Harassed by police for walking around my own neighbourhood

Originally posted by pluckynoonez
reply to post by Dutty_Rag

 

That happens everywhere. Some police are looking for something insidious. I was on bike late at night (10pm) and got pulled over for my bike not having a reflector (even though I had a flashing red light on my Camelbak).

So the officer asks "why are you on your bike?"

I almost laughed, but held back, and said "I ride everywhere on my bike...I like my bike." It was funny to me that the officer was looking for a crime in why I always like to be out in the Colorado air.

It seems police go looking for certain things and try to fit you into their plan. The best thing to do is be polite and they will leave you alone.

You are absolutely right - I've been pulled over about 5 - 7 times for speeding while in Texas and every time I was polite to the Cops and never once did I receive a ticket. Never. I don't even think I got a written warning - just verbal.

I know some police and they always say they love the people who are jerks to them after they get pulled over, because 99% of a ticket is "officer discretion" whether you believe it or not. Since the majority of people (esp. Americans) are dicks when they get stopped, they let people like me get by because I don't give them a hard time.

Well I'm a female. I don't really think it has to do with gender, more so "What are you doing out of your house late at night?!" type thing. I mean I was a teenage girl taking late night walks, and brought my dog with me so the police would leave me alone and just think I was taking my dog out for a walk. It's just really disgusting that you can't get out of the house without someone saying something to you. As if people are supposed to stay inside their homes as soon as dark hits. Because everyone knows, anyone who steps out at night surely is up to no good.

[edit on 8-3-2009 by EthelMerman]

[edit on 8-3-2009 by EthelMerman]

reply to post by Dutty_Rag


Well I'm a female. I don't really think it has to do with gender, more so "What are you doing out of your house late at night?!" type thing. I mean I was a teenage girl taking late night walks, and brought my dog with me so the police would leave me alone and just think I was taking my dog out for a walk. It's just really disgusting that you can't get out of the house without someone saying something to you. As if people are supposed to stay inside their homes as soon as dark hits. Because everyone knows, anyone who steps out at night surely is up to no good.

There is nothing OK about this.
This is police state mentality.
It is dangerous and it is certainly not freedom.

Originally posted by Dutty_Rag
reply to post by EthelMerman

 

Another interesting point - do you think if I had been a women walking home they would have stopped me? I doubt it. Surely this is some kind of illegal discrimination?

White - male - alone - late at night in a bad area = criminal?

Nope, they'd probably pull up and ask if you needed a lift, or any help getting somewhere, and if you accepted they'd arrest you for prostitution, or if you refused, harassed some you more as if you were trying to hide something from them.

reply to post by Dutty_Rag


You might feel differently about the Police intervention were you a single woman trying to walk home without being hassled by men cruising for prostitutes. I'm confident most women are grateful for such active policing.

The Police accepted your explanation, rightly too, so what's the problem ?

Have you recently moved from lovely rural Cornwall to London ? You might need to toughen up, matey (and to update your profile too !)

Originally posted by foremanator

[i

You said it yourself... prostitution is prevelant there, so you should be glad that the police are out and watching for "johns" trying to pick women up.

You did nothing wrong and obviously wasn't arrested, so what?

Because people have the right not to be harassed.
Because walking around your own neighborhood is not suspicious.
Because if I have done nothing wrong, I shouldn't be expected to have to have to give the police an explanation on what I am up to.

Because blurring the line of reasonable suspicion is a hair width from blurring the line of presumed innocent and presumed guilty.

Because people like you lack a knowledge of history, and the lessons learned from it.

My friends history is slowly but surely repeating it's self, although in a high tec way. Will the common man be able to rise again?

Google Video Link

Starred. This is worrying, if nothing else, for this bit:

Originally posted by Dutty_Rag
"you have been tracked accross the CCTV network walking around this area in the last half an hour. Your behaviour looks suspicious so we need to know what your doing here"

Unfortunately, more and more people are being brainwashed into thinking total surveillance is a good thing - even some ATS members. But in reality, this is a blueprint for an Orwellian, Totalitarian society. We should not be 'tracked' using CCTV. We are free men and women and we have the right to live out our lives with privacy and dignity. There's no dignity in surveillance. It's condescending, oppressive and an extremely slippery slope.

[edit on 9-3-2009 by son of PC]

reply to post by elevatedone

I guess I just don't have a problem with all the cameras and extra police presence.

You’re being sarcastic right?

If not - why are you a moderator (super no less) on ATS?

ATS is to DENY ignorance, not go along with a police-state cause you just *don't have a problem* with it...

edit:

This is a horrid example of a police state at it’s worse.

Someone who was NOT inebriated, not carrying anything that could be misconstrued as a weapon, someone who was not scooping out houses (to rob?), someone who was not looking for prostitutes, etc???

That is just INSANE police state.

What the hell...
I’m not even in the UK (thank God) and I can assure you I wont be going there in the future.

I’ve done nothing wrong, I’ve got nothing to hide, but I’ll be damned if I’ll live whre I’m treated like I do!

peace

[edit on 9-3-2009 by silo13]

You were in an area where drugs and prostitution are prevalent - you should only be feeling dirty if you were up to no good.

You could quite easily be posting here today telling ATS how the police, via the CCTV system, were able to quickly save your life by preventing those people who run the drugs and prostitutes from attacking you.

It happens all the time my friend - even in the smallest of towns.

There are news reports every other week in the UK on street assaults.

Most attackers wait until late in the evening to take advantage of drunk party revelllers on their way home. It is the quickest and easiest way to make money. It is also very easy to avoid detection because the victim is usually so drunk they are unable to identify the assailants.

I assume you were drunk because kebabs are non-food when sober

Originally posted by elevatedone
reply to post by foremanator

 

You have no idea of my knowledge of history or anything else for that matter.

I just have nothing against the police and never give them a reason to suspect me of anything.

Walking around during the late hours of the night, in an area known for prosititution gives them probable cause to stop an question, in my opinion.

It has nothing to do with this particular instance, the problem with this is where it can lead. Saying it is okay to watch your every move in the street, leads to more and more surveillance. You are giving the police permission to do something that they would arrest you for doing! They are violating laws that are already in existence if done by others.

In the US, probably UK, we have stalking laws that prohibit people from following someones every move. It's not only intrusive to ones privacy, but down right irritating no matter who is doing it! Police are intended to provide security, not surveillance, to citizens paying them for it. The decision, as well as funding, to install cameras on every street corner should be made by those same citizens and only by them. These are things citizens should recognize as warnings, not necessities. These are signs of repression and control, not freedom.

People that are mistaken in what role the police and lawmakers are to play are foolish. Your mass ignorance is what allows this to happen and sadly the few that understand this fact must too pay the price. We have reached a disturbing level of this idiocy and those watching you know it.

It matters little what your personal opinion of the police may be? Law abiding citizens should be free to walk around anywhere they please at anytime they choose. Free from having to explain themselves to anyone, especially the civil servants they employ. I would want it to be crystal clear to the security I employ that even asking me the time of day is out of line and prohibited. Don't concern your services toward anything but my comfort and safety while I'm abiding the laws agreed upon. Treat everyone with the utmost respect until given reason otherwise. That is their role to play and ours to enforce. Don't ever forget it!

Peace.

reply to post by Dutty_Rag


What you got a taste of, I use to get a taste very often. You think you got it bad? Try having cops, tell you they going to take off their badge and gun and beat the crude out you in a alley. Cops are just gangsters with a badge. In my opinion

I already decided to use the dictaphone ability of my cellphone for taping any incidents with government officials, inclduign cops and whatnot.

Originally posted by Nemox42
Try having cops, tell you they going to take off their badge and gun and beat the crude out you in a alley. Cops are just gangsters with a badge. In my opinion

Did you do anything about this incident?

And surely you can't label all police as gangsters because of the actions of a few?

reply to post by skibtz


Well it usually ends up being their words against yours. And usually that means squat. I remember this incident very clearly. It was me and two of my buddies, we got pulled over and were sitting on the side walk. One of the cops, looked at my buddy and said, "You got a problem with me, punk? I'll take off my badge and gun and we can go into that alley and fight it out."

We were 16 at the time. Like I said, gangsters with a badge.

I'm a 20 year old lad, i get harassed by police if i'm buying beer, leaving a pub, out with a group of friends or going to the cinema.

It doesn't make it right but its the way of the world now, if a prostitute got killed by a punter, or there was another prostitute serial killer, you'd have the whole country going "well where were the police?"

You didn't do anything so forget about it, unfortunately its the area you live in. From their point of view, they're looking for curbcrawlers and you were wandering round the area, around closed shops for half an hour. If you were the police, wouldn't you look at yourself?

[edit on 9/3/09 by Liamoville]

Originally posted by Nemox42
Well it usually ends up being their words against yours. And usually that means squat. I remember this incident very clearly. It was me and two of my buddies, we got pulled over and were sitting on the side walk. One of the cops, looked at my buddy and said, "You got a problem with me, punk? I'll take off my badge and gun and we can go into that alley and fight it out."

We were 16 at the time. Like I said, gangsters with a badge.

The fact is that cop was an arse. You should have reported the incident as it may well have been the case that there were other complaints against him thus providing a good case to have him removed from duty.

The more people sit on their arses and do nothing, the more they can expect to have their arses kicked by others!

What would be your solution to providing security to society if you do not accept the current solution?