Likewise, every time I was pulled over, it was for cause. The treatment I received afterward was often unmerited and unjustifiable.
The Lord really has to help me with areas like this because just thinking about it sends me into such a deep rage. I just hate injustice. Hate it. Passionately.
While we're telling stories...
When I was moving to DC, my MIL, SIL, and BIL and my two godsons came over to help me pack and clean. When they were leaving, my BIL took all the trash out to the dumpster, which is by the front gate. I thanked them, kissed/hugged everybody goodbye, and before I could even sit down real good, my phone was ringing. My SIL told me I needed to come by the gate right away and that somebody was calling the police on them. I walked there, and my MIL was extremely upset and worried. I asked what was going on and she pointed over at the guy standing in the doorway of his condo on his cordless phone. She told me that he just came out the door and started yelling at them as they were putting trash in the dumpster asking if they lived in the sub and saying he was calling the police. My SIL (who is incredibly meek and gentle) tried to explain to him that they were taking MY trash, but he started yelling louder so MIL told her to call me.
I'm not good with distance, but I guess the gate is about 250 ft?? from his door. I didn't want to yell, so I walked maybe 10 ft closer and said "what's going on, sir, what's the problem?" He started ranting about how he pays the trash bill every month and he's not going to sit by and allow people who don't live here to come and put their trash in our dumpster. So I explained to him that I live there and they were carrying out MY trash, and gave him my unit number, name, etc. Meanwhile, he was still on the phone with the police.
I told my family to go ahead home and not to worry about it, but MIL was worried because he had taken down their plate number. And plus, old people are just worriers anyway. LOL. So, at that point, I was already annoyed because I don't like stupidity, I don't like my family being harassed, and the guy wasn't even listening to me, which I especially hate.
About 10 minutes later, the police arrived and asked what was going on. The guy came back out of his unit and walked over to us, maintaining about 20 ft distance. I explained to the officers what happened (while calling the guy an idiot a few times), and as I was explaining 4 more cop cars, one after the other, pulled in, all flashing lights. At this point, I am just pissed and I could feel that I was about to become verbally hostile, so I retreated. I just stopped speaking altogether and told my fam not to say anything either. The guy did all the talking. Then the officer asked me if I lived here and I said yes. Showed him my keys and my license. Then *breathe, Rue* he started questioning me about the volume of my trash, about where my unit is, how long I've lived here, my relationship to the fam, asked them where they live, what they were doing here, etc... I finally asked him as calmly as I could "you mean to tell me that you are seriously here with 8 other officers (1 car only had 1 officer, the others had 2) because this IDIOT thought that people were abusing the dumpster. Do you not realize how foolish it is that you're wasting my taxpayer dollars questioning me over some foolishness???"
Meanwhile, the idiot was over there looking all smug and called the HOA President, talking all loud and stuff. UGH!!! I can't even tell the story straight I'm so mad all over again. So anyway, the officer told me to calm down, and I took a few breaths and explained to him how intimidated they were all making us feel, my godchildren were there, my 70-y/o MIL was there, it was just too much. Over trash??? Seriously? So I got heated again and called the guy an idiot, and the officer told me that if I do that one more time, he would arrest me for assault. I said, "assault???" He explained that verbal assault is a crime and if I don't want to be arrested, I should just shut up.
At that point, I knew I was about 2 words and a finger away from going to jail, so I put my best fakesmile on my face, counted backwards from 10 and said, "sir, if you have no legal reason to detain us, we are going to leave now. Mama, y'all get in the car. Call me when you get home. I'm going to bed." I stood there to watch them get in the car.
Then as they were pulling off, I turned around to walk off and the officer said something to me. I turned around and said, "are you detaining me?" He said, "no, but I have a few more questions." I said "sir, there's nothing left in me except verbal assault. You're trying to take somebody to jail tonight, and I'm not going to be the one. I have nothing else to say to you unless you want to arrest me for letting my BIL take my trash out." Then I turned to the only young officer out there and said, "am I free to leave?" And he tried to play buddy with me, came over talking about "let me talk to you, ma'am." I was like, "no, I don't have anything to say and you don't have anything to say to me except to tell me if I'm free to go or not."
All that over some doggone trash.
OAN: thank God for growth. The LaRue I was that night is not the same LaRue I am today.
