[Harp-L] NJ cops hassle Dylan

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

Nonsense.  If a cop demanded my I.D. and I didn't happen to have it, I'd tell him or her no thank you, and after giving my name and address I'd ask the cop to cite the law that I was violating, if any; and if none, I would walk away.  

If he or she were courteous and gave me advice (as they did Harvey et al.) I would take it into account and make my choices.  

If they undertook to arrest me for no I.D. (assuming the jurisdiction didn't require us to carry government id everywhere we went) I would civilly argue the point, based on that little technicality called the Bill of Rights, which gives all of us the right to walk around anywhere public, anytime we wish, so long as we aren't breakin' any friggin' laws.    

And if they arrested me anyway, I would use the law to affirm my civil rights as against such nonsense, as I've done since well before I was 18 years old, and long before I became a lawyer (at age 30).   And since then, too.

And if I walked into an area where someone harmed me, I would be the one responsible for my choice, the assailant (cop or not) would be responsible for my injury.  


 Moral: Don't waive your rights, you'll end up losing them.  Don't back down, and don't be rude unless it's appropriate. 

AND recognize that all neighborhoods in the world, especially poor ones, are full of good people who just want to get along.  When we avoid them out of fear we cement the divide and reinforce the basis for alienation, dehumanization and hatred.  

But it helps to play some good harp if you don't want to get beat up.

-Dave "My Karma ran over your Dogma"  Fertig