RUN ITS THE COPS!!!!

[SoCalS14]

The setup: OK, I cruise out to In & Out in Fullerton, CA for little "import" meet-up. I run into a few guys, there ended up being about 6-7 240's...very nice...However, in the parking lot there are also WRX's, Evo's, and yes, Honda's of every variety. Oh yea, I can't forget about the FC...Nice guy...Clean ride...So what are we doing? Standing around, shooting the breeze, talking about what else....our cars...We stare, laugh, cry at the cars that pass by...some are clean some are funk. Basically we are doing nothing.

The problem: So what happens? A cop shows up...funny thing to because I say "Hey look the PO", and the guy next to me says "ah, he ain't doin nothing"....BAM all of sudden sirens, a towtruck, and a cop on a loudspeaker...Basically chases everyone out of the parking lot, and onto the streets...I felt pretty lucky, I got away...

The *****: First, I have a real problem with this sort of police action. First of all, we were all "standing in a parking lot"...I have to say, besides a few folks bumpin their stereo's, it was pretty tame night. So we were basically enjoying our hobby...What pisses me off, is that if we were driving a bunch of camaro's, mustangs and chevelle's....THE COPS WOULD HAVE LEFT US ALONE. That really burns me...its like, if they see "imports" they ASSUME trouble is brewing.

Second, whats with the louspeaker and siren? Yea, here is an intelligent idea, lets scare the hell outta a bunch of people, and have them running to their cars, and rushing to leave a parking lot...Sounds safe to you? Sounds like bull**** to me.

Seriously, what the hell is the problem? Have few bad seeds ruined the fun and enjoyment for everyone else? Are we "that bad"???

[Rockenreno]

It's called loitering. Technically it's illegal.

[SoCalS14]

Your missing the point...Its OK for a bunch of domestics to loiter...PLUS, I had a burger and a shake...with cheese!

[PGBrian]

was there a domestic group loitering there?were they playing loud music?

[SoCalS14]

There was like one mustang and one camaro...Only ONE guy was bumping his tunes...and he had stopped after a few minutes...But still its not like it was in the middle of a neighborhood...it was a parking lot on a busy boulevard.

[hybrid_flyer]

maybe the in and out manager called the cops because 1. having a bunch of car people around doesnt always look friendly2. if you guys are filling the parking lot other customers cant stop and eat.

just a thought...I do agree however that there are better ways that situation could have been handled

[PGBrian]

well look at it this way, police now have the ability to do whatever they want. you can thank a certain higher up in the govt. for that.so, you just need to face the facts. you drive a bright red import with shiny wheels.you are now in the stereotype.i know it sucks and it isnt right, but thats life.

[SoCalS14]

so, you just need to face the facts. you drive a bright red import with shiny wheels.you are now in the stereotype.

Thats the stereotype? Wait a sec, I thought it was a multi colored body kit, half primered/half painted with half of it falling off. Lets not forget about the neon ligths and door graphics...Come'on...

Funny because when I look at older domestics...I see shiny colors with chrome wheels...

[AkademikONE]

...blah, Cops around here are like that all the time.. don't they have something better to do, such as catching criminals, etc.. instead of ruining the fun of people just hanging out having fun and not causing any trouble. They should make some place where it's legal to hang out like that, maybe a burger joint for the auto enthusiast, hahaha, you know, some late night kick it place. The manager would be cool with the idea of having people there and just hang out you know...

[MECPInstaller]

Yep same way around South St. Louis, can't sit around in parking lot too long on lindbergh or they come in a threaten to write up tickets. that and the stupid "crusing law" if a cop catches you in the same area 3 times within 30 minutes you get fined x number of dollars. They should be more worried about the retard ricers that blow through redlights when their drag racing instead of trying to crack down on loitering in empty parking lots after all the stores are closed.

[Nismo_Freak]

...blah, Cops around here are like that all the time.. don't they have something better to do, such as catching criminals, etc.. instead of ruining the fun of people just hanging out having fun and not causing any trouble. They should make some place where it's legal to hang out like that, maybe a burger joint for the auto enthusiast, hahaha, you know, some late night kick it place. The manager would be cool with the idea of having people there and just hang out you know...

Sorry but the whole innocence thing is crap...

Facts of Car Meets:1. People do stupid things (endanger lives, property, deter business)2. People leave trash (you now have to pay to clean it up)3. People do illegal activities (racing, drugs, alcohol, great mix eh?)4. People are an insurance liability5. People are habit forming (continue to do 1-3)

Now why the hell would you want this kind of element on your property? Old domestic car show types typically don't do alot of this stuff, which is why the cops don't bust peoples chops. It's the younger generations that are chocked full of idiotasses that have to prove to the world their car can do a burnout, or bump the loudest, or drag it's frame, or <enter stupid activity here>.

It's a fact of life, live with it.

If you want to develop a lasting car meet here's some steps to make it last:1. Get permission to be on the property (cops can't do **** at that point unless laws are being broken, ie. minor's drinking). 2. Block off all entrances and exits after business hours and screen who comes in and out (keeps the majority of idiots out)3. Pick up your trash4. Support the business, make your presence known5. Police your own crowd, keep idiots inline.

Thats about it

[kamikazestorm420]

the cops did that over at the starbucks in torrance. me and a couple friends were just hanging outside starbucks and a po comes and tells us that we have to leave because we didnt buy starbucks ....

so one of us at least has starbucks in our hands now. lol

[SoCalS14]

Sounds like the answer is "We are that bad"...haha...its kinda funny, not that I care, I guess its just that now that I am getting older, I just wanna hangout, bull****, check out rides...

You make some great points Nismo Freak, and I am sure your description is an accurate portrait of MOST import meets (of this kind). I just wish people would grow up a little...

(BTW, I had a great cheeseburger)
Modified by SoCalS14 at 10:12 AM 9/10/2004

[Nismo_Freak]

Sounds like the answer is "We are that bad"...haha...its kinda funny, not that I care, I guess its just that now that I am getting older, I just wanna hangout, bull****, check out rides...

You make some great points MECP, and I am sure your description is an accurate portrait of MOST import meets (of this kind). I just wish people would grow up a little...

(BTW, I had a great cheeseburger)

Honestly I've been in that situation before and while the best solution is to just leave. I did one day get tired of it and stood up to the cop.

Basically we were meeting first at Wendy's late at night. So I stop, get something to eat (drive-thru only open), and park. Few friends show up and do the same. Soon a cop car shows up and turns on his damn flood light and tells us we need to leave. Since I was about half way through my burger, I told him that we were paying customers and that I was gonna finish my meal. He didn't like that too well and said that we needed to leave and that there was no loitering. Me being the hardheaded bastard that I am, told him that I was glad to go and talk it over with the manager on duty and inform him that he has a police officer harrassing his paying customers. Needless to say the police officer got back in his patrol car and huffed off. I wasn't very happy at the moment.

Legally I had grounds to be there... there was no filed complaint, I was a paying customer, and I was not causing a loss of business, nor was I engaging in any illegal activities. Hell I even know half the staff at the Wendy's cause I go there late at night all the damn time (my scale can attest to that!) haha.

Don't be afraid to stand up to the cops sometimes, just be sure you are well within your grounds to do so, and also understand you have to live with the consequences of your actions. Cops do alot of harrassing sometimes just because people will just do what they say.

[MECPInstaller]

I can see where the police are concerned, before they really started cracking down there was a decent amount of accidents, where innocent people died from others stupidity. I really shouldn't have said retard ricers, cause it isn't really just imports you still have the punks in the domestics to, you see lots of camaro's and mustangs smoking their tires at intersections, but for some reason they never get pulled over for having too loud of an exhaust. That car enthusiast friendly fast food joint would be a pretty cool idea, I motion that White Castle becomes one:) cause at 1 in the morning, Its what I crave lol.

Nismo you hit every nail on the head for the sour grapes that spoil the bunch, I could see if i ran a buiness and groups of kids sat around in my parking lot i could be concerned (i'm naturally paranoid and pessmistic). I wonder why so many people in our generation are rude and do stupid things like burnouts to prove a point or get attention. (example woodstock 69, lots of people everyones peaceful. Woodstock 98 or whenever it was, fist fights, riots and torching the place). I'm not saying i'm a perfect role model, i love to show my system when i get the chance but i also respect people by not blaring it in residential areas while people are trying to sleep.Cops are out to do their jobs and keep people safe but i think its overkill when i always have to keep my silencer in and a steady watch for cops in my mirrors, in fear of being pulled over because i fit the stereotype that people that modify their imports must be up to something bad. Sorry about ranting but it bothers me, now if the police treated imports and domestics equally i could live with that, but sadfully it just doesn't seem like its going to happen.

[AkademikONE]

so White Castle is a real restaurant??!! haha, i saw the movie but I never thought it was real... LOL

oh yea, where I live, In N Out and Wendy's is a popular late night hang-out where people meet up

[book-ends]

You think that's bad? How about this scenario:

Me and four friends (all living in the same house) are shooting hoops in the driveway, with my old 200SX parked in the yard listening to music through the trunk/open doors. It's Saturday afternoon, nice summer day and NO ONE complained about noise or anything......

BOOM! Cops roll down the street, see five engineering students (aka real nerds) having a good time on a Saturday and immediately pull a u-turn and flip on the lights. You can imagine how it pans out......

Fat cop gets out and says that he's going to start writing tickets right away unless we "cut it out". Cut out what? Playing ball in the front yard, or minding our own business? Old cop gets out and says we're disturbing the peace.

Long story short: Too many cops in a small college town. And not a huge college like CU......just four thousand nerds trying to get good jobs.

We still talk about that to this day. Oh, shooting hoops in your own yard, don't let the 5.0 roll by or you'll go to jail!!

[sr20det]

how old are you akademik1 ?? 18 19 20 or older?? where have you been all those years ??

[AZhitman]

My question in this whole thing is,

Why did you run?

I'd have stood calmly in the midst of the chaos, leaning on my fender, eating my burger and looking around...

[Anand]

mehh..... I'm glad I didn't go..

I remember when we used to hang out at the Sonics...around the corner from there.

the only difference is that they always have domestics that hang out there... OH and you know what they do

every single one of them actually get food from Sonics....

I used to just stick around when cops come but now I can't afford to do that... even though I know I am right or whatever... can't afford for them to tow my car away!

[SoCalS14]

I didn't run...but some folks did...at first I looked around, and then calmly, but quicky walked to my car...I have been into to cars for about 10 years now, and I have seen quite a bit...its just funny that nothing has changed.

One thing was true, EVERYONE was eager to leave the parking lot. Especially with when towtrucks roll in.

[Doomed2Walk]

That sucks man, sounds like So. Cal. is the only place with cops more strict than in Lincolnshire/Buffalo Grove, IL. (We don't have much crime which is good, but cops get bored and write people lots and lots of tickets which is very, very bad).

[sleepyRPS13]

footloose just came to my mind, with those kids hanging out the burger place, listening to their hip music and eventually it starts a chain reaction of mayhem dancing.

[tranzor_Z]

This argument has always been the same. Back when people started hot rodding family cars in the 40-50's the cops were there to shut them down. In the 60's and '70's the cops were there to shut down the "hippie teen" who choose to race there dad's mustangs and camaro's. The same can be said today as it was for those days. Back then they had the one or two odd movies that glorified street racing making it into something it was not to sell tickets. They also had traffic fatalities blamed on street racing, or drugs which only a very few were. Although the cars and styles have changed the general theme has not. If there is a group of perceived troublemakers around the cops will be there to stop them. Why? Most make themselves an easy target. Its a vicious cycle which wont stop anytime soon.

[AkademikONE]

how old are you akademik1 ?? 18 19 20 or older?? where have you been all those years ??

I live in Cali and I've never seen one around here. Where are they located at? haha

[240SX_S13]

Wat i hate about the COPS this day is they have one law thaty can get u arrest for nottin. DISTURBING THE PEACE. Wat the **** they us that for anything its the biggest loop whole in the system and i myself dont like it.

[Cyberkreig]

There is a wendys here that all the people gather at on a friday. Lots of people stand outside and watch cars driveby.

I had some punkass 18yo manager come out and ask me to leave. I was trying to enjoy my frostie and fries. Was i watching the cars, yes. But i was a paying customer. Stupid crap.

[MainEvent212]

hehe that's why hydraulics are not necessarily a bad thing...

soon as the tow trucks roll in...*switch* zoop-zoop...ur car is literally on the floor...tow that shiat sucka!

[Silvia2b]

"That cops come -everyone runs" reminds me of when I used to go watch the street races like 10 years ago, up in the Seattle area. They had good reason to run, the racers were doing something illegal. But the way the cops showed up with lights and sirens everybody was scared and doing stupid things like driving up curbs ruining perfectly good sets of Racing Harts, causing minor fender benders with other spectators trying to get out of industrial parking lots. Now spectators’ cars are subject to fines and towing as well. I don’t condone the actual racing on public streets, but it was fun to watch and see all the cool rides and just talk with people who have the same interests. The police generally have good intentions I think, but I think the busts were usually poorly executed, and their expecations were not necessarily what they found when the arrived on the scene. They got smarter though. Undercover officers with video cameras, to catch the repeat racers, and impound them.

[Rockenreno]

But the way the cops showed up with lights and sirens everybody was scared and doing stupid things like driving up curbs ruining perfectly good sets of Racing Harts, causing minor fender benders with other spectators trying to get out of industrial parking lots. Now spectators’ cars are subject to fines and towing as well.

I went 2 or 3 times in high school and always thought it was hilarious watching these slammed, riced out cars tearing themselves to pieces to get away from the cops who didn't even chase them. I would never take my own car to one of those events, that's just asking for trouble.