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Title: Welcome To Amerika: Family Fined, Threatened With Jail for Building a Sand Castle
Source:
Free Thought Project
URL Source: http://thefreethoughtproject.com/we ... il-for-building-a-sand-castle/
Published: Apr 1, 2017
Author: Matt Agorist
Post Date: 2017-04-01 14:32:49 by Deckard
Keywords: None
Views: 19951
Comments: 146
Panama City Beach, FL — In the ostensible land of the Free, cops claim the legal authority to extort money from you, or even kidnap you for a slew of activities which have no victim. Window Tint, smoking a plant in you own home, not wearing your seatbelt, walking across the street, sagging your pants, and even juggling — can and will get you extorted, kidnapped, caged, or even killed. Now, as a recent case in Florida illustrates, we can add building a sand castle to that long list of victimless “crimes.” Bryant Rylee and his family were at the beach last week building an awesome sand castle when they were confronted by police. The officer, who was ‘protecting society’ by patrolling the beach for illegal sand castles, told the Rylees that their sand castle was in violation of the law. At first, Rylee thought the officer was joking. After all, he and his son were harming no one while building their most epic castle. In a Facebook post, Rylee explains that it is ‘illegal’ to build a sand castle with a hole deeper than two feet. However, he explained that their hole was only one foot deep, so there was no way it was in violation. It wasn’t the hole from which the cop was protecting society, though — it was Rylee’s son’s equipment that was criminal. According to their obscure ordinance, only plastic tools are allowed on the beach, and they had some metal ones. It is important to note that the officer explained to Rylee that she would let him off with a warning if he simply filled in the hole. But Rylee wasn’t buying it. He wanted to know what ordinance he was violating. It was Rylee’s questioning of authority which led to police escalating the call. When her authority was put into question, the officer brought in backup. Before the officer could tell Rylee which ordinance he was violating, the family was surrounded by police. In fact, four patrol units would show up and sit there for 20 minutes before any of them could produce the law which said metal beach toys were illegal. According to FEE: While Rylee, a devout Christian, says he supports law enforcement and prays “daily for their protection,” he also said on his social media account that, “I do believe that ‘we the people’ have a right to ask what ordinance number or to see the ordinance.” Rylee is absolutely correct. In the American legal system, there is a pillar of jurisprudence known as Mens rae, which is latin for “guilty mind.” The principle itself comes from the latin phrase actus reus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, which translates to, “the act is not culpable unless the mind is guilty.” This is a standard test of criminal liability that asks the state to consider whether or not a person has broken a law knowingly before guilt can even be assessed. After it was all over, as Rylee explains, the construction of a sand castle cost him $25 and could’ve cost him $500 and up to 60 days in jail. When building a sand castle becomes a criminal act, it is high time we question where this ostensible Land of the Free is headed. Bryant Rylee added 5 new photos. This is the sand castle that cost me a $25 fine & could have cost me up to $500 & no more than 60 days in jail. Incase you didn't know, at Panama City Beach you can't dig deeper than 2ft & not exceeding 2ft long on the beach & you can't use any metal tools. I've been going to PCB for spring break for over 13 yrs, we've always built things digging with metal tools. So be sure you study your ordinances before you make a trip. My big mistake was asking the ordinance number & asking to see the ordinance. Apparently the beach patrol lady didn't like that so she called for back up... That's when three other units arrived on the scene. One officer said, if I'd just cover the castle, I wouldn't get a ticket but if I must inquire or see the ordinance, I will receive a ticket. It took them 20 minutes to find the ordinance & it's not exactly the way they quoted. It said "2ft deep" but it didn't say "not more than 2ft long" & since I had dug only about 1ft deep, I was only ticketed for my metal tools. I do support law enforcement & pray daily for their protection. And I do believe that "we the people" have a right to ask what ordinance number or to see the ordinance. So... How many cops does it take to shut down a sand castle bandit & his son? The answer is 4! Be careful out there!
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 25.
#1. To: Deckard (#0)
So if I run along the public beach, fall in his hole, and injure myself on a metal tool, who do I sue -- him or the city?
I'd say if you are too stupid or blind to see a hole in the ground where kids are having some fun, then you alone are responsible. As far as the metal tools, I guess you think that the kids are just going to leave them strewn around the beach.
And the people who are too stupid or blind to see water on the floor at Walmart and slip and fall -- they alone are responsible, too? Is that what happens? They take full responsibility for being stupid and blind?
Last time I checked, Walmart did not have any stores located on any beaches. Not a bad idea though. You can go shopping with the seagulls.
Really? Then where could the water have possibly come from?
Stores are private property employed as commercial zones open to the public. As such, store owners are responsible for maintaining them so they are safe for public use. The beach in question is not privately owned and is not a place of business, so there is no owner that has a commercial level of responsibility for it's safe maintenance. So your analogy falls apart on those grounds (no pun intended). Beaches are shared public property for personal use, and making sand castles and, yes, digging holes in the sand for purposes of beach fun is normal and acceptable in the USA. Now perhaps you want to take the liberal stance that would mandate restrictions in beach use that would help ensure that stupid people don't get hurt. If so, that's your right.
#26. To: Pinguinite (#25)
As is the city in maintaining the beaches for public safety. They also prohibit glass containers on the beach. Do you object to that also? Are individuals who cut themselves on broken glass responsible because they're either "too stupid or blind" to see it?
Part of the problem is that there is entirely too much fun in this country. We need to redefine the parameters of what is considered "fun" and thus provide limits to unsociable behavior. Then perhaps careless parents would be more likely rein in the behavior of their undisciplined offspring and so prevent them from creating hazards to life and limb for beachgoers on our national shores. Time for some sanity.
Furthermore, digging holes in the sand “is not normal and acceptable in the USA for the purposes of beach fun” when a teenager dies after being trapped in sand hole he dug at the beach. An Oklahoma teenager has died after a sand tunnel he was digging at a Florida beach [Panama City Beach] collapsed on him, KOTV 5 in Tulsa reports. The report says 17- year-old Travor Brown of Broken Arrow, Okla. was found Wednesday (June 8, 2016) trapped in a hole he had been digging into sand bank on Panama City Beach. Emergency responders were unable to revive the boy and he was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. A family friend told KOTV 6 Brown's mother made the decision to take Brown off life support and "let him go home to Jesus." I will strongly support what Panama City Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman said: It's not the first time this has happened to a young woman in Panama City Beach, authorities say. The woman's face can't be seen in the video, and parts of it were blurred. But she recognized her tattoos and contacted authorities. Four young men were involved in the assault, authorities say. Two have been arrested and an arrest warrant has been issued for a third suspect, who federal marshals are trying to track down, said Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen. Investigators are also hoping to talk with a fourth person who is a possible witness. Within feet of where the attack was happening, "There's hundreds, hundreds of people standing there -- watching, looking, seeing, hearing what's going on," McKeithen said. "And yet our culture and our society and our young people have got to the point where obviously this is acceptable somewhere. I will tell you it is not acceptable in Bay County." [….] The video shows the suspects pushing the victim's hand aside and holding her legs down, Corley said. "You can see in the video there are people two feet away. They were assaulting her and we believe the people around her knew she was being assaulted." The suspects can be heard commenting about what they are doing to her, Corley said. Authorities have three sworn statements from witnesses stating that the assault happened, Corley said. [….] 'This is not the first time. While the video is "one of the most disgusting, repulsive, sickening things that I've seen this year on Panama City Beach," it's not an isolated incident, said McKeithen. "This is not the first video we've recovered. It's not the second video. It's not the third video. There's a number of videos we've recovered with things similar to this, and I can only imagine how many things we haven't recovered." Corley said that through social media, "we have been able to find video of girls, incoherent and passed out, and almost like they are drugged, being assaulted on the beaches of Panama City in front of a bunch of people standing around." There's a major problem investigators are dealing with, McKeithen said: Spring break has gotten out of control. About 100,000 spring break revelers come to the beach community every year. This year, the Bay County Sheriff's Office made more than 1,000 arrests for various crimes -- about triple the number of arrests made in the same period last year. McKeithen said he is being more and more aggressive in trying to stop the assaults. "I have asked for help and I have asked for changes" for more than two years, he said. "People talk, and people promise, and nothing gets done." A recent county ordinance stated that "the overpopulation of College spring Break and the violence and disrespect for law and order which now are accompanying College Spring Break have overwhelmed the valiant efforts of law enforcement to protect the community and the spring breakers themselves," and that additional restrictions were needed immediately "to help address the dangers being observed." [….]
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#3. To: misterwhite (#1)
So if I run along the public beach, fall in his hole,
#10. To: Deckard (#3)
"I'd say if you are too stupid or blind to see a hole in the ground where kids are having some fun, then you alone are responsible."
#12. To: misterwhite (#10)
And the people who are too stupid or blind to see water on the floor at Walmart
#15. To: Pinguinite (#12)
"Last time I checked, Walmart did not have any stores located on any beaches."
#25. To: misterwhite (#15)
Really? Then where could the water have possibly come from?
Replies to Comment # 25. "As such, store owners are responsible for maintaining them so they are safe for public use."
#77. To: Pinguinite (#25)
and, yes, digging holes in the sand for purposes of beach fun is normal and acceptable in the USA
#90. To: Pinguinite, misterwhite, All (#25)
…. and, yes, digging holes in the sand for purposes of beach fun is normal and acceptable in the USA.
Ah….but, digging holes in the sand “is not normal and acceptable in the USA for the purposes of beach fun” when those holes are “about 10 feet in diameter and about 4 feet deep” are then dangerous for people walking on the beach at night. 
Now perhaps you want to take the liberal stance that would mandate restrictions in beach use that would help ensure that stupid people don't get hurt.
I will be your huckleberry. I will take a strong conservative stance that mandates restrictions in beach use that will help ensure that stupid people do not get raped, accidentally hurt and killed while on the beach or murdered while attending spring break at Panama City Beach. "The rule was put in place because a couple of years ago, during Spring Break, we were having college kids dig holes that were probably larger than my desk, where they could play beer pong, we had some sexual assaults down there, we enacted where they couldn't take full size shovels down there, that's what the ordinance states, because kids were using them as weapons, fighting other kids." 1
Here is but one “ “beach fun” that is not normal and acceptable in the USA. It is a gang rape and but one of the sexual assaults that Panama City Beach Police Chief Drew Whitman talked about. The last I remember reading about this was that one perp had been sentenced to ten years…I don’t know about the others. A young woman was watching a video on the news when she discovered a nightmare scenario: She may have been drugged and gang-raped on a crowded Florida beach in broad daylight, as bystanders watched.
So as far as I am concerned, you libertarian assholes can take your ”anything goes anarchist philosophy, policies and attitudes” and go straight to Hell with them….if you don’t see the dangers here and the need for the authorities to establish controls to prevent these occurrences, because as you say: “[they] would mandate restrictions in beach use that would help ensure that stupid people don't get hurt.”
Ryan Calhoun, left, and Delonte Martistee were arrested in connection with an alleged gang rape in Panama City, Florida.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 25.
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