A little town and its rules....

Ok so first I need to say I do not hate cops i hate idiots. Unfortunately I find that in local/state/federal type jobs (cops, mayors, selectman, congresmen, senators, the president,etc...) there are far to many idiots. I live in Massachusetts and I work in a small rural town that has a small police dept and its own little court system. So on with my story.

On this past Sunday I was leaving work around 7 am. I drive throught he center of town and come to the road I need to take to get home. There is a small roadblock up and there is a cop just standing there texting so I ignore the sign and drive down to where i need o take a left. (about 300 ft worth of road till my next left. The cop does a double take from his phone and yells at me. I stop and roll down my window and give him a whats up. He asks if i saw the sign. I say I did. He then asks why am i traveling down this road. I say to go home. He then says that this road is blocked off and travel is not allowed on Sunday mornings. So a quick cursory check of the area i realized why. Church. I look at him and I say is it because of church. He says yes in a relieved kinda way. I then ask him isn't there some kind of cliche law tht makes this just wrong. His relieved face fades and goes into cop mode. look sir the road is not intended for travel so if you could turn around(points to a driveway 20 feet from the left turn that i need to make to continue my drive which is roughly 280 feet from where he wants me to go back to back track 15 minutes) I then reiterate back to him what he wants me to do and he just looks at me. i then tell him that I bet theres some kind of somethin that says a church can not secure a public road for its own private use. So I went to turn into the driveway to turnaround but I just couldn't. So I took my left and went home.
So ATSers i received a citation in the mail to appear in court for a misdemeanor (not following town ordinance) So i say, separation church and state and all that type of rhetoric and that a church can not secure a public road for its own private use... Do I have a leg to stand on? Am I right or wrong? what do you guys think?

reply to post by BlastedCaddy


No offense, but you are wrong.

They close roads for all types of traffic hazards. It doesn't matter if it is a parade, a football game, a concert, or a church. If there are a bunch of pedestrians and the cops are trying to control traffic for the peak hours to keep people safe, then you should have obeyed.

You could have stopped at the cop on your way through the stop sign and told him you just live right over there. Typically they are closed to "through" traffic, but not to residents.

You again could have told him that when he hollered at you.

If you had a spot to turnaround, and another route to go home, then you certainly should have taken it after ignoring the sign and ignoring the directive from the cop.

I think if you had given him a chance to treat you nicer, he probably would have, but if you were intent on ignoring him, just because a church was involved, then you deserved your ticket. You made your political statement, pay your fine and be done with it.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Says you... Parades I can see the closing of roads, it is a town function. Football games and concerts. I have never seen a road closed due to that... The cops there were directing traffic but the road was not closed in those situations. What if it was a strip club or a hash bar or something not so churchy.... HMMMM?!?!?!

Originally posted by BlastedCaddy
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

Says you... Parades I can see the closing of roads, it is a town function. Football games and concerts. I have never seen a road closed due to that... The cops there were directing traffic but the road was not closed in those situations. What if it was a strip club or a hash bar or something not so churchy.... HMMMM?!?!?!

Says me......because you asked? Did you not want an honest answer?

You've never seen a road closed due to a concert or football game? You must not go to any good events.

In Kansas City, the Chiefs close down major interstates and direct traffic into and out of the stadium.

In Tallahassee, the Seminoles close down half the town to get fans in and out of the stadium.

I have seen smaller roads closed for frat parties, trick or treaters, movie scenes, trapped kittens, and weddings! As a matter of fact, the Brad and Angelina wedding in Springfield, MO closed down a large part of the city to vehicle and air traffic and they had to reroute the approach to the airport because of hot air balloons!

And yes....if a strip club had a major event that was going to cause a traffic hazard, and they contacted the city ahead of time, the city would come out and direct traffic. The only difference is that the church probably does it every Sunday, while the stripclub would be forced to move or pay for better ingress and egress if they had a traffic issue every single week. That is appropriate, because the strip club is for-profit, while the church is not-for-profit.

Also, churches often offer their facilities for free during natural disasters, voting polls, and staging areas for law enforcement. They are typically community centers and assets to the public services in the community, so they should afford a little special treatment compared to a strip club.

Point taken...

I guess I have been lucky throughout my travelling life to not be hindered by such events.

I know i asked and i do appreciate your insight. I still think however that there is somethin not ok to it.

reply to post by BlastedCaddy


The cop does not make the laws/rules. He just enforces them. You were barking up the wrong tree and should have obeyed the sign and not argued with him about something that is out of his control.

Am I right or wrong? what do you guys think?

Yes, you were wrong. The citation is justified. He was doing his job, thats all.


[edit on August 27th 2010 by greeneyedleo]

You speak as though this is a rather common or frequent means of travel for you.

I leave work. Turn left. Coupla streets down. Turn here. Yet ... Today!? ...
-like.

Sunday is but one day out of the week, YET ...

You've never encountered this before? ... in such a Small town?

I am sorry, There is usually no cop and just a sign but i left work later then normal and there was a cop. The sign is left on the side of the street all week till Sunday when it is dragged out. Sometimes in the middle of the week at 10 till eleven someone has dragged the sign into the road for fun. I honestly believe that a traffic cop would suffice not a blocked road.

If i feel ambitous enough im gonna look thru some BP threads with closed areas of the GoM and I bet I find some contradictions.

Oooops DP

[edit on 27-8-2010 by BlastedCaddy]

Originally posted by BlastedCaddy


If I feel ambitous enough im gonna look thru some BP threads with closed areas of the GoM and I bet I find some contradictions.

[edit on 27-8-2010 by BlastedCaddy]

Might want to look up local laws and regulations in your area if you feel the need to pursue this and fight your citation.

reply to post by greeneyedleo

Thanks for the advice i will do that and get back to this post on that...