Dave Matthews plays in MLB park, says Americans are racist, we 'can take a bike' or walk, and his driver dumps 800 lbs. of human waste into river

Dave Matthews says on worldwide television that Americans are racist, he says the average person who doesn't have to travel like he does "can take a bike" or walk, and presents himself as a martyr for global warming while his band was charged with dumping 800 pounds of human waste into the Chicago River and onto passengers in an open boat including an infant. This must be MLB's kind of guy. Matthews also got to perform in a top MLB ballpark known for environmental and political correctness, Fenway Park, in 2006 and 2009.

• top photo from 2009 Fenway Park concert,
• photos 2 and 3 from 2006 Fenway Park concert

1. Dave Matthews said on worldwide television that he thinks America is a bunch of racists, even if they don't act like it:

• 9/21/09, CNN: "There's a fairly blatant racism in America...-- I just see it everywhere. There's a good population of people in this country that are terrified of the president only because he's black, even if they don't say it. And I think a lot of them, behind closed doors, do say it."...

2. Dave Matthews at a press conference said his carbon footprint is necessary because of his line of work, but that others "can take a bike." (This aside from the fact that global warming does not exist. We all want clean air and water, but that is a separate issue from catastrophic CO2 endangerment caused by evil Americans who must pay billions in "climate reparations.") ed.

• 5/20/10, CNS News: "people who do not need to travel as much as he does with his band “can take a bike” or walk to help save the planet."

3. Dave Matthews band was found guilty of dumping 800 pounds of human waste into the Chicago River and onto a river boat filled with passengers in August 2004. Their bus driver denied doing it for months and Dave Matthews backed him. Finally video evidence confirmed the crime and Matthews' driver was forced to admit his guilt. 3.10.05, BBC: "The sewage poured onto the open deck of a cruiser that was carrying more than 100 passengers last August....

• Mr Wohl, 42, from Selma, Texas, originally denied discharging waste from Chicago's Kinzie Street Bridge.

But a surveillance camera at a nearby health club proved the bus was on the bridge at the time."...

• 3.10.05, "Band driver admits dumping sewage"

8.30.04, Dave Matthews Band issues letter saying they believe their driver was NOT guilty. via nancies.org

• 4.30.05, BBC, "The Dave Matthews Band has agreed to pay $200,000 (£105,000) after their tour bus dumped human waste on a boatload of tourists in Chicago.

The band's bus dumped the raw sewage while crossing a bridge over the Chicago River in August 2004.

Last month, the driver of the bus pleaded guilty to the charges.

• The band also agreed to take steps to avoid any repeat incident, by recording when and where its tour buses empty septic tanks."...

"Band settles over sewage dumping"

• 3.9.05, CBS News, Chicago: "When Wohl was charged, prosecutors said he had talked to investigators and denied discharging waste on the bridge, prosecutors said.

Authorities used surveillance tapes from area buildings to zero in on the bus and consulted with engineers to determine the waste release was not an accident....

• Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has also filed a civil lawsuit seeking $70,000 in damages against the band and driver alleging they violated state environmental laws. That case is ongoing, and the next court date is scheduled for next month, according to Madigan spokeswoman Melissa Merz."

"Dave Matthews' driver: I dumped" by J. Holguin

• 8.26.04, mtv.com "Authorities in Chicago are considering criminal charges against the Dave Matthews Band after reviewing surveillance footage of an August 8 incident in which the group's tour bus allegedly dumped human waste into the Chicago River.

Police Commander Michael Chasen said he's certain that the band's bus is the culprit, thanks to the footage, which was shot from nearby buildings and shows a bus crossing the bridge as a tour boat passes below (see "Dave Matthews Band Sued For Stinking Up Chicago River"). Criminal charges could include violations of public nuisance laws and ordinances to protect public health and safety, according to The Associated Press....

Around two-thirds of the passengers sitting on the upper deck of Chicago's Little Lady were hit with the falling waste, the Chicago Tribune reported. Five passengers went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for testing...

The state of Illinois filed suit against the Dave Matthews Band and Wohl on Tuesday, alleging that they violated state water pollution and public they violated state water pollution and public nuisance laws. The suit seeks $70,000 in civil penalties.

Jerry Fitzpatrick, the driver initially accused of dumping the waste, told the Tribune that "the band is very environmentally conscious. We wouldn't want to have anything to do with this sort of thing."

The Dave Matthews Band is on tour through October 8, when the group's bus will stop at the University of Florida in Gainesville for the final show of the Vote for Change Tour (see "Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Springsteen, Others Join Vote For Change Tour").

A spokesperson for the Dave Matthews Band could not be reached at press time."

by A. Rashbaum, "Dave Matthews Band may face criminal charges over bus stink"

8.25.04, "Dave Matthews Band spokesperson John Vlautin said of the incident, "Our driver has stated that he was not involved in this incident," and added that the band "will continue to be cooperative in this investigation."...

8.25.04: Smoking Gun: "the fetid August 8 cascade, which landed, the AG reported, on persons with disabilities, senior citizens, a pregnant woman, a small child and an infant.""

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