Good points Firemark. But I tend to think its more important they respect (ie don't violate) our rights than to be liked. Winning hearts and minds is a tactic, not the goal. This is an important distinction that everyone must understand. Our goal is the free exercise of our unalienable right to bare arms. Any and all tactics must be fair game in this pursuit, and there once was a time when a little public humiliation went a long way...I think it could be used once again to yield the desired outcome.
ETA: There have been times when we have publicly posted the names of businesses and restaurants who have stepped on our 2A rights, and it dawned on me that we don't have a list of the officers names, departments, and badge numbers who have willfully violated our rights. Think of it as a state wide, internet version of a citizen's police review board.
I too believe that RESPECT our rights is the most important. I always thought and learned from my life experiences that respect is earned over time and by actions, not by demanding it.
I understand what you mean about their once was a time when public humiliation went a long way, I grew up during that time when public shame was a powerful motivator for social change. If you think it is time for a come back and that it will work, like I said I cant stop you, my experience with cops (and I work side by side with them daily) is that any person that challenges LE authority, talks back, refutes LE in todays age is viewed by the large part of LE as criminal until proven innocent, and the more one pushes the more LE just doesnt hear you..
Is that right? is that the way it should be? absolutely not. but unfortunately it is the way it is, right now, today. Especially in big city LE departements that have for years fostered and developed coercion, manipulation and threat of arrest or painful restraint as their primary tools of verbal judo to obtain compliance and submission from any citizen contact.
I have seen several sites such as cop block and cop watch that do this, list bad apple LE. But I dont see it causing an effect. at least some LE actually consider it a merit badge to be listed, shows they are tough and dont take s*** from bad guys. You see from their point of view all they ever deal with day in and day out are actual criminals caught in a crime trying to use the system to get out of being in trouble. So being accused as a bad cop by a criminal is no big deal, and you have to remeber many LE see UOC as just a bunch of attention seeking criminals to be, not law abiding citizens exercising their rights... Many cops today frimly believe that their are only 3 types of people....wolves (criminals) sheep (citizens) and Sheep dogs (law enforcement). To them to even try and fathom a sheep (citizen) be anything but submissive and helpless must mean that they are a wolf (criminal). To me anyone who UOC's is like a Ram, but the animal does not exsist in todays LE world.
Might I suggest an alternative idea that might bear more fruit. Find out the chain of command of you LE in your town where you UOC, and ask for an appointment to sit down and talk to each of them. Chief in charge of public relations, the division commander or Captain, the Lieutenants and sergeants. Dont go in confrontational like, go in as a concerned citizen about the law and your own safety and your political agenda. Dazzle them with your extensive knowledge of the CA penal codes pertaining to firearms, be able to rattle off every court case that bears weight on all their doubts and confusion. of all the civil cases lost by over bearing LE and the amounts the cities have paid out. Show them all the training bulletins bad and good from departments. Let them know you have a great relationship with your civil rights lawyer who specializes in gun laws. Teach them that you are not a sheep, but the Ram, that your not going to be a wolf running around causing trouble, and they need to learn all about you because your not going away. Thats how you EARN respect, you do the work and show them who you are. Then you encourage other UOC'rs to do the same. Thats how I got them to respect my rights.
I did this and the result was the police chief of public relations gave me their personal cell number and directions to call regarding ANY and ALL officers that do not follow department policy and violate my civil rights.
There are good LE out there who believe what we are doing is great but they are the outcast minority in the LE world, and they will not speak up or out and be chastised by their superiors or jeopordize their careers. I have quickly come to realize that politics play a huge role in forming the forces that are taking our 2A rights from us.
Verbally dressing down a patrol officer by standing up for your rights is the wrong audience. They are just the foot soldier following directives and orders, even if they go against their oath to uphold the Constitution, They are not spending all day reading gun blogs and watching the state assembly or reading news articles from across the nation. They are out there trying to do there jobs. If you havent walked a mile in their shoes, how can we expect to earn their trust or get them to even accept us (let alone like us).
I can understand where you are coming from cooluser, I have seen amazing examples of standing up to LE work fantastic, and I have seen some fail misreably and wind up in court in front of a LE friendly judge. Im just saying one can feed em vinegar or sugar, sugar has seemed to work for me so far so im sticking with it till it doesnt. FWIW carry on brother.