a lot!!!...lol…I’m a fine person to say this!!..lol…
Anyway…I went inside the Mall at King’s place and I was surprise to see a table saying - Fredericton Food Bank!
They were asking for donations. I didn’t have a clue they were in there.
I noticed two older individuals near the table and I approached the head guy by saying - There’s a guy outside collecting pennies for the food bank!
The guy in a stern voice told me- Yes I know and HE’S A FRAUD!!!
I said - Really? The guy is a fraud???
He continue by telling me that they never gave the guy the ok to collect money.
They don’t know who the guy is so therefore he’s a fraud!!!
I let the guy vent a little for a few minutes.
I told the volunteer for the food bank that I was the guy!!! My name is Charles
LeBlanc.
He quickly said- Ohh Charlie??? He told me that he knew of me.
I might add that he didn’t look like a happy camper!
I don’t know if knowing me was a good or bad thing?...lol...I believe that I'm the only non working non criminal who's on the top ten most wanted list in the City! Sigh....
He let it known that he was on the board of directors of the Fredericton food bank and he was a former cop.
He began asking me if I knew the girl who started this collection of pennies?
I asked the former police officer if someone from the Food Bank could go and collect the money at the store?
He told me that they don’t do this kind of act. If she had money, it’s her responsibility to bring the money at the food bank.
The building is located on top of a huge hill so this will definitely be out of the question. Can you imagine a woman carrying a huge bottle full of money
up a hill in a shopping cart?
I told the guy that she was a very nice girl. I left the area and noticed that many people were questioning me of the confrontation with the police.
Once at the store where the woman works, she told me some bad news.
The police officer bought the bottle back but he slammed the bottle on the floor in a hard force.
It broke the plastic bottle!
I guess it was too heavy for the cop.
She asked him if he had some tape to patch the little hole but the cop said that it wasn’t his problem and quickly left the store.
This rude act got me upset but I couldn’t worry about The cops.
There was a hole in the bottle and we had to get rid of the bottle!
We put a plastic bag at the bottom and I put the huge bottle on my shoulder and started the long walk to King’s Place so I could give the guy who accused me of
fraud the money.
The bottle was so heavy that I made a stop halfway and people once again started to put money in the bottle.
I told them it was ok! Mind you, I didn’t want more trouble with City’s Finest on this issue.
Can you imagine if they seen me walking down the street with the bottle?
I would definitely land in jail!!...lol…
The question was this? Could I make it to the table of the food bank in the mall without the S.W.A.T. team coming to arrest me?
Once there, I place the huge bottle on their table very gently. < not like the cop did in the store >
I expected a smile on the guy’s face? I got nothing!!!!!
He looked angry???
He asked me about the hole in the bottle?
I told him the story but he didn’t seem to believe me?
At that moment, I almost call the police myself so he could tell this dude that I didn’t cause the damage to steal some money.
It was a very strange atmosphere.
It got stranger once a woman walked buy and try to put a 20 dollar bill in the bottle?
The guy from the board of director quickly stopped the woman and directed her to a small box.
The bill didn’t go right in and I started to push the money in the box but the guy quickly grabbed the box from me and made certain that the money was all in there.
You know what???
It was at that exact moment that I believe this guy from the Fredericton Food Bank
truly believe that I was a thief!!!!!
I’m sorry but he crossed the line and it was going to be a war! He wants to play games???? I love games!!!
I started to get upset with the guy.
I reminded the guy that there must be $300.00 in that bottle and the woman lives in a boarding House which has many tenants. She wants to cook a turkey for the
poor people on Christmas Day.
Could it be possible that you could drop over a turkey to her store???
He let it known very loud and clear and if she’s not registered? There will be no turkey!
Rude??? My God??? This guy was bad!
I offer to shake his hand to wish him a Joyeux Noel but he refuse to shake my hand.
I believe that I know the problem?
These people are from the Board of Directors and they are strong believers that the poor are down and these people are way way up there.
We people don’t miggle with those high class people.
I was getting upset and I might write a little letter to the editor in the Irving’s paper about this one?
I might write one? No!!! I will write one!!!
Hey? People were generous towards me and there’s still good people around this City.
I always said this anyway but there’s a selected few that we go out of their way to cause me from great harm but I don’t care because these actions only enforce me to battle bigger and stronger.
I must write that letter to let the people know that the nice woman at the store and myself weren’t a couple of fraud artists in the Capital!!!
I do understand that you have to get a control of people collecting money but it just work this way and what’s done is done!!!
This was a legitimate case and I should have receive some respect or a congratulating
note!
By the way? What happen to the bottle? Where did it go?
I will tell you one thing right now!!!!
I will drive those people at the Fredericton Food Bank till they tell me how much money was in that bottle so I can let the people know the amount?
You don’t believe me? Watch me!!!!!
If the Fredericton Food Bank believed that I am a fraud? If I was them? I would not make an enemy with this guy!!!
In closing, this just happen this way. A working woman was just trying to help the poor in this City.
I seen the bottle for the last 6 weeks and something had to give.
This little 10 year old always put her allowance in the bottle for the poor. She couldn't understand what happened to the bottle? We couldn't tell her that it was a cop who destroyed the jug. Would the Fredericton Food bank believe she's a fraud also?
I took it on my own to help her fill up the bottle and at the end? It cause a lot of people a lot of hardship! Well? You know what? If I had to do it
all over again? I would do the same action.
As I said- The Priest supported me so therefore nothing else really matters.
As I wrote on many occasions, there’s never a dull moment in this activist life in the Capital!
Joyeux Noel!!!