blowing off steam

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

With the real problems in the world - Fellows going overseas, new babies clinging to life, serious accidents, I guess my problems are small.....But I had an experience tonight that really made me boil.

It was 1/2 hour to closing at the store (jewelery store) and there were three of us there.This large black man, about 24-28, came in and the counter gal asked if she could help him.He told her, "No, I'll tell you when I want you." The other gal came back and told me to come up front . The customer was acting strange. I went up front on the premise of trying to get the receipt printer to work right for her. The owner (young lady) was at the diamond case with the man. He had pants with the crotch down to his knees, Four or five BIG chains, and something heavy in his back pocket ( it wasn't a wallet). He was bent over the case. When the owner would ask him a question about what he was looking for he would answer vaguely and never looked up directly at her. Then I noticed his partner outside the door. He had that stocking thing on his hair and a gang type shirt on, looked about 16-20. He would look in the window and then all around the parking lot, then back in at his buddy again. The "customer" was looking at him ,but never at us. He asked why there were no diamonds in the engagement rings (they were semi-mounts, which have no center stones mounted until a diamond is picked from loose stones). The owner replied, "We don't mount the diamonds until the customer picks one." He kept pulling his pants up and each time he would put his hand down in that back pocket.I told the gal next to me to go make the customer phone calls (our code for "call 911") The man turned and looked at me (I was behind a tall checkout counter, so he couldn't see my hands). He said, "Goodbye" and left, as his buddy opened the door for him he said, "They Profiled Me !!!" I told the two ladies that it might have been nothing , but he sure was not doing anything to ease anyones angst. About five minutes later I went in the back to finish up a job before closing. As soon as I was in the back,the two of them came back in the store and he said to the two ladies, "You profiled me. I don't like that. This is my son and I don't think he should see you disrespect me that way !!!" The owner had already hit the alarm button and the other gal had 911 dialed. They looked around and left quickly. The cops took FIVE MINUTES to come ( good thing the two men left !!). The two were no where around. The Police stayed until we were closed and made sure we got to our cars OK.

Now anyone who knows me knows I don't care about race ,color, religion or anything like that. But if you don't want to be profiled, why do you act and dress like a punk . If that young fellow was the guys son ...well that would say a lot about twelve year olds getting girls pregnant. If he was so fond of his 'son', why did the beloved youngster stand outside.

I have no doubt that we dodged a robbery, what steams me is the F****G gall of these folks. He was wearing several thousand dollars of chains, and if he had acted right we would have treated him like every other customer. And he accuses us of "Profiling" him.

We will probably have the security officer stay outside the store area after dark for a while, and the police will beef up patrols. We will be nervous and all, but will get over it.

Well, I have blown off enough steam. I think I'll go to bed and start fresh tomorrow.
Goodnight all, Stacy

 

[indian george]

That would piss me off too, Stacy. If I had a store like yours, I would have a double barrel 12 GA. coach gun behind the counter.:thumbup:

 

[fitzo]

When people work hard at developing an outward presentation through dress and mannerisms of being intentionally outside the mainstream, they should not be surprised to be met with skepticism and caution. That caution is wired into the primitive parts of our brains as a defense mechanism.

When people present themselves as being identified with a counterculture that glorifies thuggery, crime, and violence, are they not attempting to project that they, too, embrace those traits? And yet, people claim offense that they are viewed as the very predator they are attempting to portray.

Political correctness, orginally an approach to fair treatment, has become all too often a tool of manipulation by those very people it was originally intended to "protect". Claiming you are "profiling" them was simply another attempt at the intimidation they are doing their best to project. Perhaps just another tool of a predator.

No wolf ever likes to find out that the rabbit they thought they were chasing turned out to be a wolverine.

Perhaps they were just a sheep in wolf's clothing. How, though, do you know it's a sheep if it stinks like a wolf?

 

[indian george]

When people work hard at developing an outward presentation through dress and mannerisms of being intentionally outside the mainstream, they should not be surprised to be met with skepticism and caution. That caution is wired into the primitive parts of our brains as a defense mechanism.

I know that feeling. Don't you??? As being a Biker with tats, long hair and riding a HD or Indian. We get pigeon hole too. HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!

 

[fitzo]

I know that feeling. Don't you??? As being a Biker with tats, long hair and riding a HD or Indian. We get pigeon hole too. HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!

I was thinking about that when I wrote what I did, IG.

We work at projecting that image. Can we be surprised when people treat us like how we try to look?

Nanc and I were just laffing about a couple times that happened. Once, coming back from the flat track races in Springfield, IL, about twnety bikes pulled up to a greasy spoon. As we did, the sign in the door flipped from "Open" to "Closed". Later, we found out it was old people who owned the place and we'd scared the crap out of 'em with their visions from 60's biker movies. They had no way of knowing all we wanted was coffee and pie.

Another instance was in Arkysaw. We (maybe a dozen bikes, 20 odd people) stopped into a town for lunch at a restaurant we had reservations at. The next thing we know, the restaurant is surrounded by all the cop cars in town. hehe The owner of the restaurant was embarassed and pissed at the cops. They hung around outside and we had us a "sireen" escort out to the edge of town with all those John Laws in their big hats, scared sh*tless of a bunch of old men in leather and ink.

We realized that we had worked hard to create an image so no one would mess with us. It wasn't something to be held against those whom our "mojo" worked on.

Can you imagine a bunch of bikers whining that they are being unfairly profiled? LOL That's funny.

 

[indian george]

I was thinking about that when I wrote what I did, IG.

We work at projecting that image. Can we be surprised when people treat us like how we try to look?

Nanc and I were just laffing about a couple times that happened. Once, coming back from the flat track races in Springfield, IL, about twnety bikes pulled up to a greasy spoon. As we did, the sign in the door flipped from "Open" to "Closed". Later, we found out it was old people who owned the place and we'd scared the crap out of 'em with their visions from 60's biker movies. They had no way of knowing all we wanted was coffee and pie.

Another instance was in Arkysaw. We (maybe a dozen bikes, 20 odd people) stopped into a town for lunch at a restaurant we had reservations at. The next thing we know, the restaurant is surrounded by all the cop cars in town. hehe The owner of the restaurant was embarrassed and pissed at the cops. They hung around outside and we had us a "siren" escort out to the edge of town with all those John Laws in their big hats, scared sh*tless of a bunch of old men in leather and ink.

We realized that we had worked hard to create an image so no one would mess with us. It wasn't something to be held against those whom our "mojo" worked on.

HEHEHEHE!!! I hear Ya Bro. I have had people cross the street when I was walking toward them.
Hope you and Nanc have a great Bird Day.

 

[Gene Martin]

Perhaps you should have responded that you're darned right I profiled you. Regardless of color, you acted like a couple of robbery suspects so I treated you like them. That might have thrown a dash of reality on things.

If it quacks like a duck...

Gene

 

[pso]

If it walks like a duck, quacks like duck, sneaks around like a duck then it probably is a duck.

I related Stacy's story to a co-worker. He described patronizing a jewelery store where ALL of the staff were visibly carrying a firearm. Apparently all the other stores had trouble but they never did. He also felt quite safe when shopping there.

What about keeping an electric staple gun under the counter for the next time a similarly dressed customer comes into his store. "Sir, allow me to help you keep your pants up. Thwack, thwack, thwack...". You guys with teenaged daughters might consider doing this too.

Phil

 

[Bruce Bump]

If it walks like a duck, quacks like duck, sneaks around like a duck then it probably is a duck.

I related Stacy's story to a co-worker. He described patronizing a jewelery store where ALL of the staff were visibly carrying a firearm. Apparently all the other stores had trouble but they never did. He also felt quite safe when shopping there.

What about keeping an electric staple gun under the counter for the next time a similarly dressed customer comes into his store. "Sir, allow me to help you keep your pants up. Thwack, thwack, thwack...". You guys with teenaged daughters might consider doing this too.

Phil

LOL. Ive thought of doing that before too. Either that or just grab those pants and pull em all the way down. I bet at my age I can still out run a punk with his pants down. hehe

 

[grease-man]

Perhaps you should have responded that you're darned right I profiled you. Regardless of color, you acted like a couple of robbery suspects so I treated you like them. That might have thrown a dash of reality on things.

If it quacks like a duck...

Gene

You hit the nail on the head, Gene! We had an acronym in my casino surveillance days...JDLR which means Just Don't Look Right. If it don't look right it's probably not, and bears further scrutiny. Act suspicious and you'll get treated as suspicious every time.

Good on you and your employees, Stacy, for remaining calm and handling the situation like the professionals you are. If you or one of your employees had panicked, it may have had a different outcome. -Matt-

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Years ago I taught the "What to do in a robbery" class to McDonald's employees. In those days about ten MickeyDee's were robbed everyday somewhere in the USA. I would tell them to look the person in the eye and don't blink if the suspect was approaching. It unnerves a potential robber. If the robber has already produced a weapon, DO NOT STARE HIM DOWN. He will shoot you. The number one rule is to remain calm. The robber is far more nervous than you are.
A good story:
At a McD back in 1972, a robber came in and pulled a gun. He demanded the money. The motherly counter woman smiled at him and sweetly said, "Sure honey". She then took a bag and emptied out all the drawers. She reached over into the hot box and took out as many hamburgers as she could with one hand, and dropped them in the bag. The robber said, "What the Hell are you doing?". She replied, "You look hungry ,Honey". She then said, "Would you like fries with that." He thought a minute,, took the hamburgers out of the bag,dropped the bag of money on the floor, and walked out.
Stacy

 

[jdm61]

I know that feeling. Don't you??? As being a Biker with tats, long hair and riding a HD or Indian. We get pigeon hole too. HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!

Actually, George, we are less certain about bikers nowadays, since at least 50% of them are 50 year old orthodontists dressed up for Halloween year round

 

[koyote]

I am told often that I look like a large Hell's Angel on acid. (most often by my sensei and one of the senior students) and while I get the "profile" response some places, I never get it in places where Stuff Is Done. I'm not sure how to explaing that- but a jewelry shop in a mall, I'm getting the Eye. A jewelry shop that has a SHOP in it, I get treated really well. yknow what I mean?

It's like - despite the fact that I don't always change out of my forge clothes, or other working clothes- people who Do Stuff can see that I ... Do Stuff. Sorta like the veteran reaction you sometimes get.

 

[deker]

Glad it turned out all right Stacy. Had to be tough to hold your tongue and not further inflame the situation...not sure if I could have managed that.

Be careful and stay safe,

-d