Agents Target Landscapers in Montgomery County Sweep
Government agents in unmarked vehicles were reportedly seen in several Montgomery County neighborhoods this morning, following pickup trucks packed with landscapers and pulling trailers bristling with lawn mowers, weed whackers and other yard-care equipment.
Landscapers are worried and fear is justified. County Executive Marc Elrich announced this morning the activation of "Snapping Turtle Sing Sing," a pretrial holding facility on the island in Lake Needwood, hastily built to house the hundreds that agents are expected to grab in seizures from Burtonsville to Boyds.
On the first day of the new Montgomery County gas powered leaf blower ban, raids and seizures are leaving landscapers in a precarious position--battery powered blowers don't meet their needs and it is the peak of a rainy summer growing season.
“These times are really hard and everybody is afraid,” said Daniel, who we are only identifying by first name to preserve anonymity. “It’s really not normal, and we’re always being careful, but you know, we need to work, and we need to leave the sidewalks perfectly clean in Chevy Chase and North Bethesda.”
Criticisms about gas powered equipment, anger about decibels and emissions—that’s always been part of the shared landscaper heritage. “But now it’s much worse,” Daniel said quietly. “It feels like a lack of empathy.”
Snapping Turtle Sing Sing on Lake Needwood island was constructed in just a few weeks.
Kayakers on Lake Needwood this morning say the Needwood Queen pontoon boat transferred a dozen handcuffed, hooded men wearing moisture wicking long sleeve shirts, jeans and sturdy work boots to the temporary holding facility at Snapping Turtle Sing Sing. The snapper infested lake makes escape with all ten toes nearly impossible.
President Trump promised during his campaign that he would crack down on overreaching environmental regulations, and five months into his term, gas powered leaf blower bans continue to sweep the nation. "My people voted for him and now we're being rounded up like criminals," landscaper Daniel said.
As the noose tightens, Montgomery County landscapers talk about relocating to so-called sanctuary counties like Carroll and Washington, where gas powered leaf blowing landscapers enjoy unfettered freedom. "I hear they have a lot of trees up there," Daniel said absentmindedly, while scanning Rothgeb Avenue in Rockville for black sedans and SUVs.
