huhenio

Hey !

She felt endangered ... she called the cops. Big deal.

Obviously she is in her right to do so, and it is better to prevent than to lament. If one has nothing to hide, one should not have a problem on answering a few questions ... or am I wrong?

teencraft

Yes...You are wrong...that is why we have civil liberties.

Cyclaholic

So, as a person with civil liberties isn't she at liberty to report something that she feels threatened by?

That was a rhetorical question (better go look up the meaning of 'rhetorical' before you respond)

Cyclaholic

Well, what would you do?

skinny

Classic specious reasoning. Privacy is a constitutional right, not a privilege reserved for those that have nothing to hide. This right is devalued for everyone when it is surrendered by anyone under the pretext, "I have nothing to hide".

teencraft

The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

P.S. I appreciate the condescending attitude. It really is a good thing you are here to enlighten my simple mind--while insulting me.

budster

Certainly the OP was within [edit] his rights. I don't think any real harm is done. It is good to pay attention to one's daily environment.

It's a lot easier to do that on a bicycle than in a car, so police should be glad for every one of us out there.

That being said -- I probably wouldn't have called the police. I'd have considered calling (I'd never have seriously considered tapping on the guy's window myself), but ultimately I don't like to mind other peoples' business. Because I don't like other people minding my business. Nothing to do with fear, everything to do with do-unto-others.

That being said -- I wasn't there and the OP was. If my "spider sense" had told me the guy was trouble, I would have made the call. But from the OP's OP, it sounds like [edit] his reason was personal -- the lip licking leer. I'll bet if the guy hadn't done that, [edit] he'd never have called the cops on him. Like several others, the "I sure hope he's a child molester" bit makes my skin crawl.

I'm looking forward to the follow-up on this one.

Gurgus

Aside from the lip licking thing, could this be a guy who just likes to sit in his car before work?

I was once stopped by the cops one night while taking a walk late at night; I was going on nightshift so I'd stay up late and go for a walk in my neighbourhood for some exercise and to get out da' house. They stopped and asked me what i was doing out so late. I said I was out for a walk. They stopped me because I matched a description of someone they were looking for that night on a b&e in the neighbourhood(not me). Then they told me to go home after they checked me out.

In retrospect I wasn't really thinking when I went out for a walk late at night wearing a black toque and a grey hoodie. I was un-situation-aly aware. This guy might just be unaware that he looks like a pre-vert.

MMACH 5

@ tajsss -- So were you able to find out anything from the dispatcher?

@ several fellow posters -- OP is a man. Not that it changes much about the situation, I just thought Tim probably didn't like being refered to as "she" and "her" .

peregrine

yeah I was just reading through this thread and noticed it was starting to get out of hand

bennyk

I can't believe I read past page 1. I do it every time, even when the posts start to take a turn for the worst...

Cyclist0383

I agree completely. I was just back in the States and I was shocked at how much it had changed for the worse. Being away for several years one can see the changes much more clearly. That's a large reason why found the OP's actions so offensive to me. It seems that people don't realize what direction they are leading the country in with this unbridled, unrational, fear mongering. It's very sad to see a wonderful country turn into a giant "security zone."

sentinel

You did the right thing to call. It is a bit suspicious to sit in the same spot daily for no real reason. If he is not up to trouble, it won't matter, if he is, you did the right thing. Just be careful he doesn't think you called. Ignore the negative comments from the people here.

sentinel

Ziemas, you are a bit paranoid. The local police aren't the KGB and the US is not the old Soviet Union. Get a grip on reality.

sentinel

Ziemas, watch out for the black helicopters. They've been watching you for years. Boy, some people on this site are really wacko.

People who live or work in a certain are and pay attention know what is right or wrong for an area. They know when something is not normally there such as a vehicle parked daily in a similar way.

Cyclist0383

You're sadly msitaken about me. I'm not a conspiracy nut. What I am is someone who values their privacy in an open society.

How do you know there is no real reason for him to be there? Just because it isn't apparent to all who glance at him doesn't mean that he has no reason. Must he prove his innocence?

I'm not worried about random cars in businesses parking lots. Who's the paranoid one?

"If you have nothing to fear then you will have no problem being questioned " is a hallmark of a totalitarian society. So sad for you.....

tajsss

Ok everyone. So I checked back this morning with the police. They did question the guy and turns out he is just a guy who works there, gets there a bit early, and has to wait for the bosses to show up and let him in.

Am I relieved? Yes.
Do I feel bad for calling in the first place? No.
Was the child molester remark a bit much? Probably.

I was not too worried about my personal safety. I am a little guy but feel I could hold my own if something crazy were to happen with this guy (or anyone else for that matter). But as some others said, no way was I going to knock on the guy's window and ask what's up. I was more afraid for the woman I see running with her dog almost daily down the same street. As well as the elderly couple I see walking down the street to get a paper. I am on a bicycle and feel I'd have a good shot to get away from a situation like this if it really came down to it. These others in the neighborhood I feel do not have the same shot as I. I am not the type to naturally be scared of anything odd I see, but I do try and keep an eye on my surroundings because ultimately, we are just out there riding bikes around. As well my wife rides her bike just a few blocks away on her route to work. And if she saw this guy daily on her commute, I'd expect her to do just the same.

This has been a fun little debate. I hope everyone has enjoyed it. Now let the real complaining begin about what I did as I was wrong about the guy. This should get entertaining.

Cyclist0383

Thanks for the update.

squeakywheel

GW is doing his best to fix that.

sentinel

Now we have found out that he has a valid reason to be parked there. The guy in the truck wasn't harmed in any way and tajss can relax while riding past him. The guy didn't lose any privacy by being asked what he was doing there.

I guess according to some of you when the police get a call to check out some guy in a car who is sitting next to a school bus stop every day looking at the kids, they should ignore the call. Yep, some of you are conspiracy nuts. GW is out to get all of you and probably listening to your phone calls.

chipcom 

Is that why I get the little recorded message after every call telling me to vote republican and that this message has been approved by GWB, who is not liable for any miscommunication?

sentinel

Yeah, you get that message too? lol If course I hope you realize I was joking withmy GW comment? Although some may not realize it.

chipcom 

OMFG You were joking?

tomg

there's a truck (chevy s10) parked next to the "state school" i commute by on a regular basis (about 7:30 AM) waiting and watching. i assume he is waiting to pick-up a worker from the school, no real "gut feeling" here, i do not call the police, no problem exists that i am aware of, no eye contact (he is on the other side of the road).
at 5:30AM, how could you see this driver "lick his lips"? it's usually pretty dark around here at that time, sun starts to rise around 7:15AM here on the east coast-USA? in my line of work, certified social worker PACT, we are told the importance of following your "gut feelings" with the population we serve. i am not sending this note to deflate your concern, just looking for clarity. not to generalize, but a lady driving a SUV Escalade to work, while on the cell-phone, putting make-up on, scares me big time, but i don't have the time/resources to call the police about that. Be Safe and Happy New Year!

tajsss

I was riding in the right lane as always. He is parked in the parking lot facing the street and closest to the street. Only thing seperating his truck from the street is a curb and a sidewalk, so the front of his truck is maybe 6 feet from the street. So I'm maybe 12 or 15 feet or so from him directly. Plus the parking lot is lit and the street is lit. No problem with visibility even at 5:30am.

Like you, at 7:30am when there is a lot more activity around, I would have like you had a different assumption about the guy and probably never blinked an eye or called the cops about it. This was just a bit odd being a recurring thing. Figured I would be better safe than sorry.

I actually just use a crappy cateye blinkie headlight since all my streets are almost all lit just as well as this one. No real need for a nice lighting system.