sparkeyjames: This About That: I do not understand this seemingly irresistible urge to mouth off to a cop.

I think it's closely related to mouthing off to an asshole when one gets in your face.

You know who else enjoys shouting at assholes?

This About That: OK, let's suppose this cop was an asshole

Sorry, you lost me there. Too far fetched. Try to be more reasonable and realistic next time.

Caught drinking from a public water fountain? You better believe that a taserin'.

Oh...and for those who don't know... the "Obama Phone" program started sometime in the'90s.

I_Can't_Believe_it's_not_Boutros: They should charge him with battery.

Why? There was no resistance.

If the city didn't want its outlets being used, they could simply have shut off the power.

Then the man wouldn't have received a charge.

In his arrest report, Frangioni wrote that he told Kersey that the "theft of city utilities will not be tolerated during this bad economy."

Oh what the fark ever, Sgt. A-Hole. Perhaps you should unplug that coffee pot at the station. No one was using it, and it just sucks up taxpayer-paid city utilities.

Go bark up another tree. You busted a guy with no home or money. Well aren't you goddamn special.

If we let a homeless person charge his or her phone with public electricity, what next? Can they moor their yachts on public piers? Should they land their planes on public airfields? It's a slippery slope, and there isn't an easy answer to the problem.

This About That: I do not understand this seemingly irresistible urge to mouth off to a cop.

He wasn't so much mouthing off to a cop as mouthing off to a douchebag. That's practically a national sport these days.

Buffet: What the Fark is a homeless person doing with a cell phone?? Get a home first.

Last time I checked, homes cost WAY more than a phone. Though I haven't seen AT&T's prices for a couple of years...

LavenderWolf: Tman144: skullkrusher: LavenderWolf: HotWingAgenda: LavenderWolf: I had 6 guns drawn on me when I was 14

That sounds like a scene from a Tarantino film.

It felt so surreal. Friend and I waiting for a third friend, around the corner from my decidedly suburban home. Cop car skids to a sideways stop just feet away, followed by two more to box us in from other directions. Two cops in each car pop out, pistols aimed at us. We had done NOTHING.

what did they think you'd done?

I too am interested in why the cops harass you so much. Are you a big guy with a lot of tats or something? I had friends in high school who got harassed a lot, but they were punks and skins, and so drew a lot of attention to themselves.

Nope, average height and slim build, no obvious tattoos (wolf paw on my back is covered by any shirt), no "gang colours" as I generally wear brown and grey. Short hair. In short I look like the ideal working class Joe.

This is quite the mystery. Did you sleep with a cop's daughter years ago? Maybe they have your picture down at the station and they play a game called "Who can get away with harassing this random guy the most." Like the "Meow" game from Super Troopers, but, you know, with you, instead of Jim Gaffigan.

fanbladesaresharp: shtychkn: fanbladesaresharp: In his arrest report, Frangioni wrote that he told Kersey that the "theft of city utilities will not be tolerated during this bad economy."

Oh what the fark ever, Sgt. A-Hole. Perhaps you should unplug that coffee pot at the station. No one was using it, and it just sucks up taxpayer-paid city utilities.

Go bark up another tree. You busted a guy with no home or money. Well aren't you goddamn special.

Enough money to pay for phone service it seems.

A lot of homeless where I live get public benefits. They have a "Cash" and "food" side on their EBT cards. They use the cash sides to pay for those TracPhones I see a lot of them with. Others have a phone given to them and paid for by a third party. So.....your money is paying the government, to give the homeless money to pay for a phone that he uses a government service to be arrested over. Clearly it's the homeless guy that's sucking up all our resources here.

/ya i know you were being sarcastic. I hope.

I'd be using my cash side on booze, that's what I'd be using it on. Fark a phone

LavenderWolf: LoneVVolf: "If I sit down, they come up, ask for ID and run my name," said Fred Hall, 51, a North Carolina native. "If I spread a blanket and read a book, they arrest me for sleeping. It's crazy. They do the weirdest things to us."

It's almost as if the city doesn't want vagrants squatting in the public parks...

So of course the homeless should just get jobs and houses, because that is at all possible. How well do you think an interview goes with someone who hasn't had soap to use or a proper shower in weeks? Framing the conversation in terms of "vagrants" and "squatting" just shows contempt. Where should they go? Get a hotel room?

why can't they just spend the night at the club like everyone else does when they're getting their place gold plated? Farking lack of ingenuity, that's the problem

The best thing about dating a homeless person is when the date is over, you can pretty much drop them off anywhere.

TFA left out the part where he broke out the power strip and plugged in his fridge, flatscreen and microwave too

This About That: I do not understand this seemingly irresistible urge to mouth off to a cop.

The first 11 times I get harassed by a dick with a badge when I'm doing nothing illegal, I will be all no sir, I'm sorry sir, thank you.

The twelfth time I might "mouth off".

What is it with these cops? Haven't they read their Marx and Engels?

sparkeyjames: The thing that disturbs me most about this article is that there is a disabled homeless person
living in a public park. Does not Social Security disability cover a person who is disabled by a stroke?

This is America, we don't allow socialism here. Especially since Romney won the election (assuming you only count votes from Real Americans.)

In Davis, Ca. they have (had?) prominent "No Loitering" signs posted by the picnic tables/bbq area in the so-called "Community Park". That one always made me shake my head...

Smingleigh: If we let a homeless person charge his or her phone with public electricity, what next? Can they moor their yachts on public piers? Should they land their planes on public airfields? It's a slippery slope, and there isn't an easy answer to the problem.

First the homeless, then the hippies, then the conservatives, and before you know it the terrorists will be powering terrorist weapons in our public parks!

Dear Subby,

Stupid cops + Florida = Florida tag.

Carlip: Caught drinking from a public water fountain? You better believe that a taserin'.

That's the best taserin'. The minerals in the water really help conduct the electricity.

"theft of city utilities will not be tolerated during this bad economy."

When things get better, knock yourself out. Hook straight into the 600V mains, run a car wash from a fire hydrant. But until things improve don't you dare take one single kilowatt-second from the city.

This About That: OK, let's suppose this cop was an asshole (which he would kind-of have to be to roust a homeless guy for 2 cents worth of electricity. Still, self preservation requires an understanding of the situation. You have to understand it from the cop's point of view. The cop is going to win. The less sh*t you talk, the less his winning will cost you. That seems pretty simple. Now consider the case when a cop encounters s pet dog. The dog is not smarter than the cop, so he doesn't know what danger it is in, but it has mastered the art of reading voice tone and body language in humans. It sees a belligerent human and reacts correctly, warning the belligerent human away. Belligerent human shoots the dog, even if it weigh 2 pounds and is no real threat. This is because the copy has to win. Has to. If he doesn't he will be back with 20 cops and heavy weapons. So, unless it is your mission to lose in the game of life to cops, just shut the hell up and unplug your phone. Be smarter than the dog.You can usually (no, really, kids) assume that the cop is doing his in a difficult job, as he sees it. Even if you think he is a jerk, give him the benefit of the doubt. Usually he deserves it, and if he doesn't, you will lose anyhow. Beyond that, argue the point with the nice folks on your local city council.

Truer words never spoken.

Cop wants to fark your wife, well you just better hold her legs amIright? He's gonna do it anyway, so you might as well not give him reason to shoot you too. Infact offer up your daughter for dessert. You may not have any dignity but at least you'll be free to live exactly how the police tell you to.

BarkingUnicorn: sparkeyjames: The thing that disturbs me most about this article is that there is a disabled homeless person
living in a public park. Does not Social Security disability cover a person who is disabled by a stroke?

Yeah, but it's just money. She's looking for an assisted-living place that will take her. Maybe they're full in Sarasota. Maybe she's a problem nobody wants.

Why on earth would anyone want a problem?

This About That: I do not understand this seemingly irresistible urge to mouth off to a cop.

I think it's closely related to mouthing off to an asshole when one gets in your face.

So, let me get this straight. The city is willing to charge your electric car for free but you better not charge your phone and be homeless. What a sad place.