Accosted this evening...

[Nohope587]

This evening around 6:30 we went to a place we call the Quarter school for obvious reasons. Normally there are a couple of families playing in the Spark. For the most part this does not bother us. Though if there are a crowd of people we go elsewhere. This progressed quite well for a short time I began to get a small following of kids. All polite asking the usual questions.

What are you doing?
Why?
Can I help?

As time progressed my entourage grew.. Then a voice from the back said "hey that's my quarter I lost that". I held up the nickel I had just dug and said its a nickel not a quarter.
"Give me my nickel"
You said you lost a quarter
"That's my nickel give it to me or I will call my Mom"
Sorry but you said you lost a quarter and this is a Nickel
"Its not my fault you are poor give me my Nickel"
At this point I abandoned the jungle gym and headed over the swing set that was about 50 yards away.
A few minutes later the same voice
"I am calling my Mom"
Please do
"Give me my Quarter"
where did you loose your quarter?
"here"
At this point she filled in the hole I was digging in the mulch and tried to push me over.
Not going to happen I'm a big guy.
I left the area and abandoned the hunt for the day.
My wife says I should have called the police.
Yeah right.
Hello police how may I help you?
"I am being assaulted"
Who is assaulting you?
"A female juvenile"
you mean a Kid?
"Yes"
How old are you sir?
"43"

See my dilemma? I think I did the right thing just leaving even if it meant cutting short our fun time. Just under three years my wife and I have been detecting and this is the first instance of trouble.
I now understand why the guy that showed us how to use our Aces told us not to detect with people around...

Perhaps I should have just given her the money....

 

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[Nohope587]

For those that asked about the ring.
I think its just fashion jewelry.
Its plated in something and the stones are way too dull to be real.
Looks good though doesn't it?

 

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[pakeha63]

Great finds!! I've been in a situation when I have been pushed over before by a punk kid. I now, keep away from crowds. In summer hours I've changed from detecting from after work to early morning when theres nobody in the parks except people getting their exercise.
In respect to your story I see nothing offensive about it in any way. As you can see by my avatar, he is a Maori Chief from New Zealand which is my heritage, and I'm proud of it. I've witness crimes here in Stockton, and talked to Police. The first thing they ask is what ethnic group the offender is (This is not the actual words they ask, I'm but writing this in a non-offensive way)
Good story you wrote, sorry about the trouble with the kid, and sad that people are concentrating more on the racial aspect, than the thread you wrote about your experience.
Keep safe, and happy hunting.

 

[Monty]

You have to be really careful around juveniles. First thing you know one of them gets mad and will accuse you of "touching" them or making advances. I have seen it happen to several innocent people of late. They even call 911 and report that their parents are beating them if they get a spanking. This is happening more and more. And some of the juvenile affairs officers are pencil nosed geeks although most are dedicated to really protecting juvenile victims. You could get into serious and costly trouble quick with a false accusation. I avoid contact with juveniles at all cost unless there is another adult parent or witness with me. Then I talk to the parent , not the kid. One false accusation will stay with you all our life guilty or not. Monty

 

[3RINGER]

Nothing wrong with the post as I see it Great finds!

By all means as monty said if you have a witness near you then call the police and request to speak to an officer in reference to being harassed (yes by juveniles). I've responded to many calls of this nature and it seems more in the last few years than before.

Kids now a days are put out to get them out of the parents hair and from what you have stated it shows as to how the kid is being raised. Kids now just think it should be given to them..way they think these days. When the officer arrives just explain what was taking place...with the aid of your witness things will not get taken out of text.

In your case I comend you on your actions though.

thanks for the pictures and HH

 

[billjustbill]

I know the feeling!!! One grandparent brought 6 little one to roam the public park. They began following me and watching what I dug and as I covered up the grassy hole. Going for a while the group fell behind me, so I turned around to see where they were....there they were, pulling out all the dirt and grass from all the places I'd dug!! I walked over to the grandmother pointed to her group, and told her that she needed to get her kids to put all that back, before somebody twists their ankle.... and I kept going.

Other times, What I do when one or two younger kids come up and want to talk is look at them and say something that they've heard before, but because it's coming FROM an adult, it gets their attention..... "I'm sorry, I don't talk to strangers."

If they keep up, then I say, " I have to listen to the tones, so I when there's talking, I can't hear...."

When those things don't work, I just packup and move to another site... :>(

Bill

 

[Jack(IN)]

I've had that happen a few times...I do this when it happens...I ask them the year of the quarter, and they only have one shot to get it right!! If they guess the year I give it to them and if not then I tell them I can't give it to them if I feel it just might not be theirs!!

 

[CRUSADER]

Thats the problem with kids nowadays, no respect for there elders. I had it punched into me as a kid, shame you can't do the same anymore.

 

[wyattrr]

Yeah it's happened to me before too. My advice, pack up and leave... Congrats on your finds and HH

 

[Foiled Again]

This part of the conversation is interesting:

"Its not my fault you are poor give me my Nickel"

I have been asked by several people, some of them in their teens, why I "have to look for change". A couple of times I observed people seeding the area with coins in an apparent effort to improve my financial state.

Apparently, some of the members of the general public think I am poor and have to scrounge for change with my detector.

They sort of lump me in with the unfortunate souls who are seen picking up discarded cans and bottles to cash in.

Anybody else had similar experiences?

Foiled Again

 

[redlined]

Good reason to dig the old places off the beaten path. The only things I have pestering me for my finds are the odd squirrel or groundhog ...............

 

[pookie-princess of rust]

sorry to hear about the situation ... nice finds tho.

 

[Moonshadow]

That is precisely why I hunt in unoccupied places. Don't want questions, comments or stares!

HH,
Moon

 

[JP]

Sorry that happened to you. Be careful out there.

I choose times when not many people are in my hunting zone. The few times that I hit the beach at 3 in the afternoon has been a nightmare. People ask you "what have you found or what are you looking for." I always answer with the same, that I've found nothing and that I'm seeing if the machine works. Sometimes I might say that all I've found are pulltabs. It's not that I don't want to talk to someone it's just I know the scams where they try to make claim to your finds. One time this obese kid (I say obese because he had the most vulgar mouth on a kid), about 19 years old, came up to me in the water wanting to know what I had found. I told him I had just got there so I had nothing. He told me he wanted to see my bag and my pockets. I just walked away. If he wanted to argue I had my scoop from Nuttel that weighed about 10 pounds of hard cold steel. He probably stopped there because the life guards tower was about 50 feet away.

I prefer early morning or late afternoon early evening. No body usually bothers me. I did have one incident at night where a guy walked up to me and immediately ran off. I then realized he could see that I was armed. My shirt had opened a little and he could see the light shining off the stainless steel. Later, I saw the same guy bothering other people that were sitting on the beach, trying to get them to give him money. I now hunt with friends at night, not worth it to go alone.

HH

 

[jgas]

This topic rears its ugly head every now and again only with slightly different circumstances. People getting harassed for their hobby. Do I see hecklers at the golf course, of course not. Do kids scream and yell at you when you are bowling, Not! Why is it then that kids do this when we are doing this particular hobby? The world may never know. But I do know this, there is no right way or wrong way to address these typical park thugs, albeit girls in this instance. Although I have my thought as to what I would have said to her. I would have given her the Nickle and another Quarter and told her to go call her parents, then if she did that (which she most likely would not have) the parents would have shown up and I then would have given them a quarter and said " Now if you want to take a ride put a quarter in the machine and I will surely give it to you." "Or your kid can now give me my money back and you can procede to kick her little a$$ right in front of me and teach her the way we were tought as youngsters." Respect your elders!! Sometimes brutal shame will find this young girl growing up to be the next Mother Theresa.....Best Regards...jgas

 

[billjustbill]

From a safety seminar at work, I bought and carry a defensive spray if it's an out of the way place. It's designed in the shape of a small cell phone or beeper and worn on the belt. The spray has an ultraviolet factor, so if something happened, law enforcement can black light the person and clothes to show them if the person they might quickly pickup is the right one.

A cell phone is a good thing, too.

So far, I've not had a real problem. I've been more worried about seeing discarded hypo's and their needles in public areas!!! Seems to be a lot of them at the roadside parks.

Bill

 

[crazyjarhead]

I don't or won't hunt around kids

 

[ivan salis]

as W C Feilds said "of course I like kids -- slow cooked over a fire --their delicous "--- or his other famous line "go away kid , you bother me"

 

[briankb70]

i just ignore them.
they cant help how there parents raised them

 

[Mental Granny]

Or how smart (not) and tough they aren't to their friends!

 

[DANGLANGLEY]

Sorry to hear about your encounter. I'm glad it wasn't any worse. You just never know these days. I have been harassed by kids too. Once, two boys approached me and one said "this is our school yard and you better leave", and a few other words I won't repeat.... I told them that I had permission to be there and for them to mind their own business. They did leave but they were calling me every name they could think of as they left. Another time, it was pretty close to the same story and I told them the same thing. These days I avoid kids at all costs. Even if they aren't being rude they want to help and if we were to injure one while digging a hole we would could be in trouble. They try to put their hand in the hold while you are digging because they are excited to see what it is and they don't realize you have a sharp digger and it can hurt them. Yeah, better to stay away from kids if at all possible. Several times police officers have stopped to talk to me and said that someone reported a man with a big knife. I've never been told to leave by an officer but the fact that some nosy busy body called the cops on me really ticks me off.

DANGLANGLEY