Cops Will Escort U Out.

[00:00:00]Greetings everyone. This is Jeff with On Your Road Civil Rights Investigations.

[00:00:03]Today is Saturday, April 25th, 2026. I am here in downtown Hastings, Florida, where Hastings Main Street is hosting this um potato and ham and cabbage festival, I guess, is what it's called.

[00:00:16]This is in downtown Hastings on Main Street where they're having this event.

[00:00:22]And I'm going to stand out here with my sign, spread the message of compassion and love for our homeless veterans, solicit prayers and goodwill for our homeless vets, and conduct a first amendment investigation to see if our rights are respected on public property in downtown Hastings, Florida. God bless our homeless veterans.

[00:00:40]How y'all doing? God bless you.

[00:00:45]>> God bless veterans, everybody.

[00:00:51]How y'all doing? God bless vets.

[00:00:54]>> Please pray for our homeless veterans, y'all.

[00:00:56]>> Hey, man. How are you? Good. How you doing?

[00:00:58]>> I'm Ross. What's your name?

[00:00:59]>> I'm Jeff.

[00:00:59]>> Jeff, nice to meet you.

[00:01:00]>> Nice to meet you.

[00:01:00]>> Are you Are you a veteran?

[00:01:02]>> Yes.

[00:01:02]>> Awesome. Where'd you serve?

[00:01:03]>> I served in the uh army. Awesome.

[00:01:05]>> My my nephew just signed up for the army. Okay. He actually was able to get um uh >> infantry cuz that's obviously pretty much what they put him in, but he got um airborne uh ranger.

[00:01:19]try for to get ranger.

[00:01:20]>> My dreams when I went in the army, >> I wanted to go in the army.

[00:01:24]>> Go into Ranger school, become a ranger.

[00:01:26]>> That's what he wants to do.

[00:01:27]>> And then from there, get a warrant officer and become a pilot for that ranger. That never happened.

[00:01:32]>> This is my buddy Adakus.

[00:01:33]>> Hey, what' you say? Jeff, nice to meet you. Jeff, are you >> No, I'm fine. Okay. God bless you.

[00:01:38]>> Yeah. God bless you.

[00:01:39]>> I am not homeless myself. I just like to come out and spread this message to the public.

[00:01:42]>> Amen.

[00:01:42]>> Yeah. Yeah. I was in the army. It was uh 88 Mike Military Transport inspection, but it's a way to say interpret myself.

[00:01:48]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:01:49]>> And uh we uh I went to one year. I went to Korea uh for about a year and a half in AIT in Fort Lwood, Missouri.

[00:01:58]>> You know, no sir.

[00:02:00]>> Okay. You look like it look like a military guy.

[00:02:02]>> I I fully support them though. I always support our troops. I don't always love all the decisions that are made for them, but I love our troops.

[00:02:10]>> Oh, yeah. I agree. That's the thing with me. Regardless of what the decisions are, I support. That's right. There's men and women out there protecting us.

[00:02:18]Not only us, but a lot of the rest of the world that can't protect themselves and I appreciate your service. Thank you. God bless you.

[00:02:23]>> Thank you guys for being >> Thank you for what you're doing.

[00:02:24]>> Thanks for being kind. Thank you. God bless you.

[00:02:26]>> Let us know if you need anything.

[00:02:27]Water's right there. If you're thirsty or just let us know, okay? Thanks. Hey guys, this is Jeff. If he needs anything, just give me >> Thank you.

[00:02:37]>> You guys have folks, how are you?

[00:02:40]>> Please. Oh, thank you. I'm not homeless myself. I just come out the public.

[00:02:43]That's fine. I don't take any money or anything like that. Hey, how are you?

[00:02:46]>> All right. Hi.

[00:02:48]>> Uh, we need to you move on. I'll get the sheriff to move you on. Uh, but there's no solicitation here.

[00:02:54]>> This is a public space.

[00:02:55]>> No, it's permitted. We have a private permit for this event and no solicitation.

[00:03:00]>> Can I have your name? Who are you?

[00:03:02]>> I'm I'm the executive director of this organization. And let's go find the cop right now where I can call him.

[00:03:08]>> I'm going to stay right here and I'm not going anywhere. Okay.

[00:03:10]>> And when the cops tell you you can't tell me anything about it, will you apologize to me?

[00:03:13]>> Uh, no, sir.

[00:03:14]>> Why not?

[00:03:15]>> Because I I think you need to move on.

[00:03:18]>> Why?

[00:03:19]>> Because this is not an appropriate place for you to be in the middle of our This is not This is a public space.

[00:03:26]>> Okay. Thank you.

[00:03:27]>> And let me go track down my deputy.

[00:03:30]>> Okay. And what was your name again?

[00:03:31]>> There's no need to do that.

[00:03:32]>> What was your name again?

[00:03:32]>> I'm not going to tell you my name.

[00:03:34]>> Oh, why not?

[00:03:35]>> Well, I'd rather not.

[00:03:36]>> Okay. Well, let me go find my deputy.

[00:03:38]Thank you. Can you not do that? Don't Don't go find a deputy. Just leave me alone.

[00:03:41]>> Find a deputy and you're going to get on the property.

[00:03:44]>> You think so?

[00:03:44]>> I think so.

[00:03:45]>> I bet you a bottle of water.

[00:03:46]>> I know.

[00:03:48]>> All right. Have a blessed day.

[00:03:49]>> All right. Have a blessed day.

[00:03:50]>> Why you being a mean Why are you being a mean?

[00:03:52]>> You You go on that one.

[00:03:53]>> Why are you being a mean pants?

[00:03:55]>> I'm not.

[00:03:55]>> Okay. Well, you have a blessed day.

[00:03:57]>> You too.

[00:03:58]>> I'm not going anywhere. I'm right to be here.

[00:03:59]>> All right. I'll have you escort it all.

[00:04:01]>> Not going to happen, >> honey. Okay. What's that?

[00:04:11]>> Because we have a permit from there to that end and there's no soliciting.

[00:04:19]>> Okay.

[00:04:21]>> Why would you call the cops on me?

[00:04:30]>> They're calling the cops.

[00:04:31]>> Why are they calling the cops?

[00:04:33]>> It's illegal to do.

[00:04:34]>> No, it's not.

[00:04:34]>> Yes, it is. But no, it's not. This is a private event.

[00:04:38]>> It's not a private event.

[00:04:38]>> Yes, you're not sure you're wrong. I've been to court with this. I uh trust me, it is illegal to be here.

[00:04:45]>> Your name is uh Jody Baitman.

[00:04:46]>> Yes, sir.

[00:04:47]>> Okay. U we've been through this with other people. If you notice the people signing petitions, we had them move.

[00:04:53]>> That's illegal to do. This is public property.

[00:04:55]>> No, there's not. When we get a permit, >> we and and we say it can't be done. It it is perfectly legal for us to do that.

[00:05:03]>> I disagree with you. Well, you we gonna find out in just a minute.

[00:05:07]>> Okay.

[00:05:08]>> They call him your name.

[00:05:11]>> You're on the board of directors of the ministry. Okay.

[00:05:20]>> How you doing, sir? God bless.

[00:05:23]>> This is free speech on public property.

[00:05:24]I have a direct public no longer public property will get a permit to close. You can't close a public street either. We got a permit to do it.

[00:05:35]>> Yeah, you have a permit. That's all you have.

[00:05:36]>> And we have a permit. That's right. We got a permit to to uh as a per as a >> I'm part of here. We got >> Yes, sir. I Excuse me. I I said we have a a permit as a private uh event here and we can ask people to leave.

[00:05:49]>> You really believe that?

[00:05:50]>> Yes, I do.

[00:05:51]>> We've done it.

[00:05:52]>> How can you think this is a private event?

[00:05:56]>> You listen, I've been through this a dozen times before with people. Okay.

[00:05:59]Have you ever been deposed in a civil rights lawsuit?

[00:06:02]>> Uh, I have been deposed to several lawsuits. Yes.

[00:06:06]>> Not not for that.

[00:06:07]>> Well, when the when the sheriff's deputies get here and they tell you I have a right to be here, will you apologize to me?

[00:06:11]>> Yes, sir. If they tell you you have a right, God bless you.

[00:06:14]>> I've been more than happy.

[00:06:14]>> I I've been more than caution with you.

[00:06:16]I've been nice and polite.

[00:06:17]>> Very nice. As I have with you.

[00:06:19]>> Yes, you have. It's been a very nice It's been agreeing to disagree, but we're being polite.

[00:06:24]>> Okay. Uh last time I had people cuss me out right down there about I know I had the deputy up there not home.

[00:06:38]>> How you doing? God bless.

[00:06:43]>> Where you from origy?

[00:06:49]How about you?

[00:06:50]>> I'm I'm born in 52. I mean where do you live? What? Where?

[00:06:54]>> I live in St. August.

[00:06:55]>> I was born and raised in St. Hol Street after I was raised here. I born in St. Oliver.

[00:07:07]>> Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm not going anywhere. You got my name though, right?

[00:07:11]>> All right. If they let you know that I have it right here, will you come tell me?

[00:07:27]Light it up.

[00:07:45]All right. So, >> the sheriff's deputy has arrived down there. He's got the blue lights on in the red car. He's talking to the uh staff here at the Hastings Main Street.

[00:07:56]He's probably telling them from down there to leave me alone. I have a right to be here. So, maybe the guy will man up and come back and apologize to me like he said he would. Maybe not. I don't know. We'll see.

[00:08:09]Hey guys.

[00:08:12]>> Hey, can we can we follow up? Is everything okay? Am I good?

[00:08:16]>> I I talked to death. I haven't sir.

[00:08:19]>> I'm sorry.

[00:08:19]>> I don't know, sir.

[00:08:21]>> I reported it.

[00:08:22]>> What did the deputy say?

[00:08:24]>> That's fine. That's good. I'm tell >> What did the deputy say? Do you know?

[00:08:30]>> He didn't say anything. All right. Thank you.

[00:08:36]All right. Well, there you have it, folks. As usual, the people who manage these type of markets don't know what they're talking about. They think that they because they get a permit that it gives them permission, gives them ownership of public space. And there's a lady right there that came up the she's like the director of Hastings Main Street. They never came back and apologized to me. They never came back and said that I was right. Uh we apologized. They never do that. They went talked to the St. John's County Sheriff's Deputies who most likely told them that I'm on a I have every right to be here on public property and this is free speech. But they couldn't be big enough to come back to me and say, "Hey, we made a mistake. Enjoy your rights."

[00:09:16]So anyway, from downtown Hastings, Florida on Main Street. God bless our homeless veterans and please pray for our homeless vets.