The First Protest

After they let me out of Yankton, I was still angry and decided to do a protest demonstration to try to see if I could get the truth out even if nobody cared. I asked what I had to do to demonstrate at the Capitol Building. I was told that I had to submit an application. I got the application and it really was not for protests but for use of the rooms and facilities for public meetings. They were just going to make things as difficult as possible in hopes I would just go away.

In December 1996, Janklow had a monthly radio show on Public Broadcasting. I called in and complained about the treatment I had been subjected to. He said that he aware of my application and I would be allowed to protest. He also said he had the FBI file and the psychologist's report that accused me of molesting Darwin LeBeau. Clearly, he had given credibility to both, but nobody had taken any action against me. I knew he had the documentation because I had sent them to him. Why would I do that? Because he would have to take a stand. But Janklow was not going that route.

Two days later, I got my application back rejected. I couldn't protest because they would have arrested me. I didn't get back to Pierre for several days because I had been ill, but when I asked the bureaucrat who rejected my application, he simply said that if Janklow said I could use the building, then I could. My reply was that Janklow was only the governor, not the dictator, and he had no business interfering with the operation of the regulating office. I told him if that was true we didn't need him there. He was not pleased.

Janklow had out maneuvered me.