Golden Rule, Meet Golden Bulldozer
(I work for the city and am repairing potholes in a residential neighborhood. Suddenly, a resident comes running out in his bathrobe.)
Resident: “Hey! What the h*** do you guys think you’re doing?!”
Me: “We’re fixing these potholes, sir.”
Resident: “You guys can’t be here! You did not clear this with the homeowner’s association!”
Me: “Sir, I’m with the city and we don’t have to clear these repairs with any association.”
Resident: “Like h*** you don’t!”
Me: “Please step back, sir. I have to continue working and you are too close to the job site.”
(The resident runs back into his house and comes back out with a small bucket of yellow paint. Before we can stop him, he starts painting the dings and scratches on our bulldozer.)
Me: “What are you doing, sir?!”
Resident: “If you don’t have to clear repairs with us, then I guess I don’t have to clear repairs with the city!”
Me: “Sir, that color paint is not the same as the paint job on the equipment. Plus, you are now defacing this equipment. I will call the police if you don’t stop!”
Resident: “F*** off, you f****** lemming!”
Me: “That’s it, I’m calling the police!”
(By the time the police showed up, all his neighbors had come outside to watch the commotion. Things only went downhill from there, as he ended up getting charged with three counts: defacing public property, resisting arrest, and assault on a peace officer.)
