Getting Hassled By The Man....

In the past week I've been hassled by The Man more than I have been in the past like 4 years. Barring the speeding ticket I got in Utah earlier this year, which I totally deserved and took like a man. That was his job and he did it quickly and didn't hassle me.

Here locally though it has been a different story in the past few days.

-On each of my motorcycles I've gotten hard second looks from cops as I ride past them, "just riding along". One even followed me for a bit. I have a license for a motorcycle. I have insurance. I wear a real helmet. I'm an adult male with no criminal record. So why they gotta give me the stink eye? Braaap! And I'm gone.

Just like when people tell me, "you can't park there" on my bike or try to squeeze me with their car when I legally lane split. I could just smack someone.
(this is my helmet and yes I took this pic)

-While out shooting on public BLM land, with all legal guns, all registered, everything legit a Border Patrol agent rolls up on me in a cloud of dust with his M4 (think assault rifle) and begins the 20 questions. What guns am I shooting? Are they registered? Where am I shooting and at what targets? I answer all of these and he calms down a bit. Then a new line of questioning begins with "Are you shooting steel core ammo?" Steel core ammo is cheap russian junk, so no of course I am not shooting it. He goes on to tell me about how a ricochet from steel core ammo could easily set a fire and he wants to look at my ammo. I say I have all brass but for one box of steel cased ammo I am finishing off. This gets him all in mcgruff the crime dog mode.

Uh, dude, though you are a Federal Agent, checking my guns out isn't your job. No probable cause other than he felt like it.

So he proceeds to pester me about the steel cased ammo to which I finally and sharply reply, "Do you got a magnet?" He did not. Mr Xray eyes can not determine the ferrous and non-ferrous components of my ammo so he needs to just lay off and go away.

Then I use the classic, "Hey look over there, I think I see someone!" which was great because I actually did. He eventually saw them as well after my second act of pointing the person ducking in and out of bushes 400 yards away. So he finally leaves with his parting words of "Well, I support the 2nd amendment, so go do your thing."

Go do your job dude. Do I look like some sort of crazy militia member that you need to tell me something like that?


-Finally, after my sleep study I went to an open to the public day at the Charger's training camp this morning. Parked good, got in easy, lots of fan excitement, maybe buy a jersey or something. A great morning.

So far. Until The Man strikes again!

I had barely gotten 12 pictures taken when I notice a security guard on the other side of the fence following me. So I keep walking and he is pacing me and eye balling me. I stop and rest on the fence to which he comes right to me, as I expected by his behavior and says "You know why I wanna talk to you?"

"No, why?", I say.

"You can't have long lenses.", says the guard.

"Dude, I checked when I came in the door and they said it was OK. Who says it isn't OK now?" I reply with incredulity.

"They are telling me in my earpiece you need to put your camera away." So I take my camera off my neck, set it on the ground and put my sweatshirt over it. The guard walks away. I take out my phone and start using it for pics. But at this stage I'm pissed.

Some background. As I walked in I was taking pictures through the fence of stuff like their 8 pallets of gatorade, practice equipment and so on. Another fan says to me, "Can you take my picture, you look like you know what you're doing." A few minutes later another fan walks past me and says, "Oh man, I wish I'd brought a professional camera."

The website says exactly this regarding cameras, "No long lenses." That's it. So I see people video taping there. I see other people there with dslr cameras with similar lenses and yet I'm the only one told to stop. I was using my D7000 and a 200mm lens. Decidedly consumer level equipment.

But when you have a poorly written rule and arbitrary enforcement then they can do things like that. I'm a fan, not a professional. I'm not a spy, my last name isn't Belichick.

This left a bad taste in my mouth. So I left after being there maybe 30 minutes. I was going to spend money on a jersey there but I didn't. Nor did I support any of the other vendors there like I had planned on. The comment I left on the Chargers Instagram account was deleted. I'm going to email them and ask for clarification of the rule and let them know of my poor experience at a fan event.

Do these pics look professional to you? Is this the type of photo capability to exclude a fan? Boo on you Chargers!

What I am curious about is just what I did to get pointed out into a guards earpiece to be told to stop where others didn't..... I'm gonna just take it as a back handed compliment that I looked like I was a professional or knew what I was doing and thus somehow a threat to the other media people there. Whatever..........

PS-Here is the email I sent to the front office:
I was at the open training camp on August 1st and was told to stop taking pictures by a security guard due to having a "long lens".
I was cleared upon entry, I was using a consumer level dslr and 200mm lens. I am not a professional at all, just a fan.
But the rule on the website is unclear and was arbitrarily enforced as I saw multiple people with the same set up taking pictures while I was made to stop.
This soured me on what should have been a great fan experience that day. I have been to games, I am a home owner in Allied Gardens near the stadium. I am a fan.
But due to how I feel was unfair and uneven treatment I didn't purchase a jersey that day or support any of the other vendors that day either.
Could you please give a more clear, concise and easily enforceable rule concerning your camera policy so this doesn't happen again.

Thank you.

PSS-The next two posts will be about mentoring a kid and a vid of my sleep study. So come back in the next few days! There is always something Rowdy happening!