Posted on 12/15/2004 7:24:46 AM PST by Rakkasan1
A retiree who got fed up when a cell-phone user refused to clean up his language in a restaurant in July got three months' probation Tuesday. Unlike many defendants who walk into Ramsey County District Judge Paulette Flynn's courtroom to plead guilty to a crime, 79-year-old Bill W. Stevenson got thumbs-up signs from attorneys and others in the court who identified with his motives, if not his actions. "I felt a lot of sympathy, and they were giving me the thumbs-up when I walked out of the courtroom," Stevenson said after pleading guilty to a single count of disorderly conduct. "I think I could've won my case by going to trial, with a sympathetic jury. I've had over 30 calls and letters and e-mails, and I've not had one negative call. They're all on my side." The bagel bakery imbroglio happened July 15 when Stevenson and another retired 3M engineer, Sten Gerfast, 74, were sitting at a table at Bruegger's in the Sun Ray Shopping Center and going over a design Gerfast had invented. Jesse Russell Tabor, 40, of Minneapolis entered the bakery with his 13-year-old daughter. In an interview after the incident, Tabor said he was talking on his cell phone with a man whose home he was remodeling. Tabor said in the interview he didn't recall cursing while on the phone. Stevenson and Gerfast remember it differently. "He was using the F-word against this guy he was talking to," Stevenson said. "There was an argument on the phone. The third time he walked by our booth where Mr. Gerfast and I were trying to design something, Mr. Gerfast said to me, 'Should I do something about it?' I thought a moment and thought, 'What can you do in a case like this?'
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
So, go run to "Mommy" when they act like a-holes?
I would have taken the damn phone and tried to give him an enema with it. And I don't care how "Pissed" anyone gets. You assault my ears with your profanity, I'm gonna assault your head with my fist.
You have no "right" to sit and carry on like that in a public place. Your "rights" end at the tip of my nose or my eardrums; then, you're mine.
Many here complain about how "litigious" everyone has gotten, and how there is no common sense about how things are solved and how fast things ratchet out of control. (a 10 year old in Philly being handcuffed and "arrested" for bringing a pair of scissors to school.)
But when confronted with a reality like this, the first knee-jerk reaction is to run to the Nanny, just like everyone else, thereby perpetuating a system that is idiotic.
A little well placed violence could, and would, bring this run-a-muck society back into some semblance of politeness.
Go gettum Gramps.
And when you punch someone for swearing, you will go to jail. I doubt that you will be able to do much about the swearing you encounter there.
Jesse Russell Tabor, 40, of Minneapolis entered the bakery with his 13-year-old daughter.
I don't believe Bluegrass that you would talk this way in front of your daughter, or in the presence of any woman. Then, again, I may be wrong about you.
I have used public humiliation in this situation. I did something similar in a Denny's, when someone at the next table was wearing a hat with "FCUK YOU!" across the front. I was there with my 8 and 11 year old kids. Lots of other children were all around.
I asked him to take it off, he ignored me. So I stood up in that Denny's and used MY 1st amd rights. I publicly asked for a manager, in a voice which could be heard across the restaurant.
"Can you get a manager over hear? We have a pervert here who thinks his hat is great to show to small children." I said, "You're no different than a flasher on a playground, you know it? You get off on this don't you?"
He started saying, "Can't you read, it doesn't say anything bad."
I kept going, he slid off the hat and put it under the table as the managers came speed walking out.
We left. It was very tense, but I avoided punching him, and avoided assault charges.
Time and place friend. There is a time and place for everything. I'm no prude. But when I'm in a restaurant with family, I won't stand for that type of behavior.
Go to jail? Not a threat.
In front of my daughter or any kid of this age? No, not by any means. However, I have some female friends that could outcuss me on any given day. Not that big of a deal around them. I've always thought that the choice language was a little more acceptable around your close friends.
"He had the choice to leave as well". And the world has to accommodate to ill-bred people wherever? I know not! Those who care not where they use the f word are the ones who need to watch where they are and who is around. Shame and inconvenience belong to the abusers, not to those who behave decently.
Having an expectation of common decency in a public place is not being a busy body. I don't hesitate to tell people to tone it down, espicially if my kids are around. I don't think the retired gentleman went after him because of the language, I think it was because of a complete lack of respect.
It may not be harmful per se but it is downright vulgar and disrespectful especially around children and the elderly.
Isn't that why he:
1. Let go of the phone
2. Pled guilty and took the 3 months probation
Yes, that was one of his choices. Not the one he selected, however.
cell phone boy was so proud of himself , he didn't even show up for court. must have thought he had a pretty weak
case.
Thanks for the pass to the article.
About the article, the guy that objected to the cursing could have handled it better - even before he grabbed the phone. Telling someone to "take it outside" is not going to be met with the desired response.
You have no "right" to sit and carry on like that in a public place. Your "rights" end at the tip of my nose or my eardrums; then, you're mine.
You have a right not to be assaulted. You do NOT have a right NOT to be offended.
Swinging at someone for language where I live can get you shot, but you are welcome to try.
There is no right to not be assaulted when you are a bully.
Also, assaulting a sh*t head who is bent on publican humiliating you is not assault. It's defense.
What's wrong with this generation? Always want to run to someone else when you get bullied.
What I'm saying here is too many people are afraid of the consequences when the bully is not. In the first weeks of 8th grade, bullies bothered me. One day, I swung and hit. Broke his nose. SOP at that time: three smacks with the paddle from the Principle, 3 days suspension, 5 smacks from Dad.
Epilogue: Was never bothered by bullies again, they figured out I was willing to take the hit to put an end to them. Best punishment I ever took.
Swinging at someone for language where I live can get you shot, but you are welcome to try.
Then you live with a bunch of criminals who would be shot back.
Probably stomp his osteoporotic old bones into sawdust, I'll bet.
Taking a dump on the hood of someones car never killed anyone, but, that doesn't mean the perp doesn't need to be corrected.
Kudos to this man for defending common decency.
I had a similar incident happen about a year ago, but I had the advantage of age (and size:-)) over a group of foul-mouthed little punks.
I took my wife and two young children to Taco Bell for a quick Saturday afternooon lunch. It was relatively sparse in the restaraunt, except for a few other patrons and a group of three or four teenagers in the corner.
No sooner did we sit down, when the f-bombs were flying all over the place. Strictly rap/ghetto slang and profanity - a very educated conversation from the shining pinnacle of urban St Paul youth </sarcasm>. I got so fed up that I stood up, turned around at this group and barked at them to shut their yaps or there was gonna be heads spinning. Told them thet my young kids weren't going to be exposed to that kind of gutter trash.
The look of utter astonishment that someone actually SAID something to them was priceless. Of course, when I turned back to sit down, one of them started to mock me with the 'f*** you, mother******', etc, etc. Well, I got up, started to walk towards them, and they all quickly got up and high tailed it out the door.
I got verbal thank you's from the remaining patrons.
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