Because I like stories:
On October 30th I was arrested. I should cover it because a surprising amount of people did not know about it. And because the story is somewhat entertaining.
There's this band. They're called The Strokes. They make music. They use weak voice synthesizers. I kind of like them despite or, or maybe because of, that fact. They're okay. I wouldn't pay for front-row tickets to a show at Madison Square, though.
Or I might. I might do that. That could be something that I would do. I might even buy a ticket for someone else. Even if I had no way of getting to New York City from S. Jersey.
I did it. I totally did it. I did it the very day of the show. Thursday. It was one of those "Halloween on a Friday" years that everyone in school loves. I wasn't in school, but, that is another story. It was just one of those years.
Christopher: Hi, I'd like a cab from Toms River to the Bay Head train station at 4:55
Dispatcher: Where in Toms River?
Christopher: ___ address.
Dispatcher: Okay, we'll be there.
Christopher: How much will it be?
Dispatcher: One second.
Dispatcher to CabDriver: How much from ____ to Bayhead?
CabDriver: 15 bucks
Dispatcher: It'll be 15 dollars.
Christopher: Thanks.
The taxicab arrives at 4:56 or so. I enter and then arrive at the train station at 5:15. The driver of the taxi then asks for $17.00.
I feel it important to mention that he just asked me for Seventeen Dollars. That's Two Dollars More than he should have asked for.
Christopher: I thought that it was $15.00
Driver: No, it's gonna be 17.
Christopher: I was told that it was $15.00. On the phone. I heard you say it to the Dispatcher as well.
Driver: Sorry kid, 17 bucks, give it up.
Christopher: You had said that it was $15.00. If you could just confirm with the Dispatcher, we could get this settled and such. I don't really want a problem, two dollars is nothing.
Driver: It's 17 fucking dollars, I own the company, I know.
Christopher: Could you just confirm, please? I know I didn't hear wrong, I heard two people say it, one of which was you.
Driver to Dispatcher: Did you give a kid an _exact_ quote from ____ to Bayhead or did you say _around_?
Dispatcher: Of course I said around.
Driver, with a smug grin: See, 17 is around 15.
Christopher: I don't want a problem, I was going to give you 15 plus a two dollar tip anyway but now you're just being a jerk about this. I'm giving you your 15 dollars because that's what I was quoted.
Okay.
Now before it seems like I'm just being a huge ass, there's a problem with him wanting two more dollars. First of all, I knew he didn't run the company. So if he was taking $2.00 here and $5.00 there, he'd be picking up a lot of illegally obtained money over the day. And if this was happening to me, I knew it had to have happened to someone else.
I know I have funny hair, so that kind of makes me a target. I don't mind it, I'll be a target if I have to. It helps expose people like this. The problem is, there are a few of them.
And on the tip thing. People said "Why not just give him $17 and NO tip?". Because the two dollars would have been his tip. The trip was $15, anything over that was being pocketed by him.
Driver: I'll call the police on you
Christopher: You can use my phone to call them, this is inane. It's two dollars, it's your word against mine, it's civil not criminal.
Driver to Dispatcher: Get the police here, this kid won't pay.
Two minutes later the police arrive. I silently wonder if they always arrive this quickly.
Driver: That punk won't pay me anything for the cab.
Officer: Hi, I'm Officer ____, pay him his money and get out of here.
Christopher: I offered to pay him his money, he said it was 15 dollars, the girl on the phone said it was 15 dollars, I'll give him no more than 15 dollars.
This goes on and on for a bit. We go back and forth about how much I owe him and how much I'll pay him.
Officer: Give him the money already, or else.
Christopher: Or else what? What will happen if I do not pay him 17 dollars?
Officer: You'll be arrested.
At this point I hold out 15 dollars to the Cabbie. The Cabbie moves to take it and the officer grabs my wrist and twists it behind my back, shoving me against the cab.
Christopher: What are you charging me with. If you are not going to charge me, let go of me right now.
Officer: Pay the man his money.
Christopher: I attempted to and you attacked me.
Christopher: Let go of me or arrest me.
He lets go. I quickly hold out 15 dollars again.
Christopher: Here. This is your fare. It is 15 dollars. It is all you will get.
He takes it.
The officer does the same thing again, twisting my wrist and not to cuff me.
Officer: Is that pot I smell on you? Have you been smoking today?
Christopher: This is hilarious. Let go of me or arrest me.
I then yell to a bunch of people standing, waiting at the train station for the train to arrive.
Christopher: Anyone care to testify later about what just happened?
Office: They can't understand you, they're all mexicans around here.
He lets go.
Then he immediately grabs my arm again.
Then he cuffs me.
Officer: You have once last chance to pay him his money.
Christopher: You've cuffed me, I'm arrested, charge me, read me my rights, I'm done with this.
Officer: I'm charging you with being under the influence of a class ___ drug, resisting arrest and theft of services.
Christopher: Thanks.
He searches me, then takes my wallet and puts it on the car . He then pats me down once more, goes threw my pockets again, and throws me in the car.
Christopher: My wallets on the car.
Officer: You'll get it later.
He then drives me to the station where he insults me for a bit. On the way there I mention that even though he questioned me he never read me any rights. He remarks "Oh, I think I remember doing that."
At the station he dropped the drug charge.
I was charged with 2c:29, Resisting Arrest, as well as 2C:33-2, which is Disorderly Conduct.
...
He dropped the theft of services charge.
His exact version, errors included:
The above listed juvenile got into a verbal argument with a driver for Mantoloking Taxi, Joseph Galletto, over a fare for a taxi ride from the juvenile's residence to the Bay Head Train Station. Upon arrival of Police, the juvenile was given the option of paying the fare or being arrested for theft of services. He still refused to pay. He was then advised tha the was being placed under arrest, at which point, he pulled away from the arresting officer, and continued to struggle to get away. During the struggle, the juvenile threw the fare (money) at the driver to pay the fare. The juvenile was subsequently handcuffed and placed in the rear of the patrol car.
---
He admits that I paid the fare. I was apparently arrested for, um, resisting arrest. I like that.
#I've never smoked anything in my life.
I should also mention that after The Strokes concert I had plans with a few people to attend an open microphone session in Union Square where I am almost often defending the police. This situation sure makes me seem silly.
At the station I was kept in a holding room where I was handcuffed to a pole. I was not allowed out of the handcuffs and they were put on incredibly tight. I do not have huge wrists.
Pictures:
Yes, I am sure people have been much more bruised by the police. So that is not really the point.
Here are two reviews on that cab driver/company:
review 1
Review 2 apparently isn't coming up from google. The original reviews don't seem to be hosted any longer.
Anyway.
When I finally received my wallet back my student ID was missing from it. The station "did not know" what happened to it. I am suspecting that either the arrested officer was more of an ass than I thought him to be or that it went missing during the ride home. With my wallet on the car.
Because of that I was unable to take the SATs on November 1st.
Because of that I was unable to attend school in the spring of 2003.
-
My summons finally arrived over a month later. It was for the 19th of December.
This is what occured:
Judge: "You're being charged with theft of services."
Chris: "No, I'm not."
Judge: "Yes, you are."
Chris: "Okay, before this gets ugly, let me read to you what I have, and we'll compare"
- They differed -
- They readded charges (??) -
Chris: "Here, in writing, is an admission that in the eyes of the arresting officer I paid"
Judge: "Where?"
Chris, reading: "He threw the money at the cab driver to pay the fare before he was arrested"
Judge: "Yes, but you threw only 15 dollars at him"
Chris: "Absolutely false, I handed him 15 dollars"
Judge: "Okay, so what is your point? Do you want me to just assign this to a formal hearing where you'll be required to plea again?"
Chris: "No, I'd like for you to understand what I'm attempting to communicate to you"
Chris' Mother: "Chris, calm down"
Chris: "I'll handle this, what happens happens"
Judge: "It's not for me to hear you complain about something he reported wrong"
Chris: "Well, I think it is, but that's not even the issue. I'm not complaining about that, in fact, it works to my benefit. The fare was 15 dollars, right?"
Judge: "No, 17, that's what the officer and cab driver said"
Chris: "If it was 17, and I threw 15 at him like your report indicates, why does mine say "The fare"? Either I threw 17, which I didn't, but if I did would cancel out theft of services, or I paid the fare."
Judge: "I don't know why it's like that"
Chris: "Neither do I, and I'm finding myself saying that about this whole situation"
--
After all of that, the charges were dismissed.
Before I left:
udge: "Out of curiousity, what are you going to major in? Which college do you think you'll attend?"
Chris: "Political science. It looks like Fordham."
Judge: "Good, you'll do just fine."
Chris: "Thanks."
Judge: "No, I mean that, if you don't become a lawyer or at least join the debate team, I'll be disappointed"
Chris: "Ha, thanks"
Judge: "You'll likely put Fordham on the map if you choose to"
Chris: "I'd like to think so"
Judge: "You have a serious talent that goes outside of what I'm allowed to listen to, you argued with me about things I am not to have an opinion about, and now I do. You made excellent points and I can't give you the credit you deserve"
--
I did not post the whole conversation, or the whole thing, but this entry should give you the idea of what happened.
And why I love the police.
Off to Union Square.
On October 30th I was arrested. I should cover it because a surprising amount of people did not know about it. And because the story is somewhat entertaining.
There's this band. They're called The Strokes. They make music. They use weak voice synthesizers. I kind of like them despite or, or maybe because of, that fact. They're okay. I wouldn't pay for front-row tickets to a show at Madison Square, though.
Or I might. I might do that. That could be something that I would do. I might even buy a ticket for someone else. Even if I had no way of getting to New York City from S. Jersey.
I did it. I totally did it. I did it the very day of the show. Thursday. It was one of those "Halloween on a Friday" years that everyone in school loves. I wasn't in school, but, that is another story. It was just one of those years.
Christopher: Hi, I'd like a cab from Toms River to the Bay Head train station at 4:55
Dispatcher: Where in Toms River?
Christopher: ___ address.
Dispatcher: Okay, we'll be there.
Christopher: How much will it be?
Dispatcher: One second.
Dispatcher to CabDriver: How much from ____ to Bayhead?
CabDriver: 15 bucks
Dispatcher: It'll be 15 dollars.
Christopher: Thanks.
The taxicab arrives at 4:56 or so. I enter and then arrive at the train station at 5:15. The driver of the taxi then asks for $17.00.
I feel it important to mention that he just asked me for Seventeen Dollars. That's Two Dollars More than he should have asked for.
Christopher: I thought that it was $15.00
Driver: No, it's gonna be 17.
Christopher: I was told that it was $15.00. On the phone. I heard you say it to the Dispatcher as well.
Driver: Sorry kid, 17 bucks, give it up.
Christopher: You had said that it was $15.00. If you could just confirm with the Dispatcher, we could get this settled and such. I don't really want a problem, two dollars is nothing.
Driver: It's 17 fucking dollars, I own the company, I know.
Christopher: Could you just confirm, please? I know I didn't hear wrong, I heard two people say it, one of which was you.
Driver to Dispatcher: Did you give a kid an _exact_ quote from ____ to Bayhead or did you say _around_?
Dispatcher: Of course I said around.
Driver, with a smug grin: See, 17 is around 15.
Christopher: I don't want a problem, I was going to give you 15 plus a two dollar tip anyway but now you're just being a jerk about this. I'm giving you your 15 dollars because that's what I was quoted.
Okay.
Now before it seems like I'm just being a huge ass, there's a problem with him wanting two more dollars. First of all, I knew he didn't run the company. So if he was taking $2.00 here and $5.00 there, he'd be picking up a lot of illegally obtained money over the day. And if this was happening to me, I knew it had to have happened to someone else.
I know I have funny hair, so that kind of makes me a target. I don't mind it, I'll be a target if I have to. It helps expose people like this. The problem is, there are a few of them.
And on the tip thing. People said "Why not just give him $17 and NO tip?". Because the two dollars would have been his tip. The trip was $15, anything over that was being pocketed by him.
Driver: I'll call the police on you
Christopher: You can use my phone to call them, this is inane. It's two dollars, it's your word against mine, it's civil not criminal.
Driver to Dispatcher: Get the police here, this kid won't pay.
Two minutes later the police arrive. I silently wonder if they always arrive this quickly.
Driver: That punk won't pay me anything for the cab.
Officer: Hi, I'm Officer ____, pay him his money and get out of here.
Christopher: I offered to pay him his money, he said it was 15 dollars, the girl on the phone said it was 15 dollars, I'll give him no more than 15 dollars.
This goes on and on for a bit. We go back and forth about how much I owe him and how much I'll pay him.
Officer: Give him the money already, or else.
Christopher: Or else what? What will happen if I do not pay him 17 dollars?
Officer: You'll be arrested.
At this point I hold out 15 dollars to the Cabbie. The Cabbie moves to take it and the officer grabs my wrist and twists it behind my back, shoving me against the cab.
Christopher: What are you charging me with. If you are not going to charge me, let go of me right now.
Officer: Pay the man his money.
Christopher: I attempted to and you attacked me.
Christopher: Let go of me or arrest me.
He lets go. I quickly hold out 15 dollars again.
Christopher: Here. This is your fare. It is 15 dollars. It is all you will get.
He takes it.
The officer does the same thing again, twisting my wrist and not to cuff me.
Officer: Is that pot I smell on you? Have you been smoking today?
Christopher: This is hilarious. Let go of me or arrest me.
I then yell to a bunch of people standing, waiting at the train station for the train to arrive.
Christopher: Anyone care to testify later about what just happened?
Office: They can't understand you, they're all mexicans around here.
He lets go.
Then he immediately grabs my arm again.
Then he cuffs me.
Officer: You have once last chance to pay him his money.
Christopher: You've cuffed me, I'm arrested, charge me, read me my rights, I'm done with this.
Officer: I'm charging you with being under the influence of a class ___ drug, resisting arrest and theft of services.
Christopher: Thanks.
He searches me, then takes my wallet and puts it on the car . He then pats me down once more, goes threw my pockets again, and throws me in the car.
Christopher: My wallets on the car.
Officer: You'll get it later.
He then drives me to the station where he insults me for a bit. On the way there I mention that even though he questioned me he never read me any rights. He remarks "Oh, I think I remember doing that."
At the station he dropped the drug charge.
I was charged with 2c:29, Resisting Arrest, as well as 2C:33-2, which is Disorderly Conduct.
...
He dropped the theft of services charge.
His exact version, errors included:
The above listed juvenile got into a verbal argument with a driver for Mantoloking Taxi, Joseph Galletto, over a fare for a taxi ride from the juvenile's residence to the Bay Head Train Station. Upon arrival of Police, the juvenile was given the option of paying the fare or being arrested for theft of services. He still refused to pay. He was then advised tha the was being placed under arrest, at which point, he pulled away from the arresting officer, and continued to struggle to get away. During the struggle, the juvenile threw the fare (money) at the driver to pay the fare. The juvenile was subsequently handcuffed and placed in the rear of the patrol car.
---
He admits that I paid the fare. I was apparently arrested for, um, resisting arrest. I like that.
#I've never smoked anything in my life.
I should also mention that after The Strokes concert I had plans with a few people to attend an open microphone session in Union Square where I am almost often defending the police. This situation sure makes me seem silly.
At the station I was kept in a holding room where I was handcuffed to a pole. I was not allowed out of the handcuffs and they were put on incredibly tight. I do not have huge wrists.
Pictures:
Yes, I am sure people have been much more bruised by the police. So that is not really the point.
Here are two reviews on that cab driver/company:
review 1
Review 2 apparently isn't coming up from google. The original reviews don't seem to be hosted any longer.
Anyway.
When I finally received my wallet back my student ID was missing from it. The station "did not know" what happened to it. I am suspecting that either the arrested officer was more of an ass than I thought him to be or that it went missing during the ride home. With my wallet on the car.
Because of that I was unable to take the SATs on November 1st.
Because of that I was unable to attend school in the spring of 2003.
-
My summons finally arrived over a month later. It was for the 19th of December.
This is what occured:
Judge: "You're being charged with theft of services."
Chris: "No, I'm not."
Judge: "Yes, you are."
Chris: "Okay, before this gets ugly, let me read to you what I have, and we'll compare"
- They differed -
- They readded charges (??) -
Chris: "Here, in writing, is an admission that in the eyes of the arresting officer I paid"
Judge: "Where?"
Chris, reading: "He threw the money at the cab driver to pay the fare before he was arrested"
Judge: "Yes, but you threw only 15 dollars at him"
Chris: "Absolutely false, I handed him 15 dollars"
Judge: "Okay, so what is your point? Do you want me to just assign this to a formal hearing where you'll be required to plea again?"
Chris: "No, I'd like for you to understand what I'm attempting to communicate to you"
Chris' Mother: "Chris, calm down"
Chris: "I'll handle this, what happens happens"
Judge: "It's not for me to hear you complain about something he reported wrong"
Chris: "Well, I think it is, but that's not even the issue. I'm not complaining about that, in fact, it works to my benefit. The fare was 15 dollars, right?"
Judge: "No, 17, that's what the officer and cab driver said"
Chris: "If it was 17, and I threw 15 at him like your report indicates, why does mine say "The fare"? Either I threw 17, which I didn't, but if I did would cancel out theft of services, or I paid the fare."
Judge: "I don't know why it's like that"
Chris: "Neither do I, and I'm finding myself saying that about this whole situation"
--
After all of that, the charges were dismissed.
Before I left:
udge: "Out of curiousity, what are you going to major in? Which college do you think you'll attend?"
Chris: "Political science. It looks like Fordham."
Judge: "Good, you'll do just fine."
Chris: "Thanks."
Judge: "No, I mean that, if you don't become a lawyer or at least join the debate team, I'll be disappointed"
Chris: "Ha, thanks"
Judge: "You'll likely put Fordham on the map if you choose to"
Chris: "I'd like to think so"
Judge: "You have a serious talent that goes outside of what I'm allowed to listen to, you argued with me about things I am not to have an opinion about, and now I do. You made excellent points and I can't give you the credit you deserve"
--
I did not post the whole conversation, or the whole thing, but this entry should give you the idea of what happened.
And why I love the police.
Off to Union Square.
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
I can't remember the last time the police actually protected me. However, I can remember several instances when the police have hassled me and ticketed me.
Judges are generally nice people. I have had generally positive experiences with judges, even with those whom I do not necessarily agree with politically. If you can form a coherent argument, judges will generally cut you a break. Thank God for fair judges.
You may want to consider joining my new SG group, "Liberal Politics". Please spread the word. Thanks.
[Edited on Apr 15, 2004 9:03PM]