imported post
cscitney87 wrote:
"Also the topic was brought up on whether or not it is hypocrtical for OCers to be making man-with-a-camera calls when we are against people making man-with-a-gun calls. My view on this is: If I saw a man-with-a-[insert anything here], whether a camera, a gun, a knife, a lollipop, or nothing at all, if he's suspicious and I feel he 'doesn't belong', I might call the non-emergency police number to see if they can check things out."
Sorry bud, but that's still extremely hypocritical. THE WHOLE POINT IS WHO THINKS WHAT IS SUSPICIOUS? Don't give me that neighborhood watch Bull crap either.
When I walk into the gas station OC- there is a lady in a car, watching me, she's waiting for her husband who's inside. SHE THINKS I AM SUSPICIOUS Should she call the police to come investigate me even though you hope they let me go without problems? Get a @#$%ing life and come back here with some intelligent comments, rants, raves.
It doesn't matter if this GUY with a camera was SUSPICIOUS! SUSPICION is a matter of OPINION and is not a FACTUAL proper noun or verb that can be made illegal. You can't make BEING SUSPICIOUS illegal so get a @#$%ing job and get back to the real world. You can feel he was suspicious all day long- because the sheeple will think you are suspicious all day long JUST FOR OPEN CARRYING. TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WANT TO BE TREATED.
You don't want to be Terry stopped everytime someone thinks you are suspicious. That's just @#$%ing stupid and you know it. Get out of town with that Guy with a Camera was suspicious so it's okay to call the cops as long as they determine he's legal and doesn't go to jail.
That's a mentally unstable logical conclusion to an activity that the cameraman was otherwise legally going about doing. SO WHAT that you THINK he's Suspicious. LOTS OF PEOPLE THINK ANYONE OPEN CARRYING IS SUSPICIOUS!!
It's not. Just like legally taking pictures of your MIL's house is NOT illegal. Open carry is legal and not suspicious so neither is legally taking pictures. Peddle that BS somewhere else.
You cannot selectively enforce your principles, logic, and laws on the community. Either he is legal and you leave him alone or he is legal and you don't leave him alone. You don't even have to say sorry to this guy for bothering him. You don't have to apologize to him for interrupting his otherwise normal day of photography and reporting to his employer.
It was wrong for the guy to follow you. It was very wrong. I support you getting prepared by putting your hand on the gun. I would have freaked out too when he followed me on the property.
But you were the aggressor. You approached him and questioned a man about an otherwise legal activity.
JUST LIKE when somebody off the street says "Hey are you a cop? Why do you have that gun?" "Hey are you supposed to photograph here? Why do you have that camera?"
^^
Not taking either side, since I was not there and do not presume to know what happened, but there are good points here that merit discussion.
Although, I am OK with calling the police if someone seems suspicious, just as I would not mind someone calling the cops on me, as long as the cops made the right decisions after they checked the situation out.
However, mere possession and use of a camera is not what I would call a reasonable trigger for suspicion. It depends also on demeanor [largely] of the person doing it, and where, and in some cases what they are photographing.
A dude in a suit photographing things in a museum, looks fine and normal.
The same dude in a suit photographing little girls outside a catholic school, this would trigger me to be suspicious and likely call police.
The same dude in a suit is photographing my house. I might think he looks like he is casing the place. This is not so clear cut, but if I decided to call the police, I would expect them to come, take a look, and determine from there. If he tries to hide or something when the car drives by, then they can go talk to him. If he seems to just be snapping photos of everything because he's an artistic someone, like Kimberguy, then they just keep driving.
A dude OCing at a gun range, store, car wash, fine whatever.
A dude OCing standing around a valet entrance, or a dude OCing while standing 4 feet from a vacant ATM, this might trigger suspicion for someone enough to call police. If this OCer were me, I would not be offended if cops did a drive by. If they come by and I'm robbing the guy at the ATM, well, then good thing they were called. If they come by and it turns out I was just waiting to cross the street, then they keep driving and I'm on my merry way and life is good.
There are three sides to every coin.
j/k
