We Are Being Terrorized

[perchance]

Originally Posted by lannen

Here is what will happen if you hire a lawyer.

1. The lawyer will take your money.

2.

Another Lawyer joke: Two farmers a fighting over a cow, one has it by the horns and the other by the tail. The Lawyers are in the middle milking it.

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by searay290

Do a Zimmerman, you are in Florida....

YES, MAYBE 15-20 YEARS!

[captainKJ]

we all have to deal with di--heads in our life,,,,, not much you can do but document it. if it continues then you have a case against them, but nothing much will ever happen to them, act of life. If you get some video you can show it to the police, most likely they will tell the guy to knock it off, give him a safety check, look for any thing not up to the law, issues a couple of warnings, and then keep stopping him on the water, a couple of times and he will get the message.

other than that keep what you do within the law,,,,if he is a son of a politician you can embarrass him by bringing it to the media, most likely he is a spoiled brat whose parent keep bailing him out of trouble,,,

do a search on CF for sunset lake miami,,, it is an interesting read,,about the same thing happened there

[sabray]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse74

Video camera?

Yep iPhone has it built in.

[DotDun]

IMO, a major reason to cruise/live-aboard is to escape from the conformity of the landlubber rat-race-like society. Expecting to escape the negatives of the landlubber society (dealing with idiots) while maintaining the positives (expedient assistance from public safety) is a fantasy. You moved onto a boat to escape, don't expect to have the same level of 'services' the landlubber society enjoys.

If your response to actions of idiots matches the level of stupidity foisted upon you, be prepared for the situation to fall even deeper into the abyss of one-upmanship. Floating poly line and guns are responses that could fall into this trap.

Similar to the wise advice of 'Don't argue with an idiot....', don't get caught in performing stupid acts where the audience won't be able to tell which party is 'stupider'.

Take the high road, if you can't/don't want to move, document (video) and continue to work with the public safety responders. They will respond if/when you provide evidence this is not a one-time event, remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[TeddyDiver]

Videoing stupids could make a good show. How about selling a program "Retarded on water" for Discovery channel.. anyway they have some programs about the same category allready.

[micah719]

The Sunset Lake threads were interesting. Sad, but interesting.

[SKG56]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Yes...personally if I was going to try and defend myself, I would come up with a decent plan, with enough help that I did not get over my head and I sure as hell would not be advertising it here. I always laugh the personalities of posters here

I totally agree, this whole thing is BS.

[rognvald]

I have read all the previous respondants and have a few comments that have not been mentioned. Firstly, whenever you deal with a stranger, you are dealing with an unknown. You cannot judge his/her response to your action/inaction or the degree of his response. What might work with one person could be a trigger point for extreme violence to another. The world has always been violent, but today you are dealing with people who might be using drugs/alcohol to excess, a person who has a violent past and/or criminal record, a mentally unstable person capable of bizarre and unmentionable acts, or maybe even a pretty decent guy that is just having a really bad day. They all spell disaster if you're dealt the wrong card. Secondly, anytime the police are involved you have the potential to be exposed to a criminal proceeding, a civil lawsuit that may be directed against you even if you are the innocent or injured party, costly legal bills and unneeded stress and inconvenience or violent retaliation by the accused party. These are all unknowns with a potential for an outcome not desired or deserved. Thirdly, you must analyze if your response will be sufficient to stop the action and avoid the previous two considerations. That also is an unknown. So, unless you or your loved one's are exposed to an imminent and life threatening attack where you can justify whatever force is necessary to stop the attack, the better alternative (as others have mentioned) is to keep a vigilant post for the remainder of the night and pull your hook in the morning and move to another anchorage. What is your life, your loved one's life or your boat worth? Sailing, cruising, and the liveaboard life is not a martial art.

[micah719]

Ah, the drawback of the internet....the inability to spot when someone is pulling your leg by their body language and tone. Also, the difficulty of subtly conveying the impression that one hasn't laid all the cards on the table...or even any of the good ones.

The hooning drunk kiddies need a good spanking and lengthy grounding (no, not the nautical kind), and the midnight musical idiot would benefit from a solid punch on the conk and a last-chance good behaviour warning lest he be banned from boating. But the Sunset Bay debacle is a showcase in how far we've sunk, and this thread is merely another. Up anchor, to more quiet places where the barbarians don't dare go, much, yet.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by perchance

For all who advocate cutting and running: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing" Edmund Burke.

I agree with this. The harder course, but best in the long run both for this boater and the community, is to find a way to make the local gendarmes take such actions seriously.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by DotDun

IMO, a major reason to cruise/live-aboard is to escape from the conformity of the landlubber rat-race-like society. Expecting to escape the negatives of the landlubber society (dealing with idiots) while maintaining the positives (expedient assistance from public safety) is a fantasy. You moved onto a boat to escape, don't expect to have the same level of 'services' the landlubber society enjoys.

If your response to actions of idiots matches the level of stupidity foisted upon you, be prepared for the situation to fall even deeper into the abyss of one-upmanship. Floating poly line and guns are responses that could fall into this trap.

Similar to the wise advice of 'Don't argue with an idiot....', don't get caught in performing stupid acts where the audience won't be able to tell which party is 'stupider'.

Take the high road, if you can't/don't want to move, document (video) and continue to work with the public safety responders. They will respond if/when you provide evidence this is not a one-time event, remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

That's one reason to live aboard, but -- for instance -- not like I do.

I share Hatch's concern because I sometimes take my boat out into that area just to anchor out for the night. Living by a dock in a marina is convenient but not really much of an adventure.

I would like to be safe out there.

[micah719]

When you have to do much of their job for them, such as collecting evidence and shame them by applying media leverage, it may be too late already....putting out a spotfire in the middle of a roaring inferno. Or holding up a sapling in a hurricane......

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by micah719

When you have to do much of their job for them, such as collecting evidence and shame them by applying media leverage, it may be too late already....putting out a spotfire in the middle of a roaring inferno. Or holding up a sapling in a hurricane......

I don't agree. If you claim a crime has been committed, you have to demonstrate that it has happened. Usually it's obvious. You've been burglarized and the police can see where the door or window was pried open, etc.

But what evidence do they have that a crime has been committed here? Only the live-aboard's claim, and for all they know, he has some vendetta against the kid on the boat. It happens.

The police have to have evidence.

[CarinaPDX]

This has been a fun thread...

First, I appreciate that the OP seems to be one of the most sensible posters here - kudos.

I think that the escalation that was experienced by the OP should be argument enough against a forceful response. The reality that things can get out of hand quickly, particularly when one party is drunk and suffering from teenage hypertestosterone, should give cause to pause with the aggressiveness. Expecting a drunk to respond meekly to any request to behave is pure wishful thinking.

"Violence is as American as apple pie." Malcolm X was right on at least that observation. And response draws further bad behavior. Ignore them and they might go away - respond and they will stay to get their revenge.

I do like the video recording. And if it were me I would happen to have my phone on speaker while talking to the police, while at the same time recording the video. But the idea of using the video to bludgeon the police/mayor/city council/USCG into doing their jobs (as you see it) is not likely to end well. It is one thing to show the video to these people in order to educate them as to what you have been enduring; threatening to expose their inaction is quite another. You really do catch more flies with honey...

If the perpetrators can be identified, and there is real monetary loss such as a vet's bill for the dog's injury, a trip to small claims court might well be in order. Confronting a now-sober person in the light of day with the cost of his misdeeds is far more likely to improve the situation than any aggressiveness on the night in question.

If the OP feels committed to staying in Gulfport, then getting involved in improving the situation is in order, a la DeniseO30's suggestion. Some avenues to pursue: establish a volunteer patrol under the auspices of the police, or similarly, get involved with and invite in Coast Guard Auxiliary patrols. I would accept at face value that funds are tight, and such violations are not a high enough priority to deal with, so provide suggestions that will require few resources but will leverage the authority of the police, etc.

Finally, if the OP is not committed to the Gulfport community, then always remember: When in danger, when in doubt, pull up the anchor and bugger on out.

Greg