Forums > Social Chat > 1st spin + Public parking lot=police... Oops...

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Zephyre PhoenixFamiliar stranger giving out popcorn. (formerly Ascilith)
1,264 posts
Location: Lawrence, KS


Posted:
Sooooo I had my first spin yesterday. We chose a park parking lot to do it in. Lots of space, few trees, yayness. It was going well and was one of the most amazing feelings id ever had until about a minute into the show, the police showed up. (He said he was called but police where I live really have nothing better to do but to catch speeders and to ruin young people's fun so I'm pretty sure he was just driving by, saw fire, and his fun alarm went off) So I had to stop, (Thankfully my parents were there to explain. Cops r much better at listening to parents than understanding younger people) Gladly he didn't give us a ticket. Just a warning. So novice mistake #1 for me: Spinning in a public place without a permit. Oops.

Never take candy from strangers...... But popcorn is okay!


Sister ElevenGOLD Member
owner of the group property
1,277 posts
Location: Seattle, WA, USA


Posted:
I got hassled by the police once for painting designs in blue fire in an empty parking lot with biodegradable ethanol gel. It was lame. Another 90 seconds and it would have extinguished itself with a slight goopy residue tongue2

I'm always envious of people who post photos of fire spinning on the street. In Seattle you can't spin fire on the street at all, and you can spin in a park only if you're wealthy enough to afford the permit and to pay the fire marshal for their time to supervise it. This means back yards (as long as there's no street view of the fire) and properly equipped/inspected indoor venues. All because a string of careless fire performers did some really stupid things some years ago...

p|.q|r:|::s|.s|s:|:.s|q.|:p|s.|.p|s


Zephyre PhoenixFamiliar stranger giving out popcorn. (formerly Ascilith)
1,264 posts
Location: Lawrence, KS


Posted:
That IS lame. Seems like some people live just to ruin other people's fun. Sounds like a fun idea though smile Get any pictures of it?

And me too. Gotta wonder where they do it. I might be able to get it in a street depending on what street I can find. (Like a back street or something) But if you get even remotely close to civilization and ur in a street spinning where I live, the cops WILL come. People tend to be paranoid for no reason round here. Thankfully my neighbors have a great back yard to spin in. Just gotta get their permission. Hope they love me. And whatd the careless ones do?

Never take candy from strangers...... But popcorn is okay!


Sister ElevenGOLD Member
owner of the group property
1,277 posts
Location: Seattle, WA, USA


Posted:
Well, the incidents were recounted to me a while ago, so here's a disclaimer that I may not remember the details correctly.

I know one of them was a fire-breathing incident in Pike Place Market that resulted from choosing a really daft spot to blow big plumes of fire; a kid got burned when the fire went the wrong way. I think there was another incident of a couple of performers spinning on kind of a crowded sidewalk and repeatedly hitting people; I don't think anyone was injured from this one, it was just really asinine tongue2 I think there was another one in a park that resulted in injury or property damage of some sort.

Point is, sane and careful performers suffered because people weren't really taking basic precautions to make sure they weren't going to hit anyone. Which really isn't so hard.

p|.q|r:|::s|.s|s:|:.s|q.|:p|s.|.p|s


astonSILVER Member
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa


Posted:
I have been asked what I was doing. I told them and they watched for a bit then wandered off again.

Guess there are a couple advantages to a lax police force. frown

'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


Fire_MooseSILVER Member
Elusive and Bearded
3,597 posts
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA


Posted:
that sucks, so far here in AZ we have been pretty lucky. a couple of times the cops have stopped us spinning at a park or something. last week we were spinning at a storage place my friend works at and the cops dropped by, said he wanted to check it out before they get calls. we explained everything, gave them a little show and showed them that we were mature and responsible.

The big trouble comes when you are inna parking lot and there are beer cans all over and a blatant disregard for safety.

I would suggest always having a towel/duvey and a dipping area far away from where you are spinning. as well as having a first aid kit and MSDS's for the fuel(s) yer using

O.B.E.S.E.

Owned by Mynci!


Zephyre PhoenixFamiliar stranger giving out popcorn. (formerly Ascilith)
1,264 posts
Location: Lawrence, KS


Posted:
Oh i did have first aid, a towl, and all that far away from where i was spinning. Police didn't rly check that nor care. He just saw fire and told us to stop.

Never take candy from strangers...... But popcorn is okay!


sheltatha.lorestranger
5 posts
Location: Canvey Island, Essex, UK


Posted:
Lame! Where I used to go to spin in Canada, there was a great little park that had a big water fountain/wading area for little kids that was empty by sunset, so we had this huge circle of empty concrete with an easy supply of water, how perfect! The first time we spun last year, the cops showed up, but they just stood at a distance kind of watching for awhile, making everyone nervous, but when they eventually came over to talk to some folks, they were really friendly and curious about what was going on, and very impressed with some of our skilled spinners! All they had to say to us was pretty much, be careful & don't keep the neighbours up. After that, they would usually stop by at some point during our weekly gathering just to watch or say hi. Pretty cool! For all the nasty experiences so many people have with cops being jerks and stopping fun things just because they can, it was pretty amazing & refreshing to see some who were actually doing a good job & supporting good things going on in their communities.

T-S-ASILVER Member
Magic Monkey Juice
252 posts
Location: Saaf Ingerland Innet, England (UK)


Posted:
I have never had a problem spinning fire in public. Normally on the beach or in a park. Policy drive past, double take and let me get on with it.

Although it is understandable why they may have a problem with people playing with fire in public places... Especially when they don't understand what it is you are actually doing.

All they see is someone they don't know is skilled or not waving big balls of fire around. I would have thought that most police don't know what poi is, and probably think it's a weapon or some hooligans setting fire to public propperty.

"We were making castles in the sand: Now we swim in the seas that swept them away"


natasqiaddict
489 posts
Location: Perth


Posted:
We congregate in a public park and haven't gotten told to move along for quite a while. I guess it's because we make sure that anyone with alcohol/drugs knows they're not welcome pretty fast and we have all the safty equip.

Some other parks we've been told to move along.. but maybe thats because we used to pick the lock and drive cars on the park so we could hear music... and they got sick of local residents calling the fire station...

DaedraSILVER Member
The Dae Walker
75 posts
Location: UK, Kent, Canterbury


Posted:
My experience was me on a bandstand in Canterbury, me and a few friends we're have a practise (I was the only one standing at that point though) and the old bill comes walking up to the steps.
I got asked "What are you doing guys?"
I said "We're just practising mate"
He said "Ah right, is that that Poi thing?"
I said "Yup!"
He said "Cool, well just be careful lads"
Then they quietly left... I thought we were going to be moved on to be honest!

Once my father gave me a kiwi... I thought it was a rodent and I stroked it until all the fur fell out - White Ninja


Zephyre PhoenixFamiliar stranger giving out popcorn. (formerly Ascilith)
1,264 posts
Location: Lawrence, KS


Posted:
Lucky... I'm guessing with more spinners with me, itd be easier to pull off. Perhaps a better location as well. But that'll all come with time and finding people. I heard there was a park (Loose park) Where spinners meet weekly during warmer weather. Just waiting for warmer weather doesnt sound like fun to me. So for now, I look for a place to spin.

Never take candy from strangers...... But popcorn is okay!


MikefromGlosSILVER Member
Hitman
985 posts
Location: Gloucester England


Posted:
seems like the uk police are a lot quiter then what they used to be when i was public spinning they always kicked off at me.

he he i am mike the amazing gloscircus person who is mike.

Officaly an exception to the Poi Boys are Girls Thing



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