Tased for asking questions

[The KSB]

What a dumb ass. He needs a thumping just for being that stupid. He should have taken the "just this time" out and reported the officer later. No matter the deal, when you are orderd by the cop to do something, you'd better do it.

So if a cop orders you to dress like Superman and give him a blowjob you'd better do it?

 

[OCBuckWife]

As a retired military member, I absolutely appreciate the need for listening to proper authority, whether you agree with it or not. That being said, there's a definite limit in the level of response to non-compliance. If I'm starting to jaywalk a street, a cop sees me and tells me to stop, and I ignore him and commit the jaywalk, he does not have the right to come up and tase/beat my ass.

Exactly!

That is numbnut's version. It has been my experience that there are often two sides of a story. But in any event, to walk away from an angry cop before the issue is resolved - after disregarding an order to get to his knees, the precursor to an arrest - is stupid. Having civil rights does not mean turning off the common sense part of your brain. I'm not talking about arrest or search and seizure rights here, I'm talking about not being a dumb ass when prudence would have prevented the ass hole cop from - well - being more of an ass hole. And hon, I not only know cops like that, I've had to defend them in court.

I agree. At a certain point this cyclist should have realized the situation had crossed over into danger to himself and stopped arguing.

What I didn't agree with is the idea that its always easier to do what an authority figure such as a cop says to do, no matter what he says, and then try to file some complaint later. To never speak up for yourself is just as foolish, as after the fact the compliance itself is often used as proof of justification for the actions taken.

 

[Gatorubet]

So if a cop orders you to dress like Superman and give him a blowjob you'd better do it?

No. But if he tells you not to ride your damn bike down the street or he'll arrest you, and you do it, you'll be arrested. You can beat the rap, but you can't beat the trip. And you don't just walk away from a pissed off cop. No, they are not Gods who must be obeyed on everything, and yes, there are times when you have to take a stand against oppressive and illegal state action, but here the cop gave him a way to ride his damn bike home, and five minutes after the cop was gone he could have ridden it anywhere he wanted. This guy was right legally ( I never said he wasn't ) but wrong in the way he handled the clearly unreasonable cop.

If a mean stray dog is in your yard, you can remind him of the leash law and your perfect right to walk your own mailbox - and get bitten - or you can stay inside and call the dogcatcher.

 

[Gatorubet]

Exactly!



I agree. At a certain point this cyclist should have realized the situation had crossed over into danger to himself and stopped arguing.

What I didn't agree with is the idea that its always easier to do what an authority figure such as a cop says to do, no matter what he says, and then try to file some complaint later. To never speak up for yourself is just as foolish, as after the fact the compliance itself is often used as proof of justification for the actions taken.

Agree with you totally. I just did not present it well in my first post. I also get a flavor from the blog that the guy thinks hismelf much smarter than the cop. While true, embarrassing or talking down to the guy is not a good strategy. The world is full of cowboy cops with bad attitudes. I've seen enough ass whoopings by bad cops to know how and when to take a stand when they are in that mood, and I just think that it could have been easily avoided.

 

[Taosman]

Aaaah! The joys of road bicycling!

I have been spit on, yelled at by little kids hanging out of car windows, forced off the road, had beer cans and soda cans thrown at. You name it!

But, there are, indeed, some very angry bicyclist out there who look for confrontations!
I think it's safer to just let most "irritations" go.
I advise people(bicyclist) to never argue with someone with a gun, taser, mace, club!

"Live to bike another day!"

 

[The KSB]

that biker's lucky it was just a cop with a bad attitude that found him

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kfvXTAUPi4[/YOUTUBE]

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I have been spit on, yelled at by little kids hanging out of car windows, forced off the road, had beer cans and soda cans thrown at. You name it!

That's 'cuz you look like a frickin' caveman:

 

[Taosman]

Chicks dig cavemen! :tongue2:
The love the whole drag em around by the hair back to the cave thang!

 

[OCBuckWife]

CAUTION: THREAD HIJACKING AHEAD

"Where there's spokes, there's sodomy!"

As a thread hijack, I can't say I have ever seen better!

So, to conclude:

Eating a hot dog is bad
Carrying a baseball bat for no reason is gooood

Dancing on stage is bad
Fighting on stage is gooooood

Another man's wife in a wonder bra....GOOOOOOD

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Another man's wife in a wonder bra....GOOOOOOD

Here! Here!

 

[Best Buckeye]

Well I don't know about you guys but there's nothing I like better to wake up in the morning than a good stiff 50,000 coursing through my body.

 

[martinss01]

This guy was nothing but polite. He said "sir," he thanked the cop for advice, but he refused to let his personal rights be trampled upon. He did not say anything that could be construed as insulting, he made no dangerous movements, he did what the cop said but he also pointed out possible personal danger. He phrased his doubts as questions, not demands. And he still got tackled from behind, tased, and had his personal property destroyed out of spite. Cops are not above human, they are simply humans with a badge. And humans err. And the average citizen takes it in the backside until enough of us say, "ENOUGH!"

did you expect him to acknowledge that he was actually being a pompous self absorbed holier than thou prick? two sides to every story n such. the officer demanded he move to the sidewalk which was likely a couple of feet from his location at the time. not an overly significant request. if this guy really had a problem with this he should have done so and then inquired as to why. arguing with a cop isn't like arguing with a sibling. when you realize your not going to win you don't get to stomp off and slam your bedroom door.

more often than not its far better to do as the nice (or not so nice) officer instructs. obviously a head job on a back alley is a tad on the extreme side. sign the ticket, hire a lawyer, and meet back up in court to get your payback. you WILL NEVER beat a cop in a shouting match on the side of the road. regardless of how right you are or how wrong they are. you going to loose, period.

What I didn't agree with is the idea that its always easier to do what an authority figure such as a cop says to do, no matter what he says, and then try to file some complaint later. To never speak up for yourself is just as foolish, as after the fact the compliance itself is often used as proof of justification for the actions taken.

it all depends on the situation. in many cases (this instance included) by refusing a simple order you are showing your self to be hostile and a possible threat to the officer. personally, i wouldn't be too surprised to see mili refusing to halt while jaywalking escalate quickly. in many cases simple warnings escalate to arrests and then a good ol fashion beat down in the attempt to place said person under arrest.

when you refuse to do as an officer instructs then become verbally belligerent with the officer you really paint them in a corner where they have 2 options. do nothing or respond aggressively. your best bet is to become compliant with what the officer views as the law and then inquire their reasoning in a mature manner. if you don't like the officers explanation, go to their superiors. you probably won't get anywhere. but you probably won't be in jail washing mace out of your eyes either.

you have to remember that while you might feel you are being respectful in your inquiry's, the officer might think something very different.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

did you expect him to acknowledge that he was actually being a pompous self absorbed holier than thou prick? two sides to every story n such. the officer demaned he move to the sidewalk which was likely a couple of feet from his location at the time. not an overly significant request.

You may want to read the article next time before ripping into the author...

I would have become a pedestrian (illegal), double the width of a normal cyclist, walking back against 2 to 3 lanes of oncoming traffic on the main airport egress road with no sidewalks, blind walled curves allowing no margin of safe retreat from the road, and regular posts and pillars along the small curb that is there.

 

[martinss01]

You may want to read the article next time before ripping into the author...

i mispoke, i should have said curb.

I was leaving MSP airport by bicycle after a flight from California. I was legally operating my bicycle completely in accord with MN statutes and MAC airport ordinances. I was following all posted signs. There were NO signs at that time prohibiting bicycles. I was rudely accosted by an officer in a passing squad car, came to a stop, and was immediately threatened with mace and taser if I didn't get off the bike and up on the curb. I did not understand the reason for this outrage.

it is interesting that you percieved that my intent was to rip on the author. i have little doubt the cyclists intent was not to defy law enforcement. however, that doesn't appear to be what the officer percieved his intent to be.

 

[OCBuckWife]

He turned back on a side street, circling around toward his home. He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him. He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it.
A metallic voice called to him:
'Stand still. Stay where you are! Don't move!'
He halted.
'Put up your hands!'
'But-' he said.
'Your hands up! Or we'll shoot!'
The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn't that correct? Ever since a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one. Crime was ebbing; there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets.
'Your name?' said the police car in a metallic whisper. He couldn't see the men in it for the bright light in his eyes.
'Leonard Mead,' he said.
'Speak up!'
'Leonard Mead!'
Business or profession?'
'I guess you'd call me a writer.'
No profession,' said the police car, as if talking to itself. The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through chest.
'You might say that,' said Mr Mead.
He hadn't written in years. Magazines and books didn't sell anymore. Everything went on in the tomb-like houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy. The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multi-colored lights touching their faces, but never really touching them.
'No profession,' said the phonograph voice, hissing. 'What are you doing out?'
'Walking,' said Leonard Mead.
'Walking!'
'Just walking,' he said simply, but his face felt cold.
'Walking, just walking, walking?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Walking where? For what?'
'Walking for air. Walking to see.'
'Your address!'
'Eleven South Saint James Street.'
'And there is air in your house, you have an air conditioner, Mr Mead?'
Yes.'
'And you have a viewing screen in your house to see with?'
'No.
'No?' There was a crackling quiet that in itself was an accusation.
'Are you married, Mr Mead?'
'No.'
'Not married,' said the police voice behind the fiery beam. The moon was high and dear among the stars and the houses were gray and silent.
'Nobody wanted me,' said Leonard Mead with a smile.
'Don't speak unless you're spoken to!'
Leonard Mead waited in the cold night.
'Just walking; Mr Mead?'
'Yes.'
But you haven't explained for what purpose.'
'I explained; for air, and to see, and just to walk.'
'Have you done this often?'
Every night for years.'
The police car sat in the center of the street with its radio throat faintly humming.
'Well, Mr Mead', it said.
''s that all?' he asked politely.
'Yes,' said the voice. 'Here.' There was a sigh, a pop. The back doot of the police car sprang wide. 'Get in.'

Ray Bradbury, "The Pedestrian"