Busted on Belle Isle

**Margarite** · May-02-14, 09:28 AM

I joined the ranks of the law breaking council people and mayor yesterday.

I was happily feeding the geese off the main road when the Park Police pulled up behind my van with their lights flashing. They politely pointed out the sign right behind my van that said "No Parking" and advised me that it was against city ordinance to feed the geese. I honestly had no idea that there was an ordinance and they said that there is a sign as you come on the Island to that effect. They took the time to explain why I shouldn't feed the geese and let me off with a warning.

**Honky Tonk** · May-02-14, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by margarite

i joined the ranks of the law breaking council people and mayor yesterday.

I was happily feeding the geese off the main road when the park police pulled up behind my van with their lights flashing. They politely pointed out the sign right behind my van that said "no parking" and advised me that it was against city ordinance to feed the geese. I honestly had no idea that there was an ordinance and they said that there is a sign as you come on the island to that effect. They took the time to explain why i shouldn't feed the geese and let me off with a warning.

goose feeder !!!!!!

**Hermod** · May-02-14, 10:04 AM

Sounds like they did it right. I hope you didn't respond with a DYKWTFIA.

**401don** · May-02-14, 10:04 AM

If you want a clean Belle Isle than definitely don't feed the geese. Not that a few people feeding them will make any difference, but they have ruined more parks than any [[not human) species.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · May-02-14, 10:07 AM

I'm glad you didn't report getting arrested for numerous outstanding warrants.

**jt1** · May-02-14, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Margarite

I joined the ranks of the law breaking council people and mayor yesterday.

I was happily feeding the geese off the main road when the Park Police pulled up behind my van with their lights flashing. They politely pointed out the sign right behind my van that said "No Parking" and advised me that it was against city ordinance to feed the geese. I honestly had no idea that there was an ordinance and they said that there is a sign as you come on the Island to that effect. They took the time to explain why I shouldn't feed the geese and let me off with a warning.

I heard the cop called you Riff Raff

**cla1945** · May-02-14, 10:48 AM

Going to the Island tomorrow morning for the Run With The Cops 5K. I'm actually looking forward to going and seeing what it looks like after the State took over.
The goose problem is terrible, their poop is sometimes bigger than my dogs poop and it's everywhere....grass, sidewalks, street. Please don't feed them, they've done fine for hundreds of years and will continue to do fine without human intervention. Also, getting around them when they are nesting could be downright dangerous!

**Margarite** · May-02-14, 11:21 AM

After the Officer explained why feeding the geese was a bad thing I saw the error of my ways and won't do it anymore. I just never thought about it before. It always seemed like a good way to recycle stale bread and baked goods without sending them to the land fill.

So, I guess you can chalk this one up as a plus for the state takeover. No one had ever stopped me or explained the logic to me before.

I'm curious to see if my "crime" will make it to the DNR weekly report.

**sumas** · May-02-14, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Margarite

I joined the ranks of the law breaking council people and mayor yesterday.

I was happily feeding the geese off the main road when the Park Police pulled up behind my van with their lights flashing. They politely pointed out the sign right behind my van that said "No Parking" and advised me that it was against city ordinance to feed the geese. I honestly had no idea that there was an ordinance and they said that there is a sign as you come on the Island to that effect. They took the time to explain why I shouldn't feed the geese and let me off with a warning.

Personally,I hate geese but do understand the compulsion to feed them.It is interesting to watch their behaviors. Interesting that police activity is so up now too.

**Detroitnerd** · May-02-14, 11:34 AM

Margritte: Were the officers representative of the community they are policing?

**Bobl** · May-02-14, 11:49 AM

I am glad that the police are patrolling.
It is sometimes difficult to fathom that Canada Geese were considered a threatened species, in the 1950s.

**Margarite** · May-02-14, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Margritte: Were the officers representative of the community they are policing?

I don't think so. My friend was sitting in the van and one of the officers asked her where we lived. When she said Harper Woods he asked where that was. I know Harper Woods is a pretty small city so is not well known but most locals are at least familiar with the name.

**Hypestyles** · May-02-14, 11:59 AM

what about feeding the squirrels?

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · May-02-14, 12:13 PM

I hope they enforce everything to the hilt. Whether or not there are too many rules & regs is a different question. But whatever they bother to have should be enforced. One question: are there both the old laws regarding BI and new state park regs now in effect, or are these all just previously unenforced city code?

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · May-02-14, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

what about feeding the squirrels?

To whom? Are there bears as well as cops there now?

**townonenorth** · May-02-14, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Margritte: Were the officers representative of the community they are policing?

Yes, they are humans, if you must ask.

**Detroitnerd** · May-02-14, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by townonenorth

Yes, they are humans, if you must ask.

Hey, adroit way to sidestep the issue of police being representative of the community. Unless you really don't care about the issue so much that you're happy to let Belle Isle become a monument to stop-and-frisk-style policing.

**jcole** · May-02-14, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Hey, adroit way to sidestep the issue of police being representative of the community. Unless you really don't care about the issue so much that you're happy to let Belle Isle become a monument to stop-and-frisk-style policing.

Did you ask Margarite is she was representative of the community she was in?
What in the hell does that mean anyway? Isn't any race representative of the community they serve as long as they are human? Do they need to be a certain % of Black, White, Hispanic and Asian with just a dash of "other"?

**Detroitnerd** · May-02-14, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Did you ask Margarite is she was representative of the community she was in?
What in the hell does that mean anyway? Isn't any race representative of the community they serve as long as they are human? Do they need to be a certain % of Black, White, Hispanic and Asian with just a dash of "other"?

Margarite was part of the community, doofus.

Do you know what kind of far-out organizations believe that police should be representative of the community they police, know the people they interact with and not have an occupying mentality?

Police departments, far and wide, my friend.

So I suggest you take it up with the cops if you don't like it, not me.

**Honky Tonk** · May-02-14, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Margarite

I'm curious to see if my "crime" will make it to the DNR weekly report.

Or your picture @ the Post Office.

**EASTSIDE CAT 67-83** · May-02-14, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Hey, adroit way to sidestep the issue of police being representative of the community. Unless you really don't care about the issue so much that you're happy to let Belle Isle become a monument to stop-and-frisk-style policing.

Boy it didn't take long for someone to take State Policing of Belle Isle and wrap it around the race axle....Really?

**jcole** · May-02-14, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Margarite was part of the community, doofus.

Do you know what kind of far-out organizations believe that police should be representative of the community they police, know the people they interact with and not have an occupying mentality?

Police departments, far and wide, my friend.

So I suggest you take it up with the cops if you don't like it, not me.

Explain to me how a police officer [[singular) can be perceived to be "of the community" he or she is policing? Unless the community is entirely one race, there will be diversity in the ranks. The trooper that pulled her over may have been the only person of his or her race on the force; Margarite wouldn't know.
And anyway, in view of the fact that he or she was a trooper, they need to be representative of the State of Michigan, not the City of Detroit, doofus.

**Detroitnerd** · May-02-14, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by EASTSIDE CAT 67-83

Boy it didn't take long for someone to take State Policing of Belle Isle and wrap it around the race axle....Really?

What? Race having anything to do with Detroit? That's just CRAZY TALK. I mean, the way we all live in integrated communities singing kumbayah and have absolutely no history of race trouble here, it would be just NUTS to "inject" race into our local culture and politics.

**Detroitnerd** · May-02-14, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Explain to me how a police officer [[singular) and be perceived to be "of the community" he is policing? Unless the community is entirely one race, there will be diversity in the ranks. The trooper that pulled her over may have been the only person of his race on the force; Margarite wouldn't know.
And anyway, in view of the fact that he or she was a trooper, they need to be representative of the State of Michigan, not the City of Detroit, doofus.

Jcole, there are plenty of resources available about community policing online or at your local library. It really helps your understanding if you have an open mind, peruse a book or two that challenges your preconceptions, and learn a thing or three.

Your tactic seems to be to bully and bluster and engage in a lot of rhetorical bullshittin'.

The fact that they didn't know the name of a community nearby seems pretty telling to me.

**jcole** · May-02-14, 01:10 PM

And I just noticed that Margarite indicated that they were the "park police". She could have meant one of the rangers, and I don't think there is a requirement to be representative of the people to be a park ranger. It would also explain how they could explain concisely why you shouldn't feed the geese. I don't think that's part of normal police training; at least my DPD father never told me it was.