Today I am thankful for sheriff officers who break the law and the supervisors who cover it up.
Oh, and I'm thankful for video footage, too.
Two weeks ago someone I know shared a video of sheriff officers breaking the law . She asked the officers for their names. They refused, on camera.
In Colorado, a peace officer is supposed to give you his business card when asked.
One of them was very nasty in his refusal.
I saw the video.
I was angry.
*****
Part of what they did was utilize several handicap parking spots for their personal vehicles. They refused to move them.
They blocked access to the disabled parking at a county owned public facility!
I saw the video and became angry when I saw the cop refuse to give his name.
It took me a few minutes to realize the source of my anger.
It goes well beyond people who are sworn to uphold the law actually breaking it.
That's always been a pet peeve of mine.
******
I have a crush.
This man has the most beautiful voice in the world. He was my favorite disc jockey for several years and then he mysteriously vanished off of the airwaves.
He had accident that forced him to give up the work he loved and sell insurance.
I had a stalker that forced me to give up the work I loved and sell insurance.
We sat next to each other for about a year before I promoted.
His degree is in music performance. I gave up my bachelor's program in music education to study psychology.
He lives in my town. He told me he admired the way I took the bull by the horns when the government upset me.
I don't think I anticipated anyone to think it was "hot" to argue with government officials.
But this guy seemed to get a kick out of it. He liked how discussing local politics makes my face light up.
He used to hide chocolates on my desk. They weren't just any chocolates. They were expensive chocolates.
When this line came out with crazy flavors, I'd hide them on his desk.
I don't think he appreciated that too much.
I adore him.
My dear friend (that's we call each other) is in a wheelchair due to the accident mentioned above. He wrote about it: I buy copies of his book and distribute them to my clients.
We were laid off from our jobs in February of 2017.
We keep in touch
but
we can't get too close because of our religions. He's a legalistic Christian. I'm a Hellenic Pagan with two pan sexual adult children.
It wouldn't work. I used to think about asking him out if the ex drama would stop. Then, I realized that my kids would be an issue.
He is amazing.
Every few months, we and some other former colleagues rent out a huge room in a fancy restaurant and party.
This guy is the person I want to see the most.
The last party I attended broke my heart. We sat for hours waiting for our friend. He has a way of brightening up the room.
We love him.....I mean, we love, love, LOVE him!
Several of us texted him. After two hours with no response, we began receiving messages.
The handicap parking was taken by people without placards. The staff wouldn't help him.
He went home.
That upset me.
If he had texted while he was at outside of the restaurant, I would have solved the problem by calling the Sheriff's office.
Maybe he didn't tell me because I have a way of inadvertently creating a scene.
******
Imagine how angry I became watching that video of sheriff officers refusing to move their vehicles out of handicap loading parking spots.
I thought about sharing it online but I didn't want to upset my dear friend.
I decided to write to the county.
They did what governments do best......they ignored me!
I've played that game before.
So now, I'm tasked with reaching out to local activist groups and maybe the media. I'm having trouble finding the time to write the emails, make the calls and send links to the video.
Ugh!!!
My friend who posted the video is meaner and far more well spoken than I am. She is a force to be reckoned with.
Her style is tough and brash. It's the kind of style that gets attention.
I'm a social activist. I love people. I respect all people. I try to understand them and find common ground. I think I inadvertently mediate between differing groups.
I've been described as "gentle" and "feminine."
Gentle doesn't equate to being a doormat.
I thought about my friend and her in your face ways. When that cop refused to move his car, she ran home, grabbed a video camera and started a Facebook livestream.
She's in your face....NOW.
I thought about the way I do things. I'm very different.
I'm slow. I'm methodical. Sometimes I tend to take things too far; like being a founding member of a Political Action Committee to take the funding away from government lawbreakers, running for an corrupt politician's seat, pushing a re-call election for an Constitution-breaking lawmaker.
I gave the Sheriff's office over a week to respond to me - it was actually two weeks!
They didn't.
So I'm reaching out to disability rights organizations, one of whom is suing this department for ADA violations*.
Now I have to play the role I play best;
wanna-be social psychologist turned activist.
That's when I came up with my new mantra.
It is:
Walk softly and carry big, bling encrusted stick!
Those rhinestones can hurt if you get swatted with them!
Anger doesn't give one an excuse to behave as an uncivilized oaf.
One can be tough and adversarial while being kind. When you are in the right, you can act with kindness. There is no need to shout and yell when you know you're right.
One can be tough and adversarial while being kind. When you are in the right, you can act with kindness. There is no need to shout and yell when you know you're right.
I think it would be awesome to get a cane like this with a sword hidden inside.
It would be even better to have a white sword cane, with three dimensional pink roses and sharp thorns spiraling up the cane.
That would totally be my style.
What do you think?
Yeah.....I'm thinking that it's probably a good thing that I rarely get days off now.
This is the sad stuff I do on my days off.
If one person doesn't have to turn away from the court house because the cops hog all of the handicap spots, it'll be worth the time. I can only imagine what would happen to a driver who couldn't make a hearing because he couldn't park his wheelchair retrofitted van in a handicap spot.
They probably get fined and threatened with jail, just like everyone else. They have more hurdles to cross to get to the hearing than most people.
I wish people in power had empathy for the people they serve.
This behavior on the part of people sworn to uphold our laws must stop.
It must stop now!
Love ya,
S.
*They called me within minutes of tagging them a public post on a disability advocate's Facebook page. I hate Facebook but there are times when it is useful.
I didn't answer the phone. The call came in as a private number. I got their message.
At least, they're trying now.
I don't think they're going to take this seriously at all. Perhaps we need to share it with the court of public opinion.
Sigh....