Ask A Yakking Theater Patron To Be Quiet, Get Charged With Assault
from the how-it-goes dept
We've all heard stories or dealt with rude theater patrons who answered phone calls during a movie. However, when an Australian politician visiting family in Texas tried to ask one such person to please be quiet, the end result had the politician charged with assault. From the various press accounts, it appears that the Australian woman tapped the shoulder of the woman who answered the phone, and put a finger to her own lips to indicate to her that she should be quiet. When the woman kept on talking, she tried again -- which apparently angered the yakker to no end. She started yelling, then stormed out of the theater and called the police. The police came back and charged both women, who now have to appear in court. It's likely (you hope) that the court realizes the "shusher" didn't do anything wrong and lets her off, but if not, she's facing a $700 fine. Who knew that asking someone to stop being rude was now a crime?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Ah the love...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
-
However, before we can even blame the cop, the story doesn't tell us what kind of statements he/she heard. I imagine the chatty patron accused the woman of hitting her and without sufficient evidence to the contrary, he/she decided on citing them both and letting a judge sort it out.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Stupid people
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
But, then again, I don't go to the theater because of rude people that bring their phones, kids and the like. I'm sorry, but theaters are not for children either. They are too loud and children can never sit still or be quiet for the entire movie.
Oh and for those of you that think it is cool to bring a newborn, be glad that there isn't a cop around. Seeing as how the noise in the theater can blow out their fragile eardrums. If you have a small child, invest in a sitter or a relative to watch your child. Otherwise, don't go. There should be a policy at the theaters for age restrictions. If they are not 10 or older, they don't get in, even with a parent. Everyone with younger children can invest in Netflix.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
I think that people that don't know how to control their kids or don't have kids should be forever forbidden from expressing their own opinions on what others should do with kids. I'm sorry, but such people, as anonymous coward above, don't have the brain power to really decide what other people should do with their kids.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
Chances are, that whatever movie you are bringing your kids to, there are probably plenty of other kids at as well; "Finding Nemo", "Herby/Luv Bug", any Disney or other Cartoon film... but we are not talking about kids being disruptive in those "meant for children" movies.
Please do NOT bring your "under 10 years old" kids to an R-Rated or even PG-13 film. Just because you are the kids mommy and know what's best for the kid, doesn't mean that the rest of us need to put up with your kid's whining when he knows even better what's best for himself.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
How DARE you try to infringe on the greatest
American pass time, talking about things we
know nothing about.
I'm sure you've done it too. I'm outraged.
Children should behave like children. I feel
qualified to speak on this subject since I was
indeed once a child. If you take your child
to an adult movie you're an ass, clear and
simple.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
figures...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: figures...
If nothing else, we can thank the chatty lady for yet another dead fish with which we can smack the movie industry upside the head. Not that they'll listen...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
b.) The cop should be fired for wasting his/her time in even deal with this and then wasting the court's time by issuing citations.
c.) Just one more reason to wait for the DVD
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
:O
Can't believe that people still have this train of thought. Too bad, I was right there with ya until that ignorant comment.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The cop should be fired ???
The cop is there to break up the disturbance and be a witness to the event's They are not there to be the judge of the actions. They should try to bring some level headed information into the process. It sounds like the cops tried to dissuade the complainant but she wanted to press charges for assult. So the cops went ahead and did that, but then added the public nuisance charges (obsceneties in public, etc) against the complainant.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: The cop should be fired ???
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Another example
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0728041cell1.html
Florida duo nabbed after "Catwoman" phone spat
JULY 28--Meet Warronnica Harris and Terrell Tolson. The Florida couple got popped this week at a St. Petersburg theater after Harris, 23, allegedly refused to end a cell phone call as the opening credits for "Catwoman" rolled. When an off-duty police officer working at the theater tried to curtail her chat, Harris announced that "she could talk as much as she wanted on her phone," according to this police report. In short order, Tolson, 25, joined in, allegedly telling Officer John Douglas that he would kick the cop's ass. The report quotes Harris as saying she would "hit the cracker in his head." In a bid to subdue the duo (pictured below in mug shots snapped by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office), Douglas blasted them with pepper spray. Harris and Tolson were eventually charged with disorderly conduct--and spared having to sit through another Halle Berry bomb. (3 pages)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Another example
Rude on a cell phone in a movie
Threatened a cop.
Called white people honkies...
And it turns out they were black.
Who would have ever seen that coming?
I don’t hate black people, but just like Bill Cosby, I do hate “black culture.” Whether you are a wigger or a nigger it is equally stupid, and equally loathsome.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Inner hatred
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
next time...
religion and manners flamewars both commencing in 3..2..1..
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]