Thanks for the detailed narrative, it was very helpful...
Okay, you made several mistakes...
1. Never argue or debate with police, they don't handle it well, it's not their job to debate with you... when you were told that you needed a permit to solicit, then you should have walked away... by debating that point with the police, you only escalated the situation... big mistake...
2. The police were actually being generous with you by giving you a warning and letting you go in the first place, but then you actually asked for the ticket... another big mistake...
3. They offered to return you to your car, and they did... you then began pressing them for the city limits... you were provoking them... another big mistake...
4. When confronted again, you asked where the city limit was, and then you decided that the officer was not being honest, despite the obvious fact that you had nothing on which to base that decision... walking away and saying "thank you" would have been the smarter thing to do, but instead you again escalated the situation and provoked the officer by asking him if the other side of the street would be okay... this has to come across as sarcasm, and police have no tolerance for sarcasm when they're trying to do their job... another big mistake...
5. The officer was correct in presuming you were still trying to collect signatures because you did have the clip boards with you, they were not left in the car, it's your word against his... whether anyone was complaining was your word against theirs, and in any situation where it's your word against theirs you don't want to argue with them, that also escalates the situation and you will never win... it's not the police's job to engage into a debate or a fight, it's their job to end it as quickly as possible and gain control, and they will subdue you any way they can and as quickly as they can... once they see any escalation of the situation, they will also escalate further to gain control and end the conflict... there is no tit for tat with police, you will always lose, and this is something you apparently do not know or realize...
6. The police were again being kind enough to give you a verbal warning the second time, but you actually escalated once again by asking to be taken to jail... what were you thinking? Are you trying to create a criminal history and an arrest record? Of course, they will take you and book you... another big mistake...
Thanks again for being clear in what happened, I think you need to pick and choose your fights more carefully...
GZ |
