07-21-2006, 08:23 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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Insane
Location: in a golden garden of grey
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Oh yeah. It is pretty funny. Our county catches some shit over what our lawmen and citizens get caught doing.
Check it out.
Quote:
A small army of federal and state agents raided the Del Rio Cockfighting Pit off Happy Hollow Road as part of the five-year "Rose Thorn" investigation into public corruption and organized crime in Cocke County.
The Del Rio pit, which had operated as an open secret for at least 60 years, was protected in part by the money it brought into the local economy as well as its status as an Appalachian icon. It was one of the last surviving vestiges of an outlaw tradition that has also included moonshining, drug smuggling and a tacit acceptance of vice crimes such as prostitution and gambling, officials say.
When they closed our whorehouses down, I knew we were in trouble," said Dolittle, who was one of the 143 people charged in the Del Rio raid. "We knew they were coming for us next."
On a lighter note, some local entrepreneurs have figured out how to cash in on the county's notoriety while also taking the occasional potshot at the federal government. For instance, Christmas tree ornaments decorated with chickens quickly sold out at area stores last year and bumper stickers bearing statements like "My rooster can whip your rooster! Cocke County 2005" and "I survived the 2005 Del Rio cockfighting raid" are popular keepsakes.
One business that's managed to turn the investigation into something of a cottage souvenir industry is Rocky Top Grafix in Newport, which is located next to a video amusement company that was raided last summer.
Over the past year, the store has sold nearly 700 T-shirts lampooning various elements of the Rose Thorn probe, according to Rocky Top co-owner and lifetime Cocke County resident Jeff Cody.
"I didn't expect to sell that many, but the public just keeps wanting them," said Cody, who added that he hit upon the idea of starting a line of shirts because of the nationwide publicity that followed the Del Rio raid. "It was what all the local talk was about, and even if you went out of town and told someone where you were from, that's all they wanted to talk about."
The most recent shirt bears a colorful collage of images that include a rooster, a line of cocaine on a mirror and stacks of cash accompanied by the words: "Cocke County Survivor - Not Arrested - Not Indicted - Not Yet."
Cody said the sense of humor is appreciated by his customers, including many of the state and federal agents who've been involved in Rose Thorn.
"A person from Cocke County would give you the shirt off their back, but you wouldn't take it from 'em," Cody said with a chuckle. "If you're looking for trouble here, you'll find it. You might not ever leave, but you'll find it.
"But even with all the bad publicity in Cocke County, there are a lot of good people."
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Those bumber stickers and shirts are a riot.
I didnt meant to change the subject of the OP. Forgive me!
__________________
...absent of everything.
Last edited by absence_of_color; 07-21-2006 at 08:27 PM..
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