It was another good day for justice as of Robert “Harvey Freebird” Harvey and Bruce “Galveston Island Transparency” Allen walked into the Joe Max Taylor Galveston Law Enforcement Facility to retrieve Harvey’s cell phones which were seized during Harvey’s arrest over the weekend.
Harvey had tracked both of his phones using Apple’s “Find my iPhone” software from the Crystal Beach facility over to the Joe Max Taylor Facility. The Facility houses both the Galveston Police and separate Galveston Sheriff’s office, who arrested Harvey Friday night.
The self-proclaimed civil rights activist and journalist walked into the building and immediately dropped to his knees and mockingly prayed at the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Wall of Honor, featuring photographs of dignitaries and the current County Sheriff, Jimmy Fullen.
After his mocking display, he went to the back of the building to seek help from the clerk in retrieving his belongings.
Harvey explained to the clerk that he was not given paperwork with his case number on it nor was he told why his phones were being seized. Allen interjected that it was illegal to seize the phones as the men were journalists and Harvey was in the process of using the phone in his reporting when it was arrested.
The confused clerk asked Harvey to fill out a freedom of information request form to look up his case number then explained that he’d have to use the in-facility phone to call the property room to check on the status of his phones.
Clinging to the basest of first amendment auditing tropes, Harvey demanded a second FOIA form in order to find out the badge number, oath of office and salary of his arresting officer. He then called over to the property room, eventually leaving a message that he wasn’t leaving until he got an answer.
The YouTuber told the clerk that she should expect the local ABC television station to send a crew over as he had “just talked to them” before entering the building. He’d later admit that he didn’t know if they were actually coming, but they had called him for comment earlier in the afternoon and he directed them to the facility.
Eventually, a female officer came out from the property room to speak with Harvey. She said that his phones were evidence, and she could not release them to him. Harvey countered that there was no evidence of his alleged crime on the phone as he was livestreaming at the time.
The woman could barely keep a straight face as Bruce began screaming that she was in possession of stolen property and needed to take action on her own. A second officer came from the back of the building who had recognized Harvey and interjected himself into the conversation.
Harvey screamed that the second officer was a loser, Bruce continued to drone on at the female officer, and Harvey gradually realized that the second officer was apparently mocking him and loudly dismissed that officer.
Minutes later, the property room officer told the men that a judge had to release Harvey’s phones. Once the judge signed off on the release, Harvey would get paperwork indicating that his items were available and then would need to make an appointment to retrieve them.
After more minutes of entertainment from Harvey and Allen, the pair made their way outside the building. Harvey compared himself to Martin Luther King, Jr., as he was fighting for the rights of the people and was unfairly arrested multiple times in the name of freedom.
Harvey would eventually ask his fans to voluntarily pitch in for his new iPhone, even though he assured them he could afford it on his own. He ended the stream by telling his fans, “When you tell the truth all the time, you can speak without thinking.”
Allen and Harvey’s antics in Galveston are expecting to continue later this week.
