KEENE VALLEY -- Keene Valley resident Jerilea Zempel was detained at the U.S. border this summer because she had a drawing of a sport-utility vehicle in her sketchbook.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers told Zempel they suspected her of copyright infringement.
She was released after more than an hour in custody at the Houlton, Maine, port of entry from New Brunswick, Canada.
Her release came only after she persuaded border guards she was an artist doing a project that involved a crocheted SUV as a statement against America's dependence on oil and love for big vehicles.
SHROUDED CAR
Zempel's adventure began when she was returning from the Cultural Capital Festival in Sackville, New Brunswick, where her submission was an SUV cozy on a rented Hyundai Santa Fe.
"I wanted to turn an oversize, macho, gas-guzzling vehicle into a technological ghost by shrouding it in a white, fuzzy cover reminiscent of women's handiwork from another time, another place."
After the festival, Zemple headed for home in her own Toyota Prius hybrid and stopped at the border crossing on Interstate 95 in Maine.
"What happened when I re-entered the U.S. made me ponder what my lowly art project could mean in a larger political sphere.
"And it gave me an idea for a title: the Homeland Security Blanket."
SEARCH AT BORDER
Zempel's passport showed she'd been to Africa, Australia, Central and South America, Mexico, Turkey and Europe in the last nine years.
"U.S. citizens who've traveled to the places I've been need to be looked at. A half hour at the computer gave the agent cause to put me into another suspicious category, meriting a full car search. She (the agent) took my keys and went through my car.
"After going through my (laptop) computer, digital camera, cell phone, business cards, suitcase, reading materials, boxes of yarn and crochet tools, she returned with my sketchbook.
"I was taken to a room and told to sit on a bench with handcuffs at both ends. But they did not handcuff me."
SUV SKETCH
Zempel had drawn an SUV covered by a cozy, with its mirrors marked as "ears."
"My sketchbook puzzled her," Zempel said. "It was a cartoon sketch. They couldn't understand what I was doing. She said, Just what were you doing in Canada? We think you're engaged in some kind of copyright infringement."
She said she and the CBP agent then had a "lively discussion" over Zempel's status as an artist and a professor at Fordham University in New York City.
"I had to spell Fordham for her. She left the room to see if she could find me on the college's Web site."
While she was out, Zempel found her college ID and showed it to the agent when she came back.
"Somehow being a college professor made it all OK. She said, Welcome back to the U.S.' I was allowed to leave."
CIVIL RIGHTS
Zemple said that before the incident she didn't know border guards could search computers and other digital devices "without reasonable cause ... I was surprised to learn all your civil rights are suspended. It was a form of intimidation."
U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) recently introduced a bill that would prevent Customs and Border Protection officials from conducting border searches and seizures of laptops and other electronic devices when U.S. citizens return from international travel unless the agents have justifiable reason to do so.
Customs and Border Protection spokesman Theodore Woo said he could not discuss the specifics of the interview process Zempel went through.
"CBP officers may, at times, inspect a person's belongings to determine whether or not items are admissible or are illegal."
Woo didn't say how a sketch of a car could trigger a border guard's suspicion of copyright infringement. But he did say agents are trained in trademark and copyright laws.
"It's a part of a CBP officer's training. Time is set aside for intellectual-property-rights training."
The agency's role is to keep the country's borders safe while at the same time enforcing many rules and regulations, he said.
"If somebody brings in artwork, it's not necessarily the artwork but (whether) it's intended for a specific use, such as a commercial nature. It doesn't mean the drawings themselves are bad, but what they'll be used for."
He said Customs and Border Protection is in more than 300 ports of entry and processes 1.5 million people a day.
"We appreciate passengers that appreciate we have a job to do. We stress that our officers are professional."
Zempel said that even as she was being questioned, the border officer "was very cheerful. She was very pleasant."
The problem, Zempel said, is "I wasn't doing anything suspicious. I was doing something unpredictable."
lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
Photo Provided
-
Staff Photo/Lohr McKinstry
-
Photo Provided
Discussion
ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.
Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.
Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.
We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.
Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:
There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.
Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.
Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.
Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)
Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”
Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.
Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.
Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.
In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.
Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.
We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
Keene artist had hard time getting back into US
Keene artist struggles to get back into US
- Local News
-
-
NCCS wins CVAC cheerleading competition
NCCS wins first place for the eighth time in nine years
-
One injured in Plattsburgh house fire
A female suffered second- and third-degree burns in a fire at her South Catherine Street home early Sunday.
-
Plattsburgh's Sweet Adelines sing music of the heart
Sweet Adelines spread message of love on Valentine's Day with yearly singing valentines.
-
Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts
The district is starting its new budget process almost $2 million in the hole. Officials are seeking public input on the problem.
-
Tentative contract reached with officers
The deal with New York state would cover the 2,800 members of the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association who typically work at specialized state centers such as the Sunmount Development Disabilities Services Office in Tupper Lake.
-
Attempted-murder trial set
The case against Robert J. McCann, who is charged with trying to kill his former girlfriend at a secluded Westville site, begins Tuesday in Franklin County Court.
-
A historic battle for interracial marriage
Forty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all remaining state bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia.
-
Fireworks to close weekend carnival
The final day of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is filled with activities and events. INCLUDES VIDEO
-
Arts and economic development discussed
A success story about a theater in Glens Falls underscored the importance of the arts at a presentation put on by Partnership for Community Development in Plattsburgh.
-
Essex County launches flood-recovery grant outreach
The Empire State Development Flood Recovery Grant Program provides up to $20,000 in grant funds for businesses, farms and rental property recovering from flood damage.
-
In Montreal, amour is the word
Go on a romantic getaway north of the border for under $50.
-
Liquor and Wine Warehouse honored at national convention
The business was named a Brown-Forman Retailer of the Year and received the award at the American Beverage Licensees convention in Milwaukee.
-
Cost of the Market Basket remains steady in January
Costs mark the third consecutive month of good news for consumers.
-
Of Interest: Feb. 12, 2012
Peru Central School Board to hold budget discussion.
-
Business briefs: Feb. 12, 2012
New manager; Approved appraiser; Helicopter survey; Radio co-host; Disaster relief; Professional driver; New president; Business mixer; Fundraiser set; Web chat.
-
Farm briefs: Feb. 12, 2012
Registration open for pest-management training; Water-withdrawal reporting date approaching; Farm Bureau applauds pro-farm legislation;
- February 11, 2012
-
Attempted-murder trial set
The case against Robert J. McCann, who is charged with trying to kill his former girlfriend at a secluded Westville site, begins Tuesday in Franklin County Court.
-
United Way of the Adirondack Region exceeds goal
The 2012 campaign brought in $775,112.
-
- Recent Article Comments
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
