Bellinger talked tough in his initial Facebook post announcing the event, using some fairly incendiary words to rally others around the cause of keeping light rail open until 2 a.m.
"When people have a safe way to get home late at night they don't drive drunk, and people don't get hurt," Bellinger wrote. "It's as simple as that. It's your choice: do you want to help save lives? Or would you rather keep DUI rates astronomical (and state coffers full of DUI fines)."
Bellinger was planning to have participants remain on board one of the final eastbound light rail trains of the evening, even after it reached its terminus at Sycamore and Main Street. But after attending a Valley Metro meeting in Tempe earlier this week and speaking with unidentified light rail officials, he seemed to have lost his nerve.
"[The Valley Metro official] said they are getting bomb threats and are dealing with rail security very seriously, and that we would be arrested and removed quickly and roughly," Bellinger wrote.
Duh, bro. Did you expect anything less?
In his initial post, Bellinger, who has not responded to our e-mails, seemed aware that potential protesters might run the risk of getting thrown in jail. So we're wondering if light rail officials might have done their best to scare the dude.
To be fair, Bellinger also admitted in his post that he felt foolish about protesting the lack of extended hours during a time when the light rail's regular operating hours are already in danger of being cut due to the current economic nightmare facing the city.
"[At the meeting] there were people there who were talking about how they couldn't drive for medical reasons and needed for routes not to be cut and it made me feel a little silly about pursuing cultural change at an economic time like this," he wrote.
We understand what you're saying, Morgan, but maybe you should have thought of all this before you started a crusade you were unwilling to finish.
So Morgan is out. Now, we need another savior to lead the 'Til 2 charge. Any volunteers?
