Protester gets stuck climbing bicycle obelisk

A protester climbed a 65-foot sculpture in Santa Rosa in the dark and cold early Friday, aiming to leave a "Don't tread on me," flag at the top.

Trouble was, once he got up there he froze.

"He realized he didn't have the energy. It's a lot easier to go up than it is to come down," said Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Jack Piccinini.

Just before 4:30 a.m. the young man yelled down to a friend for help. Jonathan Wisbey, waiting on the ground, said he flagged down a passing taxi, and the driver called police.

Officers found Brandon Partlow, 19, atop the 10,000-pound obelisk of recycled bicycle parts which stands off of Santa Rosa Avenue at A Street.

Santa Rosa firefighters arrived in their ladder truck and plucked him and the flag from the top, kind of like rescuing a cat stuck in a tall tree, said Piccinini.

Partlow - who identifies himself as "Anchor" and did not provide a hometown — apparently was up there for about 30 minutes. Temperatures in Santa Rosa early Friday dipped into the low 30s.

And he was grateful for the rescue.

"He gave the guys a big hug," Piccinini said.

Police officers cited Partlow for violating a city ordinance that prohibits hanging signs or banners from public property.

Wisbey and Partlow said Friday afternoon that they happened to be driving through Santa Rosa and were not a part of the Occupy Santa Rosa protest and encampment.

They just decided to make a statement.

The "Don't tread on me" flag that Partlow carried actually has become a staple at rallies by the conservative Tea Party movement. And in a photo that Wisbey took of his friend standing next to the bicycle monument, Partlow was wearing a sweatshirt with a photo of Ron Paul, a Republican candidate for president and Tea Party favorite.

In a convulated explanation, Wisbey said Friday afternoon that Partlow wanted to make a statement "for his generation," and it had to do with wanting to help Paul "slay" the Federal Reserve and extended to the Bohemian Society, Freemasonry and the meaning of broken bicyle parts.

Partlow's climbing violation most likely would be treated as an infraction, which could include a small fine, said Santa Rosa police Lt. Craig Swartz.

Wisbey initially said the climber was a stranger before admitting he'd gone with the young man for the stunt. He said Partlow used electrical tape to attach the flag to the structure.

Occupy Santa Rosa is an offshoot of the national movement triggered by the Occupy Wall Street protests. Grievances include the widening wealth gap in the United States and the perceived escalation of the power wielded by the wealthy over the political process.