Gainesville Sun, October 17, 2009

Gainesville Sun (AP) Saturday, October 17, 2009

COMIC HELD IN CUSTODY AFTER APPEARANCE

Local Comic Legend Arnie Harris, 61, of Lawtey was being held due to lack of his own recognizance after he opened a show for a local rock act at Bo Diddley Memorial Plaza.
Harris, according to the few onlookers, was getting good healthy laughs from disparate sectors of the crowd ( liberally composed of friends and relatives) with,as one passerby described as “his witty and pungent takes on contemporary mores and culture”, when with about two more minutes left in the agreed-upon set time, the leader of the band began interrupting him, telling him to bring it to a close, thus “throwing off my rhythm—and it happened to be a fascinatin’ rhythm!” said Harris, with a wry chuckle (which Harris said happened to be his least favorite flavor of Chuckles).
The band’s leader also told Harris to “keep it clean”, after Harris told a joke more geared to adult sensibilities. Harris, later said that, “in a communication breakdown” he was not made aware beforehand that these shows were a community-sponsored weekly event geared toward families and all ages.
Mr. Harris, through his agent Saul Gonif, issued a statement saying
"To those whom I may have offended with one joke I apologize---most especially to the many homeless people in attendance who were already mad at us, made obvious by their menacingly brandishing large pieces of wood and shuffling toward us like a casting call for Night of the Living Dead---for not allowing them to get to bed early while we usurped their band shelter."
Complicating matters was Harris’s sudden bending over to shuffle some papers on the stage, the notes for his act which Harris said he could not see because he had been forced to put them on the floor. Harris said his request for a stool or small table to place them on had been ignored.
This, coupled with the band leader’s continued pestering Harris to end his gig set Harris off. According to witnesses he began yelling into the microphone’ “Hey Gainesville, why don’t you and your fucking gators go fuck yourselves!! By the way, I heard Tim Tebow’s really a commie sexual predator!!!” . Harris also took potshots at anybody with the first name "Urban".
It took police close to an hour to restore order as people poured from all directions onto the plaza and towards the stage where Harris was attempting to hide behind a giant “LOVE” balloon.
Fortunately for Harris he was whisked away to the safety of the police station while exclaiming, “Hey, you guys have been great!!”
Harris said the whole unfortunate experience may have been redeemed by the jolly older black man who came up to him later after all tumult had died down, grabbed his hand with eager cordiality and said "Man you suck! Don't quit your day job!!"
Harris said, "I got him real good, though---I told him 'I don't have a day job!!'"