[*BCM*] MPLS biker tased, detained, framed, taken to trial--all based on clea

[Jim Leonard]

On Tue, Jun 19, 2007 at 02:48:58PM -0400, T B wrote:
> While I think that the usual cyclist ed courses (repair, safe riding, etc.) 
> are important, I'm realizing a glaring omission: how to have positive 
> interactions with people.
> 
> This comes to mind because, reading through the account, I notice that 
> Stephan describes his response as "calm but firm".  I feel that response is 
> appropriate in some circumstances and not others.  I've noticed that olice 
> officers tend to be used to being in control of the situation and, when 
> encountering firmness, react negatively.  Knowing how to effectively stand 
> up for our rights is an important skill that takes teaching and practice, 
> and it would be great if that could be taught alongside repair and safe 
> riding courses.

So my question is, if a police officer tells you to do something dangerous,
what is the correct way to respond?  This is not just theoretical, I've 
had special duty officers get visibly frustrated and start yelling when
I've chosen not to go into conflicting traffic that he apparently forgot 
that he had just waved into the intersection just seconds ago.  The really
bad thing is that this is a common occurance.  When the water main in
front of my house was being replaced and I had to pass three or four 
intersections under control of SD police to get to work, this happened 
at least once a week.  At least none of them were actively beligerent about
it.  And while I have had to deal with beligerent police officers in MA,
I've never had to deal with the combination of a beligerent officer telling
me to do something dangerous or actively threatening my person but I dread
the day I do get the combination.


--jim