We try to be an environmentally conscious family. I am not going to pretend that we are single-handedly saving the world because we are not but, we do try to make the more eco-centric choices whenever it is financially feasible.
This is why we use cloth diapers (and for some more shallow reasons I have already admitted to) and why we use naturally derived cleaning products and why we are a one car family. We live in town so we are close to everything and we try to use our car as infrequently as possible; in fact, there is many a day when I don't even turn my car on. What I am getting at is that we aren't freakin earth angels but we try.
The person that tries the most in our family is my Husband. If anyone were going to be close to an earth angel, it would be him because he rides transit or his bike everyday to get to and from work and has for almost a decade now. Seriously, the man deserves a gold star; I am proud of his efforts and that is why I was soooooo pissed about what happened yesterday morning.
Yesterday, my Hubby set off for work at the crack of dawn as he does everyday - he starts early so he can get home early so I have time to do selfish things for myself in the evening like hit the gym, I told you he was gold star worthy. A few minutes into his ride to work, our West Coast weather which has been utterly unpredictable lately with sun one minute and snow the next, decided to go apeshit on his ass and starts pouring down freezing rain and hail. Within a few minutes my pedaling earth angel was freezing, soaked and miserable.
He coasted into downtown and stopped at a deserted traffic light. It was before 7am and the only thing he was sharing the road with was the homeless people who were weaving their shopping carts across the road further up. He was shivering and soaked and carefully looked both ways before deciding to continue through the deserted red light.
I am not sure how the poor bugger could have had any worse luck but he did. Right after he made the fateful decision to ride through that light, he was pulled over by a Police Car. When he was retelling his story I thought ok... I get it the police have to do their job and pull him over and speak to him about riding through a red light, a deserted red light but, a red light nonetheless.
He's never been pulled over before and I was thinking, considering the weather and the circumstance and the fact that he was visibly freezing and soaked, they would give him a warning. But, that is not what happened.
They pulled him over, stuck their hands out the window of their warm car and demanded his ID. They then proceeded to do up their window (to ensure they stayed toasty warm) and make him wait for 5 minutes in the hail and rain while they wrote him a ticket. Might I also point out that during this 5 minutes the homeless people continued to jaywalk and weave their shopping carts back and forth across the street directly in front of them.
After they wrote him a $125 ticket they told him they could have given him a higher fine of $160 and took off. Of course, as they pulled away they were careful not hit any of the homeless people jaywalking across the road.
WTF???? Are they kidding me!!
You seriously gave my husband a $125 ticket in that situation in that type of weather on a deserted street at the crack of dawn???
This is why Police Officers get bad raps and why people call them offensive stuff like Pigs. It's one thing to do your job and keep peace and order in the community but this had nothing to do with that. This was two assholes seeing an easy target for a $125 and probably getting their rocks off on the power they hold that allows them to make a grown man sit in wet clothes in the freezing rain and hail while they completed their shifts requisite abuse of power.
Shame on you Victoria Police Officers!!
I'll have you know my Husband is disputing the ticket. There is no way in hell I am paying that $125 without a fight.
FYI - Even though I am mad I won't be employing derogatory terms to refer to Police Officers. I know they work hard and I do have a good deal of respect for what they do but, in this instance they were just plain out of line.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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10 comments:
Of course they let the homeless folks jaywalk hassle free. They have no money to pay a ticket and piling them with tickets they can't pay just lands them in jail which makes the police bitter because now we are housing the homeless. Don't even get me started.
Contest the ticket. With luck the police won't show up to give their side and it gets thrown out. I've seen sooo many cars running through reds while they are on their cell phones in the last few months and there is never a cop around when THAT happens.
Shame indeed.
Umm...wow, that totally sucks. I can't believe they didn't give him a break due to the weather. So not only did he have to ride in hail and rain he also gets the bonus prize of paying $125. Yep those cops were dicks. I guess the only thing I can think off is quite a few bikers were hit downtown due to riding through red lights, but then so were the homeless, therefore our place opens at 7 instead of 9. On a side note my brother was riding down a hill in Saskatoon to be pulled over and he was almost issued a speeding ticket because you know bikes have speedometers right?
What is going on with police lately?!? They are completely power drunk, out of control, bat-shit crazy. Seems like being part of the RCMP means getting a license to do what ever the f@#k you want without any recourse.
You want to shoot people or tazer them to death? Join the RCMP.
You want unlimited access to drugs? Join the RCMP.
You want to drive drunk while off duty and actually run someone over and kill them? Join the RCMP.
And in case you happen to overindulge in these things and get in a spot of trouble - do not worry. You'll get a suspension with pay (aka paid vacation) while the RCMP investigates the RCMP and then - presto! - there will not be enough evidence to prosecute and you will be cleared of all wrong doing.
You think I'm exaggerating? Look up Monty Robinson - the cop that was in charge of the detail that tazered Dzjekanski to death at YVR.
Are you serious Cheryl about a speeding ticket for a bike?!!? That's ridiculous.
Viktor I hear you on the RCMP thing. The Dzjekanski case is a tragedy that has only been made worse due to the fact that no one is willing to stand up and say they messed up and their mistakes led to the death of an innocent man. Absolute tragedy.
That sad thing about Law enforcement is that it often attracts the exact wrong type of people. The type of people who should not be given any sort of power because they can't handle the responsibility that comes with it.
I have a shit temper and that is why I would never have become a police officer. I am a very empathetic person but I know it would not have been a suitable role for me.
It's lousy. You would think they would give him a break... but that's sort of the risk he took... weather and hobos aside.
I have to go with Michael that was a risk he took. As a police officers daughter there are the bad ones but they aren't all that way.
I agree... it was the risk he took. The thing that is so annoying is he is the most conscientious cycler. He always obeys all the traffic laws and hates when other bikers bend the rules. It was seriously all due to the weather and I really think the guys could have cut him a break and given him a warning.
Trust me Bobbi, I know they are not all bad. In fact, my own hubby always wanted to be a police officer himself. I know police officers work hard and come across a lot of A-holes who treat them badly for no good reason.
I also know there are plenty that are not all above board. If we have to pay the $125 it will really suck but the law is the law.
I hate that they gave your hubby a ticket especially in those circumstances (deserted light, etc), but I must say I get really really annoyed at all the riders I see who do blow through busy red lights without a second thought (not like your hubby who stopped and then made the decision given it was dead).
I really wish (the bad thoughtless) riders would remember that they are a vehicle on the road and therefore have to follow the rules of the road... I could have a whole WTF rant about the stupid things I see that riders do, but I still think that the police giving him that ticket in those circumstance is ridiculous.
Way to have perspective police...
That's absolutely ridiculous! And you know what? This isn't the first time I've heard stories about the Victoria police. Talk about having messed up priorities. I'm thinking about Pandora St and how that area has really gone downhill over the past ten years: people doing drugs, an obvious homelessness problem etc. Shouldn't the police be directing their efforts to remedying some of these issues?! (Instead of picking on your enviro-angel husband).
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