Story of a supposed off-limits city near me

[Tom_in_CA]

Told this story years ago on a forum. Here it is again:

I got into this hobby at about 14 or 15 yrs. old (1975 or 76-ish). Via an 8th grade friend of mine. He had older brothers (15+ yrs. older than him) who were into the hobby as far back as the 1960s around here.

One day, while his dad drove us out to go fishing at a lake in a neighboring town, he pointed out the car window to a school yard, and said "Its' against the law to detect at any school or park in this city". And "they can ticket you, and confiscate your machine", etc...

Since this guy was my mentor, and I didn't know squat about md'ing yet, I just listened. Logged that factoid in my memory. I knew he had older brothers who'd been into it for quite awhile, so obviously he must know what he's talking about.

Then about 1980 (senior year in high school for me), some local md'r friends of mine started showing up at the club meetings with barbers, IH's, etc.... But they weren't saying where they were finding them. I begged and pleaded to be invited along with these older guys. And finally they relented and took me to where the action was:

It was a park in the city, that several years earlier, I'd been told was "off-limits". So I asked my friends "is it ok to hunt there?". They said "No one's ever said anything to us ??" I didn't ask any more questions, and just joined my friends out there.

But still, sometimes when I'd detect there, I'd often be looking over my shoulders, wondering. Yet never had any problems.

Years later, by the mid 1980s, I was hunting one day with my original friend again. And asked him: "Hey, do you remember back when we were in Jr. high, you told me such & 'such city was off-limits' ? Who told you that ? Where'd you get that info ?"

At first, he didn't even know what I was talking about. But after some reminding, he finally remembered saying that. And told me that it was his older brother who'd told him that. I asked "Where did your older brother get that info?" . But my friend didn't know. So I dropped the matter.

Fast forward to the early 1990s. I was now hunting a lot with his older brother. One day, on an hour long drive to a ghost town hunt, I told him how his younger brother had told me such & such. And that this info had supposedly started with him. The older brother at first didn't know what I was talking about. But after awhile recalled that he'd gotten that info from his OTHER brother (the 3rd of 3 brothers who detected). I asked, "ok, but how did THAT brother get the info?"

Story to be continued:

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

After a bit of memory searching, he pieced together the following:

That 3rd brother had gone to a school there, back in the mid 1960s to detect. A janitor, who'd seen him out the window, had come out to tell him to leave. So the following discussion unfolds:

Janitor: "hey, you can't be doing that here"

MD'r: "Really ? "

Janitor: "Yep. You gotta go".

MD'r: "Ok, sorry about that. How about the school down the street?" (pointing up the street to the Jr. high)

Janitor: "Nope, not allowed their either."

MD'r: "Ok, then how about the high school across town?"

Janitor: "No, it's not allowed in Any School in the city!"

MD'r: "Wow. Ok, then how about the park downtown?".

Janitor: (growing peeved with the multiple questions) "It's not allowed on any city property in the entire city"

The md'r apologized and left. He promptly told his brother. Who eventually told the younger brother. Who eventually told me. And I too, no doubt, told others. Who, in turn, no doubt told others. Hey, that's what friends are for afterall, right ? You wouldn't want your friends to get arrested or in trouble. So you "spread the word". And this is all pre-internet, pre-clubs, etc.... Imagine how news like this works now! Put onto links ("such & such beach or city off-limits"). That gets picked up, linked around, etc.....

Then one day, 30 or 40 yrs. later, everyone's looking around saying "since when?", "Where's that written ?" And all it ever was, was a single isolated incident from, who knows? A single cop or gardener having a bad hair day ?

And worse yet, if you go to try to get this "clarified", THEN guess what happens ? Often time it can become a self-fulfilling cycle. Where you get "safe answers" by pencil pushers who perhaps would never have given the topic a moment's thought before.

 

[kcm]

Yep, that'd be quite a conundrum.

 

[Deft Tones]

Thats a great story to illustrate why one should not rely upon those unable to practice law for any legal advice whatsoever.

Reminds me of a story (can't recall the title) where the town stones people as punishment because it's all they've ever been taught and nobody understands the origin of the tradition... because that's the way things have always been!

Learning can be fun, or painful, and/or expensive.

If I'm learning something then it's never a mistake, it's a lesson.

Good story.

Edit: Maybe the title was The lottery? Yes it was.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Thats a great story to illustrate why one should not rely upon those unable to practice law for any legal advice whatsoever......

It's a story that causes me to question any "no detecting at such & such place" answer I see. Because I sometimes wonder if they're not the same type origins, on a larger scale.

 

[Honest Samuel]

Tom, it seem that you got the run around. Always good to hear from you. Good hunting and good luck.