While My Guitar Gently Weeps: Pasadena Musician Told to Move On by Monrovia Police
By Pasadena Independent
Published: Friday, May 29th, 2009
On Thursday, the Monrovia Weekly and each of Beacon Media’s newspapers ran an article about a single father of a five-year-old trying to raise funds for his child’s future and complete his education.
The day after the article appeared in our newspapers and online, Jake Lenaburg was approached by two Monrovia Police Officers – who advised him that he needed a permit to play his guitar at that location. Lenaburg packed up his guitar and headed to city hall and was directed to the Police Dept.
En Route to Monrovia City Hall, Lenaburg stopped by the offices of Beacon Media News, somewhat dejected and upset that he might not be able to continue his quest to make a better life for his daughter.
When we contacted the officer at the watch commander’s desk Friday, he denied that Lenaburg was approached by Monrovia officers…they said it was probably CHP. The officer told us he didn’t think they had a male and female officer on duty in the city. Lenaburg assures us that the officers were, in fact, from Monrovia PD.
According to the Monrovia police dept., it is illegal to solicit money near a freeway off-ramp. We were told that it is a state law and enforceable.
As motorists in California we see a whole host of forlorn souls on freeway off ramps and near freeways in California, asking for help in these hard economic times. Many are at the same location for months and sometimes years, without being issued a citation. Each is soliciting. We see people in front of every supermarket in town asking for donations.
There are panhandlers everywhere. We all deal with this and help those we can. I doubt that many of these solicitors has a business license.
In Lenaburg’s case, for a man who lives in Pasadena, trying to raise some extra cash en route to school to finish his Nursing degree in Monrovia , it just isn’t done.
Lenaburg was hoping to obtain a permit to continue his playing, but according to the law, apparently that will not happen.
There is a grey area here in Lenaburg’s favor perhaps. He isn’t soliciting money …his sign doesn’t ask for help, it merely implies he’s working his way through school. The fact that motorists chose to donate is yet another matter.
Local businesses in the area of Jake’s previous “gig” have posted the story for their customers to see and hopefully donate. Lenaburg said lots of people stopped by to donate and mentioned they saw his photo in the paper.
When photographed at the corner of Myrtle and Evergreen, Jake Lenaburg was not obstructing traffic nor was he a threat or danger to anyone or himself. He was simply playing guitar for donations to continue his education.
Lenaburg told us, ” Just the other day, a CHP officer gave me a dollar bill at this very off ramp. He didn’t hassle me – just wished me luck.”
Meanwhile, however, another struggling California student said he has left the Monrovia area in the hope that he might find a more tolerant city in these difficult financial times.
If anyone cares to donate to Lenaburg’s education, please contact the Monrovia Weekly staff and we’ll get the contribution to Jake in honor of his daughter.
To read the original story, see the post prior to this or pick up a copy of this week’s Monrovia Weekly/Pasadena Independent/Arcadia Weekly or Sierra Madre Weekly.
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