Fear of an Urban Planet...

[trailerkid]

1st night at my new loft on Mass Street in L:

Waiting for pizza shuttle for over 45 minutes (don't ask, I didn't order it). It's 12:05 AM and we decide to go outside and wait for it because perhaps the driver can't find the building.

(tumbleweed blows down Mass Street)

(cop car rolls by)

(cop car rolls by again)

(cop car rolls by for a third time and parks)

The cop approaches myself, my friend and his pregnant girlfriend as we sit on the stoop of my place. "You match the description of a suspect wanted in a aggravated assault two weeks ago," the cop says to my friend. The cop proceeds to get my friend's name and "runs" it in his computer. I asked what happened a couple weeks ago. "The guy beat up a guy...put him in the hospital. Then he beat up the guy's girlfriend." The cop proceeded to say the suspect's name which basically rhymed with my friend's name.

Pizza shuttle guy pulls up. "Does he think you guys are loitering?" the pizza shuttle guy says.
"Yeah...I don't know," I said as I gave him some cash. I proceed to walk back to my door, unlock it, and tell my friends to just go upstairs that this whole thing is just fake.
"OK...everything checks out," the cop said as I swung the door open and started walking up my stairs.

This example illustrate why people need to be called out as ignorant suburbadroids. Am I doing something illegal by waiting for a pizza outside in my own neighborhood? I'm sorry you'd prefer to see the streets and sidewalks completely abandoned like in your subdivision, but urban areas tend to have active street life at all hours of the day. Is this Leawood or Lawrence? I need to get out of KS.

[chrizow]

it sounds like the police officer may have been hassling you guys, but i don't see anything "suburban" about this incident.  the line about the "empty subdivision" just seems like a pointless urbanist gloss on a simple desperado-cop situation. 

it happens in cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural areas. 

the more important question is:  how is the new place on mass?

[GRID]

I need to get out of KS.

never thought I would hear that from you 

[kcdcchef]

I'm sorry you'd prefer to see the streets and sidewalks completely abandoned like in your subdivision, but urban areas tend to have active street life at all hours of the day. Is this Leawood or Lawrence? I need to get out of KS.

what exactly is urban about lawrence??

[ComandanteCero]

i think i missed something.... why was this such a negative experience?  Sounds like a bored cop looking for something to do, if it doesn't happen in larger cities it's just cause they are busier with real crimes, but i can assure you that in the slow hours they do the same stuff.  I had some friends who were driving near dt. St. Louis one night and were pulled over by the police, who proceeded to ask a series of random and vague questions, fishing for something to hang on to.  My friends told the officer they were just out for a night drive.  The office finally got a call on his radio to go investigate an actual crime, and said something to the effect of "you won't find any weed dealers around here, so you best head back home", before taking off.

It happens, no biggie.

p.s: when are you going to move to urban KC?  It seems that of all the people on here, i'd expect you to definitely be living there.

[Tosspot]

what exactly is urban about lawrence??

Mass Street and the area around its immediate environs is urban. Urban in the sense that even small towns have elements of urbanism when the buildings are mixed use vertically. It's the old stuff in Lawrence that tends towards this. West Lawrence is a suburban hellhole. So, your next question to ask is "What exactly is suburban about Lawrence?" ?

It's all in how the built environment is structured.

[Long]

It's all in how the built environment is structured.

Wait, you mean neighborhoods can take on different forms and adapt to meet the needs of different users and contexts, and still be urban? 

[Tosspot]

Wait, you mean neighborhoods can take on different forms and adapt to meet the needs of different users and contexts, and still be urban? 

What the hell are you talking about now?

[nota]

The cop approaches myself, my friend and his pregnant girlfriend as we sit on the stoop of my place. "You match the description of a suspect wanted in a aggravated assault two weeks ago," the cop says to my friend. The cop proceeds to get my friend's name and "runs" it in his computer. I asked what happened a couple weeks ago. "The guy beat up a guy...put him in the hospital. Then he beat up the guy's girlfriend." The cop proceeded to say the suspect's name which basically rhymed with my friend's name.

I dont' see anything at all suburban about this. I can sit on my front porch any hour of the day or night and no cops will hassle me.

I dont' believe that the cop thought your friend matched anyone. He just wanted to check you out and that story was the only way he could do it.

Seems to me if you didn't run when you saw him and you didn't disappear before the next time he came around, he should have known you belonged there.

If it happens again, make a complaint to the PR officer of the police dept.

All that said, be glad they are at least watching the area where you live. For all you know, there might just possibly be some bad actors out there.

A few years back, our son from the east coast and 4 of his friends came to visit us. Being young guys and not a lot of money, they drove straight through. They were driving an old beater car with Massachusetts plates. They got pulled over as they arrived at 7AM in our town. They all did look pretty scrufty after driving for so many hours. They were all taken out of the car, patted down, the car was searched (because they gave permission) every can of soda was pulled out of their cooler, etc.

Their "crime?"-they had a little map I had drawn for him and mailed to him on how to get to our house after they got off the highway. our son was passing it from the back seat to the front seat passenger. Cops just knew it was a joint.

My husband went DT to the police station and demanded to see the chief of police who he complained to. He took the by then showered and shaved guys with him and asked the chief just what looked so suspicious about these kids and what kind of a welcome was that for visitors to our city-among other things. We got a written apology from the cops.

[Marreekarr]

Wow, trailerkid you are a cool person.  You live on the Main Drag in Lawrence and you have a cop who is doing an awesome job.  You are aware that Timothy McVeigh and BTK lived in Kansas?  (BTK was a suburbadroid)  I've been told by cops who randomly stopped me that there are criminals out there with nothing to lose who would risk getting the electric chair just to ruin my day.  Until the crime stats go down in our society I have no problem gettin pulled over, having my name run through a computer, or being asked a few simple questions.  See you at the next Policeman's Ball.

[trailerkid]

I "get" what everyone is saying. I'd much prefer a police presence than having someone breaking into my apartment, which actually happened when I lived in central Lawrence.

The point I am making is that this police officer thinks it is suspicious for me to wait outside of my apartment for a pizza for 10 minutes. In his mind, there is something wrong with seeing street animation downtown that isn't people shopping at Chico's in the afternoon. I understand he is doing his job, but it is highly unprofessional for him to confront a neighborhood resident with some fake story about an assault. How is not police harassment to investigate and bully a group of people for no reason whatsoever? I have no issue with him asking what we were doing, but he went overboard with his confrontational, authoritarian antics. I have every right to wait in a public place next to my home for a pizza. He is absolutely in the wrong by creating a narrative to direct some weirdo investigation into me and my friends.

The suburban perspective he's using is thinking that no one should be doing anything in the streets of Lawrence at midnight. If more actual residents were congregated outside of their homes downtown at night, the need for a police presence would be minimalized even more. His suburbadroid assumption is areas lacking in street animation (parking lots, cul-de-sacs, 8 lane highways) are somehow safer than active places where neighbors congregate.

[trailerkid]

Mass Street and the area around its immediate environs is urban. Urban in the sense that even small towns have elements of urbanism when the buildings are mixed use vertically. It's the old stuff in Lawrence that tends towards this. West Lawrence is a suburban hellhole. So, your next question to ask is "What exactly is suburban about Lawrence?" ?

It's all in how the built environment is structured.

Mass Street is just a slice of urbanity in a small city/town. There is literally a corner store (Round Corner Drug/Cheese Shop) on my block where I can buy things like sodas, sandwiches, toothpaste, whatever. I also bike/walk to places like La Parilla, Local Burger, Starbucks, Milton's for things like coffee, take-out or whatever. I'm using a comp right now at the public library a few blocks from my place. When I step out my door to go to the bus stop there are dozens of retail storefronts all around me. It's on a very small scale, but what isn't highly urban about that?

We have a number of people on this board that equate urbanity with things like skylines, freeways, and "bigness." Lawrence is small. Small places can be urban. Big places can be very, very suburban (e.g. Phoenix, Dallas, etc.)

p.s: when are you going to move to urban KC?  It seems that of all the people on here, i'd expect you to definitely be living there.

I love KC in a very pure sense and will move to Midtown at some point. The university situation I'm just not comfortable with right now. After I get an art/design degree at KU I'll move to either Madison, Denver or StL for more school and then to KCMo.

what exactly is urban about lawrence??

shut up and make me a chalupa.

[ComandanteCero]

I "get" what everyone is saying. I'd much prefer a police presence than having someone breaking into my apartment, which actually happened when I lived in central Lawrence.

The point I am making is that this police officer thinks it is suspicious for me to wait outside of my apartment for a pizza for 10 minutes. In his mind, there is something wrong with seeing street animation downtown that isn't people shopping at Chico's in the afternoon. I understand he is doing his job, but it is highly unprofessional for him to confront a neighborhood resident with some fake story about an assault. How is not police harassment to investigate and bully a group of people for no reason whatsoever? I have no issue with him asking what we were doing, but he went overboard with his confrontational, authoritarian antics. I have every right to wait in a public place next to my home for a pizza. He is absolutely in the wrong by creating a narrative to direct some weirdo investigation into me and my friends.

The suburban perspective he's using is thinking that no one should be doing anything in the streets of Lawrence at midnight. If more actual residents were congregated outside of their homes downtown at night, the need for a police presence would be minimalized even more. His suburbadroid assumption is areas lacking in street animation (parking lots, cul-de-sacs, 8 lane highways) are somehow safer than active places where neighbors congregate.

i can see what you're saying.  Hopefully as the residential density in the area grows it won't seem like such an anomaly for a couple of people to be hanging out infront of their building.

[phuqueue]

Wow, trailerkid you are a cool person.  You live on the Main Drag in Lawrence and you have a cop who is doing an awesome job.  You are aware that Timothy McVeigh and BTK lived in Kansas?  (BTK was a suburbadroid)  I've been told by cops who randomly stopped me that there are criminals out there with nothing to lose who would risk getting the electric chair just to ruin my day.  Until the crime stats go down in our society I have no problem gettin pulled over, having my name run through a computer, or being asked a few simple questions.  See you at the next Policeman's Ball.

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with being considered guilty until proven innocent; after all, Kansas has produced two f'ing psychos, so it's natural to assume that someone hanging out on the street late at night in Lawrence might be planning to kill a few dozen people.  I don't mind getting pulled over and investigated for no reason whatsoever.  The fact that I have nothing to hide makes it all okay.  Thank god for safety.

[Long]

What the hell are you talking about now?

I was agreeing with you. 

[Tosspot]

I was agreeing with you. 

Okay. I was at a loss. 

[Long]

The suburban perspective he's using is thinking that no one should be doing anything in the streets of Lawrence at midnight.

He was more likely using the realistic perspective that no one ever IS doing anything on the streets of Lawrence at midnight. 

[nota]

The suburban perspective he's using is thinking that no one should be doing anything in the streets of Lawrence at midnight. If more actual residents were congregated outside of their homes downtown at night, the need for a police presence would be minimalized even more. His suburbadroid assumption is areas lacking in street animation (parking lots, cul-de-sacs, 8 lane highways) are somehow safer than active places where neighbors congregate.

Neighbors congregate in my neighborhood all the time. The neighborhood conch shell blows at 5 most nights and lasts till late hours especially on weekends. Of course many of us WORK the next day at an early hour and need sleep too.

Get a grip, you have lived in this place one day and you are already an authority??????? Hilarious.

[kard]

It doesn't exactly seem like the officer was saying Welcome To The Neighborhood.

But, all things considered, since you're living there now I'd get familiar with the faces of the police officers who patrol the area and let them get used to yours.  Eventually they'll recognize you and hopefully come to trust you in pointing out the real folks who are "out of place."  Talk to them, let them know you live there.

[KCMax]

Not to be a jerk, cause it sounds like you had an unpleasant experience, but I think it is probably just poor police work, and a bad experience being blown out of proportion to justify a criticism against the suburbs. In fact, it doesn't even make sense. You're trying to say Lawrence is both urban and suburban at the same time. Either the area you are in is urban, and thus the cop should be used to people congregating, or its suburban and the cop has the suburban attitude that people shouldn't be loitering. I don't think a cop patrolling a supposedly urban area would have a "suburban" attitude.

There is enough fodder to be used to criticize the suburbs. I think you're grasping at straws trying to make a connection here.

But again, sorry you had an unpleasant experience. My crim law professor used to talk all the time about how uneducated the Lawrence police force was in what did and did not constitute "reasonable suspicion" and "probable cause."