Tampa Man Jailed On Charge Of Wearing Illegal Mask

Originally posted by rcwj1975
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

If your parents were shot to death and there was a security camera that caught the whole thing on tape...recorded it all. And I watched it and as the investigating officer walked up to you and said, sorry son, they had on masks...so we cannot get any ID on them. I'll let you know if we can find them, but right now we got nothing. Imagine that....

Evenin' officer. I have just one thing to say. If I am a criminal, and I am intent on murdering someone, am I going to say, "Well, there's a law against masks, so I guess I'll just have to commit this murder unmasked!" ?

No. If I were going to murder someone, first of all, I would scout that person for several weeks, and I would do it in a place that DOES NOT have cameras. The law against masks isn't really going to deter anyone already intent on committing a crime.

A person who kills someone in the heat of the moment without having planned it isn't going to have the foresight to wear or even bring a mask anyway, so the law doesn't really help them get caught. If a bank robber is going to wear a mask to prevent himself from being identified, he isn't going to walk down the sidewalk to the bank with his mask on. The law doesn't even have to exist for him to not wear the mask publicly.

Basically, anything illegal that someone would need a mask for IS ALREADY ILLEGAL. This one law is not going to deter crimes. The only thing it is good for is preventing anyone/everyone from walking down the street masked and being mistaken for a criminal for obvious reasons. This kind of stuff should be left to the discretion of the LEO. "Is that guy walking down the street masked?" "Yes". "We should go check it out..."

It shouldn't be a LAW.


[EDIT]: LoL... "I have just one thing to say"... oops...

[edit on 24-2-2010 by OrphenFire]

reply to post by OrphenFire


Hi, and I already said I don't really care if it is a law. They can amend it for all i care. The mask and crime isn't the issue here. Yes people murder with or without it....but people on here think police should have no right to talk to anyone wearing a mask under any circumstance...Or atleast that is how I am persiving it after a 13 hour work day and been up since 0500hrs...lol

If I am persiving it wrong then I apologize, but as an officer working in and around a HUGE city...4 million plus....you HAVE TO take steps and measures to stop this crap before it happens. And working these streets for almost 9 years...guess what...you DO build up experiance to spot things others would think is no big deal.

Then i wonder what they do when there is a "Gathering" of Juggalo's. These are fans of the insane clown posse and they run around in clown makeup in large groups when these things happen.. Maybe they don't have gatherings in FL. I wouldn't blame them.

reply to post by rcwj1975


I know you don't really care personally about the law. I wasn't attacking you. I was simply addressing the one comment you made about the security camera. No need for me to rant about that again .

But like I said, these kinds of things shouldn't be enforcible laws. I think you would agree that officers should have discretion with things like people wearing masks in public.

Scenario A: Crowded city street, officer sees a shady looking character wearing a mask or obvious disguise - probably doing or about to do something illegal. The officer has all right to detain him on the probability of illegality.

Scenario B: It's Halloween. The officer needs to be EXTRA watchful tonight. There is no need for a law.

Scenario C: It's NOT Halloween. The officer sees a medium sized group of costumed and/or masked young people. With this law in place, he/she has the legal right to arrest all of them. But further investigation reveals that they were on their way to an annual costume party hosted by their company/school/church/etc. They were arrested, fined, and traumatized for no real reason, and now they probably have huge anti-cop sentiments.

Edit for clarification in first paragraph.

[edit on 24-2-2010 by OrphenFire]

reply to post by OrphenFire


I agree 100% it should be discretion of the officer. I know you weren't attacking me personally, and your right, I don't care about the mask law, I was more concerned that even with articutable suspicion, it feels like some members think we still shouldn't check it out.

Yes, when it looks like something isn't right, you check on it. Halloween, costume parties, etc....thats fine, wear the masks...I sure as hell am not charging someone on halloween night for wearing a mask...or any other night, UNLESS, as we agreed, they are doing something that leads me to believe they are up to no good...which again CAN be determined BEFORE a crime occurs....

reply to post by rcwj1975


Then we are in agreement! Handshake?

I do not speak on behalf of those who bash all police officers and would seek anarchy. I am not that person. I respect all officers of the law, but you must admit, some of the guys putting people behind bars need to be behind bars themselves. But let's not get into cop-bashing.

reply to post by OrphenFire


Agreed...shake...and I will even agree that some cops do not need to be wearing a badge...

Anyway here is the GA law on masks...just so you know...lol

Title 16, Chapter 11, Section 38 (16-11-38)
(a) A person is guilty of a misdemeanor when he wears a mask, hood, or device by which any portion of the face is so hidden, concealed, or covered as to conceal the identity of the wearer and is upon any public way or public property or upon the private property of another without the written permission of the owner or occupier of the property to do so.

(b) This Code section shall not apply to:

(1) A person wearing a traditional holiday costume on the occasion of the holiday;

(2) A person lawfully engaged in trade and employment or in a sporting activity where a mask is worn for the purpose of ensuring the physical safety of the wearer, or because of the nature of the occupation, trade, or profession, or sporting activity;

(3) A person using a mask in a theatrical production including use in Mardi gras celebrations and masquerade balls; or

(4) A person wearing a gas mask prescribed in emergency management drills and exercises or emergencies

reply to post by rcwj1975


Haha. That law in its entirety is quite practical and acceptable. What about the FL one? Does it include an "excluded" section like the GA law?

reply to post by OrphenFire


Not sure...I got that from my law CD they give us every year...lol. Hope someone can post it on here from FL to see how different they are...if not I could always google it.

reply to post by rcwj1975

EDIT TO ADD: people like you never wanna deal in reality...hence the avoiding and not wanting to discuss the incidents that do occur daily. You call it emotion because you can't see it has nothing to do with emotion, it has to do with EVERYDAY life...but I guess when you don't allow yourself to live in reality, you can continue living in this I AM A PATRIOT CHANGING THE WORLD place where your way would make it all better....again, your way hasn't exactly been working lately....

Too funny you have never met a person like me if you did you wouldn't be doing everything to undermine your own credibility.

As I mentioned before cease and desist with the attempts at emotional domination and manipulation you aren't very good at it.

There are aproximately 16,532,124 acts of injustice that occur every day based on various perspectives of justices.

Which do you want me to get all worked up about again to make your argument for you that you can't?

YAWN!

I don't live in your world and please explain who died and left the world to you?

I live in my world, and I live in it by MY RULES.

Don't like it?

TOO BAD!

Now since you have no idea what my code is, and don't even have your own but rely on a skewered set of rules designed to create a world where 16,452,127 acts of injustices happen based on various perspectives every day why don't you try understanding that your attempts to dominate others worlds will only lead to the ruin of yours.

I have a code its a simple code, do no harm.

The fact of the matter is the system does immense harm to people every day and as far as your taxes only 11% are required to run government infrastructure, the rest goes to pork and entitlements and the vast bulk to military expenditures and financing the debt on military expidentures.

You want to talk about real life murder. Lets talk about the real life murders of innocent men women and children you finance and morally condone every day through your acts of contrition.

Your morallity is not superior its so failed its pathetic look around the world you are still looking for draconian and imposing solutions to your own lack of understanding and ability to percieve and comprehend problems and logistics on a universal scale.

Arguing to make masks illegal.

Can you say fruit loop?

Maybe they're getting tough on disguises in public because it interferes with Big Brothers facial recognition software for their cameras?

Oh they arrest you for wearing a Mask alright.

But the charges don't stick and you usually walk out with some warning or the case being laughed at by the judge.

A cop can arrest you for anything really...but when you are front of the judge, the real law happens.

Every time I have been arrested wearing a Mask in public, it has always been thrown out of court and basically laughed at by all involved.

The police have issues with Masks...that I assure you.

PS- There are laws against wearing Masks within businesses and certain establishments.

Fight for your right to cover your face.

It may be a right you wish you defended after it is made totally illegal.

Mask up and proudly held high.

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
reply to post by rainfall

 

The risks we all must take to enjoy Kinky Sex, I wonder if that's what the clown mask was about!



[edit on 24/2/10 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

LOL, funny.....


Yeah really..... yet another stupid law

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler
reply to post by rainfall

 

The risks we all must take to enjoy Kinky Sex, I wonder if that's what the clown mask was about!



[edit on 24/2/10 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

LOL, funny.....


Yeah really..... yet another stupid law

reply to post by getreadyalready

No way a cop cites somebody for just wearing a mask, and no way there is a law on the books stating it is illegal for any adult to wear any mask.

There doesn't have to be.
The USA is being controlled by the COLOR of law, not the law.

peace

Originally posted by silo13

No way a cop cites somebody for just wearing a mask, and no way there is a law on the books stating it is illegal for any adult to wear any mask.

Wrong...I've seen the laws on this subject in my state and suffered its harassment many times.

Not only can you be arrested for wearing a Mask, I have seen it happen to many good Americans who were doing nothing but enjoying wearing one.

Some people enjoy wearing Masks or things that cover their face and in America they should feel the given right to do so.

Its a shame that good people wearing Masks have to feel like they do not have the right to wear whatever they wish on their faces, weird, silly or not.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0502e0c0cfee.jpg[/atsimg]

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/cd4aba6ec3af.jpg[/atsimg]

IN AMERICA WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO WEAR MASKS.




[edit on 25-2-2010 by Mr Mask]

Originally posted by dgtempe
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

I would go with the pink furry ones, at least they are less intimidating!

Yeah, but as a bloke, you look really stupid in them. Imagine someone walking in on you. It happened to me once...

What is a face with lots of cosmetics on it? Could be considered an attempt to mask your ID, right? Time to put the cops to work catching thieves and crooks in stead of harrassing citizens. Cops, being lazy fat loafs, love arresting law-abiding citizens because they will not resist and it's easy.

The way around it all is to peel somebody else's face off, wear it to the gas station, do the nasty and get out of there after stopping in front of the camera to smile. Bingo! The police think the other person did it, and nobody ever suspected you were wearing a mask.

Originally posted by ProtoplasmicTraveler

Originally posted by dgtempe
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

I would go with the pink furry ones, at least they are less intimidating!

Actually safety first. I opt for black leather cuffs with minature padlocks!

After all getting around the law is important!

We have some insane laws here in Florida courtesy of an over reactionary legislature.

Here in Miami a controversy has been going on for the better part of three years because the sex offender laws actually make the only legally zoned spot for ex-offenders to live in the middle of Biscayne Bay on an uninhabited island with no electricity, sanitation, sewage or water that a causeway bridge uses to bridge the bay!

They go straight from prison and get dropped off on that Island, if they aren't back every night by a certain time or violate their work restrictions or try to tinker with their ankle monitors they go right back to prison.

Even though the ACLU is sueing the State and the City and the County to repeal the law not one politician in the State wants to risk voter backlash so they are just waiting for a Federal Court to rule the restrictions be loosened so they can have normal housing.

Of course we do have the highest ex-felon population in the United States.

WHAT? Is this true? Which island is that? Watson Island? Virginia Key? They have to go live at Jimbo's? I'm pretty sure they have electricity there...........come to think of it maybe they don't. (I'm from Miami obviously) I never heard of this law....