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Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
hey everyone...
since i have been dancing...
i have gotten pulled over a lot...
which i guess is reasonable since i am up
driving at all kinds of crazy hours...
anyway i got pulled over the other night...
and the police claimed my license was suspended
which it's not.... it has to be a mistake...
i am so not a bad girl...
i couldn't find my insurance/registration card...
my car was so messy...
he claimed my car smelled like marijuana...
which wasn't true...
i'm sure he made this assumption b/c i have phish and grateful dead stickers on my car...
and he arrested me...
towed my car and wrote me 5 totally B.S. tickets...
of course i had to be in my work clothes...
he made a big deal of me being a dancer at the station...
all of these cops kept coming in and staring at me...
and had the nerve to hand me 5 tickets and say...
it looks like youre gonna be shaking your ass a lot this week because im writing you 5 tickets!!!
then on the way out he touched my shoulder and said...
"I'll see you at After Dark" which is the club i work at...
i have never been treated this way in my whole life...
i was so upset...
has this happened to anyone else?
xoxo
heidi
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I know this is easier said than done, but file a complaint with internal affairs in the police department. If he ever comes anywhere near you he is up sh*t creek for harrassment and intimidation. That was a threat. And you are on the record in case he pulls anything again. I am not a cop, but they do not like bad eggs either. If he did it ot you he has done it to others and someone else may have had the balls to call him on it.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
:o What are those 5 tickets for? :o
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I know here in Florida you can get a ticket for no proof of registration. THey only ask for insurance card if you have a wreck. Bit what are the tickets for anyway ? Thats alot. I assume 1 biggie (in his head) was you driving with a suspended License, but if it was valid when he ran your name etc. It should have come back valid. Don't they need a reason to pull you over ?
Pamela
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I use to work for a police department as a 911 Dispatcher. Driving under a suspended license is a pretty big deal and it is an arresstable offense. But, most cops will try to work with you if you are respectful towards them. In other words "don't give them attitude". Also, a lot of times State and County police will be a lot harder on people than just ordinary city cops. You said he wrote up 5 tickets. If you don't mind me asking, what were they for? That's a lot of offenses. And yes, having the "Phish", and "Greatful Dead", bumper stickers did not help your case at all. You might as well have had a bumper sticker on your car that read, "I'm under the influence of a controlled substance". From what you've written the only thing that he did/said that I feel was out of line was the comment about seeing you at your club and how you'll have to be shaking your ass a lot at the club to pay off the tickets. That's a little creepy. Just remember when/if you file a complaint with the department on his behavior that you are nothing more than a criminal to them and a stripper. I'm not saying not to file a complaint but since you are the criminal and he is the officer the department will probably not take you too seriously. Be prepared.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Cops in general just seem to have atitudes towards women,I remember the first ticket I ever got when I was 22 and that cop was a jerk to me and I had on my work uniform,I was a waitress at a place like hooters and it was short shorts and tight top,any how,I latter found out this cop just didnt like women and blonde women in particular,so there are good and bad cops out there,you see it all the time on the court channel and dateline and such,I wouldnt take it personally,but they were out of line,but then again,they are men too.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
While I acknowledge that some cops can be jerks, not to mention corrupt jerks, please realize that they do have an incredibly stressful job that doesn't pay what it should.
When a cop pulls you over, DON'T give them an attitude. Have your license, registration, and proof of insurance ready. You should keep the latter two attached to the visor above the drivers seat, NOT in your glove compartment or the compartment between the seats.
As far as fairness in a court of law, who is likely to be given more credibility by a judge or jury, a cop, or a stripper? Take that into account. The odds are already against you, why do things to make them worse.
The biggest bullshit I feel with police stops is that John Q. Citizen can't document them with a tape recorder or video camera, for it may constitute wiretapping in your state.
If I had my say, there would be a constitutional amendment protecting your right to document a police encounter WITHOUT their consent. Short of that, document what you can. Get the police officer's badge number and the number of his patrol car if possible, (which of course might be hard to see in the dark).
Other than that, stay calm and be a sweetheart.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Heidi, I live in NJ and if you do not have your insurance card on you, your car can be towed. You have to have proof of insurance, and that is the only way you can prove it. When a cop runs your plate, all he gets is your registration info and then he can ask for a report on the drivers history, which I am sure he did. He will know if your car is registered or not, and normally they will let you bring in your registration to the station the next day if you cannot find it. I have a feeling that there is a little more to this story than you have said, like maybe you were speeding, ran stop sign etc, maybe gave the cop a little attitude?? But buy not having your insurance card on you, that makes it legit for the cop to have towed your car. And don't forget, now you have to pay the towing company and the impound yard! LOL this is gonna cost you mucho $$$$$$! He is correct, you will be dancing to pay this off!
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Report the comment not to internal affairs, but if your city has a mayor's citizens complaint or citizens action hotline that you can report to. They take these comments seriously b/c it reflects badly on the city. If someone at your job calls the police and says you're doing blah blah blah, they probably won't respond. If someone calls the citizens action line and says the same thing they will. A cop explained this to me b/c calls on the citizens complaint line aren't answered by cops, they are answered by city clerks who record all the info into a file that is passed on to the cops. The cops then have a certain time frame to document some response or recourse to the citizen complaint or they have to document a reason why no action was taken. They have to make and complete a paper trail or they fuck themselves so unlike an internal affairs complaint they can't just ignore it or not document it. Hope that helps some. One thing to do may be to get this guys name and keep an eye out for him sounds like he's shady.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
That is a good suggestion from Divyne.
Also locate your insurance card to bring it in to the police station or to your court date - that should get you out of THAT ticket. As for the other tickets, you may be able to get out of all or most by producing the appropriate documents verifying that you actually had insurance, and your license wasn't suspended, etc. You may have to go to the court date to take care of all that, but you don't need to pay a bunch of bogus tickets! And report that asshole with his name and badge number (should be on the tickets he gave you) to the city office like Divyne said.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Yes she will have to make a court appearance, and she will most likely have to wheel and deal with the judge. She most likely was pulled over for a moving violation (which she hasn't said if she got a moving violation ticket or not), which carries points. Alot of times the judge will throw out the moving violation infraction, if she pays the tickets for the other stuff, which in the long run is better, as you do not want points. She will need an attorney to give her advice, cuz she will get chewed up. Also, if she manages to get the other tickets taken care of, she will still have to pay the towing company to get the car back. As far as the other stuff goes about reporting the cop, just remember, NJ is loaded with alot of small towns, where you are lucky to have 3 cops on during a shift. It is all her word against his. No physical harm was done. And in those type towns, remember, almost everyone that works there, is related somehow someway. It will all be covered up nice and neatly. Nothing will come of it. There are always 3 sides to every story!
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I am former Police so I've "been there, done that" for 23 years. I am not going to defend his "shaking your ass comment". I feel that was inappropriate. >:( as far as seeing you in the club sometime... hell maybe he'll help pay the fines with a few LD's ;D
However I will defend his stopping you. Police rely on their "gut feelings" and intuition in doing their jobs. A car with those stickers on it, out at 2 or 3 am is a good stop. 8 out of 10 times, there will be illegal activity going on inside. I would guess that he followed you for a period of time to observe your driving behavior and ran your plate. If the car is registered to you, he got your drivers license information which indicated that you had a suspended license, justifying the stop.
Once he stopped you and found that you did not have the proper paperwork, his internal "radar" went off and he began digging. Now, if you became belligerent and defensive right away, that made him even more suspicious. He could not let you continue to drive and violate the law, because if he did and you drove down the road and hit someone, his ass would be on the line. So he did what he had to do... tow your car and issue tickets.
Now, if you were co-operative, one ticket for operating after suspension would probably have been sufficient.. but I suspect that you were less than co-operative, much less. This behavior probably got you the other four tickets. I don't think it had anything to do with you being a stripper. hell I arrested a priest with a bad attitude once ;D
As far as complaining, please think twice about it... after all you're the one who has to drive the same road at the same time again.
Is the comment that bad? Yes I understand he is the police and should be professional, but he's a man... what do you expect? Hell you deal with rude guys for a living; you should just let those comments roll off your back.
My advice, chock it up to life’s experience. Go to court, bring in the right paper work and get the tickets dismissed. Then clean up your car and your attitude!
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Several months ago a club in San Juan was raided. All dancers (even those not involved in alleged offense which brought about the raid) were subjected to humiliating remarks and treatment. Even the camera crew of a Sunday TV show and its "paparazzi" were filming for the show. One dancer didn't leave things that way and filed a civil action alleging defamation and invasion of privacy. Don't know the current stage of this proceeding.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I will confess to being a sorta cop groupie when I was in college. So, I have lots of cop buddies. They aren't all bad, but enough of them are to make it worth your while to be careful around them. The "I'll see you at After Dark" comment was way out of line. I would suggest that, before you call Professional Responsibility or the Citizen's Review Board, you ask to speak to the Turnout Sergeant. Explain to him what happened and see if he can help. Trust me, once the blue line gets crossed with a formal complaint, they will be nasty.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I for one am inclined to believe she did NOT get belligerent with him, because of his comments at the end. People usually pick on others when they think they have the upper hand.
Anyways... even if she spit in his face his threat when she was leaving was completely uncalled for. Hon, PLEASE document this and contact a lawyer to see if any real action can be taken.
I've been fortunate enough to have no run-ins with cops in my life, but have seen them operate many times. They are so tough when they are hiding behind the uniforms, guns, and badges that we pay for.
This country is rapidly turning into a police state, and as a honorably-discharged veteran it angers me.
P.S. And NO, having some stickers on your car is NO reason to pull anyone over and if the cop admits this he should be in deep shit. Band stickers, religious stickers, political stickers, color of your skin, whatever. He needs CAUSE to pull you over, such as not wearing a seat-belt, tail-light out, whatever. Otherwise it's unlawful and it's called harassment.
E
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Quote:
As far as complaining, please think twice about it... after all you're the one who has to drive the same road at the same time again.
Is the comment that bad? Yes I understand he is the police and should be professional, but he's a man... what do you expect? Hell you deal with rude guys for a living; you should just let those comments roll off your back.
My advice, chock it up to life’s experience. Go to court, bring in the right paper work and get the tickets dismissed. Then clean up your car and your attitude!
You don't even know what happened and you are siding with your former bacon-boys.
"Please think twice" about complaining? She should accept his shitty behavior because "he's a man"?
You're right about one thing though. She WILL have to drive down that street again. And if she doesn't stand up to this prick NOW, she'll get harassed by him again down the road.
People only respond to fear. ESPECIALLY cops since they are usually nothing but authoritarian losers without minds of their own.
So... give him a dose of fear ;)
E
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Police look for people and cars that "do not fit."
One of the things I have learned is that if you are a female stripper, in a sense you have
lost some of your civil rights. Not by law, but by police practice.
The stripper license can be used against you. Being a woman alone at 3 a.m. can be used against you.
My advice to my ATF was don't do things that call attention to yourself.
She had "clean" cars. She always was dressed professionally when out of the club, by
that not in strip club outfits. Those belong in the club.... not on you at 3 a.m. on the side of a freeway. Having bumper stickers that proclaim, "Cops are porkers,"
or "We are nazis and proud of it" are examples of behavior that in any
place or life are going to get you in trouble just about anywhere with somebody.
Yes you theoretically have free speech but it is not free, especially if you are a stripper
in the middle of the night.
As a customer, I also watch it. Cops are allowed to ask where are you going and
where have you come from. That is a question I might not want to answer after being in the club. Also I've been drinking and as a customer didn't have to do the
breathalizer to be allowed out.
For these and other reasons that are a threat to dancer security, I
used to lecture her on getting out and back to her real life. Her answer was the
financial goal she had set to get her family out of trouble, and that it was not yet paid
off. However the 1 1/2 years in "stripperville" is a time I will always remember,
and one thing i will remember is that the police do not treat strippers like they have any civil rights.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Because of my line of work I have to keep a low profile as to my strip club habits. Unfortunately it gives people the wrong impression as to who I am. :(
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Quote:
You don't even know what happened and you are siding with your former bacon-boys.
"Please think twice" about complaining? She should accept his shitty behavior because "he's a man"?
You're right about one thing though. She WILL have to drive down that street again. And if she doesn't stand up to this prick NOW, she'll get harassed by him again down the road.
People only respond to fear. ESPECIALLY cops since they are usually nothing but authoritarian losers without minds of their own.
So... give him a dose of fear ;)
E
Gee do I sense a little hostility here? Actually no one knows exactly what went on except for Heidi and my fellow "bacon boy" and I think Ms. Heidi left out a few facts. ???
I didn't think I was siding with anyone, just voicing my opinion. But I forget, I'm on Stripperweb and I'm expected to side with the stripper! Sorry, I forgot. :-[
But to stay on topic, I don't think Police are mean to strippers. Just ask any of the ladies who have danced at an FOP or BOP dinner ;D
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Chuck wrote: "However I will defend his stopping you. Police rely on their "gut feelings" and intuition in doing their jobs. A car with those stickers on it, out at 2 or 3 am is a good stop. 8 out of 10 times, there will be illegal activity going on inside. I would guess that he followed you for a period of time to observe your driving behavior and ran your plate. If the car is registered to you, he got your drivers license information which indicated that you had a suspended license, justifying the stop."
Chuck, There might be some hostility toward your viewpoint because you've left out the entire concept of probable cause. Police only have the right to stop a person or vehicle upon probable cause. Without that check on police actions, we are a police state. Just because it's late at night and in "8 out of 10 cars there will be illegal activity going on" doesn't give a policeman the right to pull over anyone just because he might not like their bumperstickers.
That unconstitutional concept is the same one behind the growth of random roadblocks in this country over the past decade. Guilty until proven innocent. "Citizen, your papers please." This crap was getting bad enough before 9/11; now it's getting out of control.
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Well jeffers, it's refreshing to find someone who can discuss this topic without name calling. :D
The problem with this whole topic is that we don't know all of the facts. Probable cause to justify the stop could have been many things. Erratic operation, furtive movements by the operator, excessive speed etc, etc, etc. Certainly information received regarding a suspended license would have justified a stop. We just don't know. But I will agree that "gut feelings" alone do not justify a stop. But gut feelings will make police work harder to find that "probable cause"
I just do not think that the police are mean to strippers because they are strippers.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Police ARE often mean to strippers. I have heard and read many many many stories of cops being overly 'suspicious' and hostile with a girl because they knew she was a stripper. I never had the misfortune of getting pulled over after working at a club, but you can bet if I did I wouldn't tell the guy where I had come from or where I worked! I have dealt with more than a few of them inside the club though, who won't follow the rules, grab and speak abusively, ask repeatedly for extras, and when informed of the rules and the law, whip out the badge and announce oh so cockily how they 'are' the law. When I respond that they have to obey the law like anyone else, they reply that they don't. I did have one cop on my case one night after work when I was a waitress at an all-night place - the guy just couldn't stop questioning me about my hours at the job, what I did there, etc - as if I might be lying about where I was coming from or the fact that I worked there!
Also, how many clubs get raided merely because it's election time and some local official wants some ratings? How many strippers get falsely accused and arrested just to get the arrest numbers for the papers? I personally know of one club that got raided in New Orleans around election time a couple years ago - several other clubs were raided around the same time. The particular club I'm talking about had a few girls I used to work with and knew personally. The club was the strictest I've ever worked in - SUPER STRICT no contact. Cameras everywhere and girls got fired for even the most minor infractions. The cops went in undercover, claimed to have observed several girls touching customers during table dances (in which the girls have to stand on a box 18" high about a foot from the customer - pretty difficult to touch a guy while balancing on that little pedestal in 7" heels), and arrested everyone working that night whether they were 'observed' touching customers or not, including the barstaff and manager! Of course no customers were arrested, but that's another issue. I would bet on my mother's life there wasn't one REAL incidence of contact between customers and dancers - it was just an election time event aimed at getting headlines for someone who wanted a re-election. I also know that Melonie could give us a few details of a very unpleasant experience she had with cops who falsely accused and arrested her, costing her thousands to get the false charges dropped. Point is, cops are often 'mean' to strippers, just because they're strippers.
I have also had a cop follow me ALL AROUND TOWN for a reason unknown to me. I noticed the asshole following me right away, and made a point of driving just under the speed limit, using turn signals perfectly and following all traffic laws. The jerk followed me for a good 20 minutes, and had NO reason to stop me. My plates and license were good and my car at the time was brand new, no lights out, no nothing. I didn't break one traffic law. When I got sick of the asshole following me around, I decided to turn into a fastfood restaurant, and AS SOON AS I put my signal on, the asshole put on his lights. Why did he wait until I was turning into a parking lot to put on his lights? He followed me into the parking lot, took my license, questioned repeatedly whether I'd been drinking (I hadn't), and proceeded to tell me very threateningly how I failed to stop at SEVERAL stop signs, had been speeding and didn't use my signals properly, and how he COULD arrest me, tow my car and 'call my parents' - I was 18. He was flat out full of shit. I knew the bastard had been folllowing me and made a point of driving like a model citizen. I didn't say a word but my male friend in the passenger seat spoke up, saying we had known he was following me for the past 20 minutes, if I'd broken that many laws why didn't he stop me earlier, and that his remarks sounded like harrassment. The asshole let me go pretty quickly after that with a few 'stern' warnings about 'watching out' for myself and my driving. WTF would you call that? Trust me Chuck, I'm not leaving out any details here - I hadn't broken any traffic laws and the jerk had no reason to stop me other than the fact that I was driving a new red sports car around midnight. If I'd broken all the traffic laws he was claiming, he would have stopped me long before the 20 minutes passed. Maybe he figured my car just had to be suspicious. After all, any young female driving a brand new red sports car with a male passenger around midnight would just HAVE to be a criminal right?
I have also experienced cops being overly 'suspicious' and threatening when stopping me for speeding, when I displayed no attitude other than fear because I was very young, and hadn't been doing anything other than speeding. Some of them just get on a power trip because of the badge and the gun, and enjoy harrassing people. I am personally of the opinion that MOST guys become cops in the first place BECAUSE of the power trip, and the hope that maybe the badge, gun and title will replace the personal self-confidence they lack. Not all cops are bad or have an inflated sense of power, but a damn lot of them are/do. A royal pain in the ass and a discredit to the whole of law enforcement. They know they basically have us by the balls because it is near impossible to accomplish anything by complaining about a bad cop, and they take advantage.
Chuck you automatically assume Heidi to be guilty of giving the cop attitude or doing something wrong, before being told. It is ENTIRELY possible, from what I know of cops, that the guy stopped her without cause, that her license wasn't suspended (as she stated), and that she didn't give the guy attitude, but he harrassed her and loaded hi ticket book simply because she was a stripper. And last time I checked, having ANY sort of bumper stickers is NOT probable cause to pull someone over. A cop can have a 'gut feeling' all day long, but unless she was actually breaking a traffic law, he had no reason to stop her. Anyway, I am sure most cops DO have those 'gut feelings' all day long - it's apparently part of the job description.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
There's good and bad in every profession, and unfortunately the bad in some professions (law enforcement, attorneys, doctors, etc.) can cause significant grief in a person's life.
Chuck, I just wanted to get the standard of probable cause out there. Otherwise you're right, we don't know the circumstances behind the stop and arrest of this particular dancer. Her account could be accurate but it could easily be very wrong, too. But it's very important for dancers and all Americans to know and understand the probable cause standard so they don't live their lives in fear, and those in law enforcement that don't follow that standard need to be weeded out whenever possible.
There are some good books out there to help citizens understand their rights when dealing with a policeman. That said the vast majority do a difficult job fairly and honestly and should be treated with respect. If you think you've been pulled over unfairly know your rights; many times that will make a cop with bad intentions clean up his act real quick like.
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
I just wanted to preface what I'm going to say by saying "I love exotic dance" and I've shown it by revealing what once was a little secret known only by a few about me, but now is common knowlege, because I just don't care who knows any more.
But what I do have to say is that stripping still exists on the outer fringes of what is commonly accepted as
1) moral behavior, because of the sexual activity and it
is viewed as the SC's and the girls fault not the
patrons
2) legal, because of the type of activity where
a lot of girls do do drugs
3) legal once again, because often there is a lot of
alcohol consumed and often girls drive home drunk
It's not anything you don't know, I just wanted to remind you.
Because of all that, I can well imagine that strippers are harassed by cops, much in the same way that people who come out of a bar on or near closing time may be followed right to their driveway (I guess you can tell I've been there). Because of these factors, and until prevailing public opinion changes on any of these subjects, strippers will always be subject to such harassment.
Although, I do think some cops go out of their way to catch people doing this type of activity, it is still a job and they are subject to social norms which meet the current political/moral climate of the region they are in.
Don't I wish I could have a couple of beers an hour and leave a drinking establishment without worrying being followed home.
>>>Sad<<<
>:(
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Re: Are Police Always Mean to Strippers?
Remember, any cop can run any plate at any given time. He ran her plate, got her drivers info which is from the Division of Motor Vehicle database. If it showed her license was suspended, and since she could not find here insurance card and registration, you cannot blame this cop one bit. If Division of Motor Vehicles messed up her records, she will have to take it up with them. I had a friend, a guy, NOT a dancer, whose car was towed because the DMV records were wrong. So you have to remember, Heidi got 5 tickets, and already 3 of them are for that. It would be good, if she would come back on here, and say what the other tickets were for. FYI, I am a firefighter, and I have been to many accident scenes in the middle of the night, and more often than not, I have seen drivers really giving the cops a hard time. Men and women. The cops are under alot of pressure to get people that are drunk and under the influence off the roads. And if it means harrassing people to do it, I am 100 percent in favor. If you are a dancer, as someone said, do NOT wear your dance clothes, do NOT drink at the club, do NOT do drugs, do NOT drive a car that will make a cop suspicious (and yes Bridgette, it is a well known fact, that cops go after red sports cars, everyone knows that).