Reply #64: Being right and being smart aren't always the same thing. [View All]

I've been to MSP a lot (I live about 90 minutes away, and MSP is the only big airport in the region), and there's really no good bike access into or out of the airport. I've never seen anyone riding a bike there--so it's not surprising that he stood out a bit. Cops are trained to pay attention to whatever doesn't fit, so it was reasonable, in a way, for the cop to stop the guy and ask him what was up (not that most cops would see a guy on a bike as a threat--more like a curiosity in those surroundings). But if you go all legal on cops ("I know my rights! Blah blah blah"), they HATE it--what they want is immediate deference to their authority. Once you've got their attention, you fail to defer to them at your considerable peril. That's obvious, if unfortunate, but you'd think that everyone in this country with half a brain would be aware of it. Cops can't function if every mojo on a bike gets to give them shit and tell them how to do their jobs--at least that's what they think. If you "stand up to them," there's a good chance you'll get tased, and/or get your teeth kicked in, and then tossed into the can for "resisting arrest" while you were writhing in agony on the ground. This particular cop sounds like an idiot and a bully way above and beyond the normal run of things, and certainly ought not to have the auhtority and weaponry he has, but still--very bad idea to give a cop a hard time. Correct response: "Sorry officer--I didn't know. Can I take my bike and go home now?"