NRF Gathering 2015 -- Postponed

Msmoto

Ali, have you made any arrangements for accommodations in the Bay area? I hope all attending have a great time and I would love to but other commitments have me locked down.

Hopefully this is not premature, but in about March or April of 2016....Atlantic Coast....anywhere from Williamsburg, Virginia, The Outer Banks of North Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, even to as southerly as St Augustine, Florida (not exciting for Peter)....or if we have huge interest in New Orleans, this could be possible.

Just to have something for me to look forward to....

Photobug

Moderators - any thing in the Atlantic Coast in March or April is excellent. We were in Charleston for two days in late February and the photography opportunities are excellent. The weather is excellent in March and up to the middle of April then it gets warm.

Never been to the Outer Banks but have lots of friends that love it in the tourist season, June to August.

You got my attention for the Atlantic Coast.

Golf007sd

I'm sorry to say that this event will have to be postponed due to a civil court case I need to attend. The other night, while assisting one of my clients, I was wrongfully citied for a traffic violation. Moreover, when my client stepped out of the car to ask why we where being pulled over for, the officer asked him to get back in the car...within a matter of 2 seconds he was arrested for disobeying an officer and Public Intoxication a.k.a "drunk and disorderly." I have to appear in court to address this matter at the end of September and also to testify in court on his behalf.

My apologize to those that where seeking to attend this event...as I was myself.

Msmoto

Sorry Ali, but we will figure something out on this end. Hope all works out for you and the issues you are caught up in.

I will see what we can do in the next three months on the east side of the US.

FreezeAction

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Ali. I'd love a gathering on the middle east coast for purely selfish reasons. I'd get to take some updated photos of grandchildren besides the other offerings of the area. All that is between me and photographing the wild horses of Corolla is a long lens and as of yet I don't know what reach I need for a full frame sensor. Anyone been there and done that I can ask for advice?

HockeyMan

Wow, Golf007sd. Just another example of police doing their job incorrectly. What is going on with police in the US right now? I hope you get everything sorted out quickly.

donaldejose

Good luck Ali. Don't suppose you got a picture of the cop, did you? LOL

As a lawyer I have found in similar situations that if I talk to the police officer politely prior to going before the judge and tell them some good things about my client they then are more likely to be willing to accept some sort of compromise. But they will stiffen up if they feel their authority is being challenged by me. The madder and meaner I am the tougher they get. The nicer I am the softer they get also. The way to get them to compromise is to not fight with them but rather to just keep talking politely until they decide "to give you a breatk" for whatever reasons. Then go before the judge and let them say as the charging office they are going to drop the charge down; like it was there idea since they are such a nice guy and that makes them look good before a judge they are likely to see again and again. They drop the charge downward if they feel they are doing so themselves to be a "good person." They are taught to get tougher when they are challenged so doing so is in their nature. Get there early, find the officer and start taking with him. Tell him about your client. I tend to talk to the officer myself for a while and then when he softens bring my client over to participate in the conversation. By the time we all go before the judge a reduced charge is a done deal and the judge likes that because he has a lot of cases to get through each day and he is so tired of "he said - she said" arguments in which he really cannot tell who is most correct.

spraynpray

Had something similar done to me when I was a kid. Although I was entirely blameless and the charges were trumped up, I didn't have representation and the judge literally didn't hesitate one second after my statement to consider it before finding for the police. I could have done with some good advice back then Don!

donaldejose

The police often are called upon to operate in the context of a dangerous and emotional situation. They are trained to assert themselves and take control of the situation. It becomes second nature to them (and many have the personality of someone who likes to push other people around anyway). Many will lie and make things up to justify keeping control of any situation. When you start to argue or fight with the police you are just igniting their training to raise their "command voice" and to take control of the situation. They don't back down in a confrontation and are trained not to because their own personal safety may well be at risk. So you must be calm, you must defuse the emotions, you must seem to submit to their authority, you must be seen by them as someone who is cooperating and not giving them a bad time. Once they perceive no threat to their authority and once they feel they are in command of the situation they feel it is safe to change from a command voice and a command attitude to one of more politeness and reasonableness. Give them something. Let them charge you with a lesser offense or give you a warning. Don't insist they are all wrong and you did nothing wrong and you should receive no ticket for anything. When you insist on "all or nothing" they are very unlikely to give in and walk away with nothing. More likely you are going to get the "all" and it may even include charges greater than they initially were going to lodge against you. Always remember, the police must assume they are always dealing with a criminal until proven otherwise. If not, the "assumed innocent driver" may be a criminal with an illegal gun and an outstanding warrant who may shoot them and drive off. The police do not routinely interface on a daily basis with the same group of people we do. They deal with an entirely different group of people we always avoid and they are called to confront.

henryvs

Sorry about the troubles Ali. WIshing you the best success and outcome with it.

Rx4Photo

Best of luck to you, Ali, in clearing up these issues. Umm, yes indeed, your friend should have stayed in the car. Even if all he had in his system was water, I guess cops tend to get nervous when they feel outnumbered.

HockeyMan

Since we the meeting has been postponed, I thought I'd give you a sample of San Francisco, I hope this works...