Harassed by homeowners (Sammamish)

[Amx]

It already was illegal harrasment. The next thing would be damage to your boat, fishing equipment, or to you.

[flippinfool]

Dave, I have been thinking that exact thing from day one. Including mailing copies of the relevant statutes with relevant sections highlighted.

The problem with the media event is that people lie. My concern is that they'll start making up stuff about our behavior and turn this into a much bigger problem than it deserves to be. I think the best approach is just to deflect any initial contact and call the PD if it escalates into harassment.

Honestly, if I'd known where to tell the cops to come to, I would have called them last Sunday after the diving thing. Now I know the address.

I AM pretty sure if you contacted fish and game about this they would be interested. i would have them backseat undercover . Then when these a holes start runnin there mouths at you or pull the scuba crap your backseater pulls a badge and proceeds to educate these idoits on what the law is! Iam sure this would stop it in its tracks. We have enough witnesses to file a formal complant! These people think they can hassle anyone who comes near there property and thats wrong. We pay for the right to fish and these people have NO right to interfere with a legal fishing outing!I ll call em tomorrow and see what the deal is .Ill take em on my boat. I hate hearing about this crap.PEOPLE that just wanna have a good time and you have to deal with this crap. :colors: :colors: :colors: mean people suk!!!!!!!!

[showpro]

It already was illegal harrasment.

Yes, I understand. I meant to say, "again."

[jbball50]

Lots of good ideas here. Here are a few other options that I believe would be very effective and might stop their behavior:

*I would definitely recommend calling 911 the next time these folks confront you and don't stop the minute you tell them to walk away. Have their address so the Deputy will know where to go. Advise the 911 call taker you will be in your boat waiting for contact at the shoreline of the address.

*I would absolutely recommend contacting Jesse Jones from King 5 News at GetJesse@king5.com or call him at 1-877-515-3773. I would be very surprised if he wasn't interested in this story. I have seen him confront lots of folks on the news and I think these two home owners would hate to be confronted on TV. Before you do this you might want to have your ducks lined up in a row. Specifically, get these home owners addresses and go to the King County Assessors web page http://www5.kingcounty.gov/parcelviewer ... viewer.asp and type in their addresses in their address search. Once the info comes up, look to the left of the map to view the taxpayer/homeowner information. Then, call or write Jesse Jones. I am sure he would love to do a story on this. Sweet Revenge, in a professional manner.

*You could also contact King 5, Komo 4, and Kiro 7, and see if any of them are interested in this story. I believe that they would be.

Here are a couple laws that may apply]Uses abusive language and thereby intentionally creates a risk of assault[/b]; (this means using "fighting words")
(b) Intentionally disrupts any lawful assembly or meeting of persons without lawful authority;
(c) Intentionally obstructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic without lawful authority; or
(d)(i) Intentionally engages in fighting or in tumultuous conduct or makes unreasonable noise, within five hundred feet of:
(A) The location where a funeral or burial is being performed;
(B) A funeral home during the viewing of a deceased person;
(C) A funeral procession, if the person described in this subsection (1)(d) knows that the funeral procession is taking place; or
(D) A building in which a funeral or memorial service is being conducted; and
(ii) Knows that the activity adversely affects the funeral, burial, viewing, funeral procession, or memorial service.
(2) Disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor.

RCW 9A.46.020 Definition -- Penalties.
(1) A person is guilty of harassment if:
(a) Without lawful authority, the person knowingly threatens:
(i) To cause bodily injury immediately or in the future to the person threatened or to any other person; or
(ii) To cause physical damage to the property of a person other than the actor; or
(iii) To subject the person threatened or any other person to physical confinement or restraint; or
(iv) Maliciously to do any other act which is intended to substantially harm the person threatened or another with respect to his or her physical or mental health or safety; and
(b) The person by words or conduct places the person threatened in reasonable fear that the threat will be carried out. "Words or conduct" includes, in addition to any other form of communication or conduct, the sending of an electronic communication.
(2)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a person who harasses another is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
(b) A person who harasses another is guilty of a class C felony if either of the following applies: (i) The person has previously been convicted in this or any other state of any crime of harassment, as defined in RCW 9A.46.060, of the same victim or members of the victim's family or household or any person specifically named in a no-contact or no-harassment order; or (ii) the person harasses another person under subsection (1)(a)(i) of this section by threatening to kill the person threatened or any other person.
(3) The penalties provided in this section for harassment do not preclude the victim from seeking any other remedy otherwise available under law.

That would be hilarious if one of you guys that fishes Lake Sammamish does contact the news about this. I really think they would do a story on it and those people would be fully embarassed of it I'm sure and maybe stop all the harassment.

[fish4brains]

Way to go G-Man!! I cannot believe more people from this forum have not stepped up and fished that spot. You wetsiders are slacking. If this would of happened over here, it would be boat to boat mayhem by now. Now sack up and throw a "derby" on that location. Oh, and come back and post a TR. 3 day weekend, perfect opportunity!!

[SammGuy]

Hey Showpro,

I'm really sorry to hear you had a bad experience on the lake - especially fishing with your boy. I live on Lake Sammamish and most of the folks around me are fishermen too and actually quite supportive of guys on boats. Both my neighbor and I are fly fisherman and we know the lake well and regularly give advice. I have a (rather strange) pastime of diving trash out of the lake so I know the bottom well. Next time you're heading out, PM me and I'll tell you exactly where to fish. My dock is popular with the smallie fishermen and there's usually a school of nice size perch off my neighbor's dock.

I want to share a story with you folks. It shows the other side of the boat/resident relationship. About 2 weeks ago I guy in a new metallic red bass boat pulls into the gap between our dock and our neighbor's dock and just about up on our beach. Our house is one of the few that is about 10 ft from the water. It's grandfathered in to be that close. So I'm in my house about 20 ft from him in his boat.

But that's not what bugged me. His engine is dragging in the weeds and kicking up gravel because he's so close to shore and he's trashing the place during spawning season. So I went outside and politely asked if he could keep his boat off the beach. I explained that he's disturbing the fish habitat.

I was told that it's public property and I have no right to tell him what to do. Maybe he's got a point, I'm not a lawyer. So I didn't push it.

But then he told me that I should come out to the end of my dock so he could kick my f***ing ass. I didn't respond, went back inside, took his boat number and called 911.

I filed a report with the Sherriff's marine division, they have his boat number on file now and if he shows up again they'll probably arrest him. According to the Sherrif he's from out of town - not that that should make any difference.

A week later, there's a guy anchored off my dock. We have a great chat, I tell him exactly what to fish with and where to fish and he's having a great time. I don't hold a grudge.

So I think a few owners on the lake have had some very bad experiences and that may explain the crappy behavior you're seeing. The best advice I can offer is just try to be nice to the folks on the lake, most of them will be nice in return and you might get some advice that will fill your boat with fish.

SammGuy.

What's with these people? We're quietly fishing for perch (me and my 12 y.o. boy) and these people have nothing better to do but harangue us. They even went so far as to send someone out in scuba gear to bang on the bottom of the boat.

Their claim was that they didn't want us tied off to an old, broken stump 25 yards from the shore. First guy said, "because it attracts more fishermen." Second guy said, "I'm cool with it, but if you give me lip like you're doing I'll call the cops." WTF? He was the one who came out on his SeaDoo to argue with me. He claimed it's illegal. I looked at the King County code--yep, it's illegal for him...he can't permanently moor a boat tied off to a stump, he has to get a permit and install a dock. But I can moor or anchor anywhere I please for 72 hours straight, near as I can tell.

Anyway, I think I just found my new favorite fishing spot. I should be there every weekend for the rest of my life "looking in his windows," or whatever he thinks I'm doing.

:colors:

BTW, my boy caught 9 perch, and we kept 5. Nice, fat ones, some of 'em. Should be great on the grill tonight.

[Amx]

SammGuy welcome to Washington Lakes . com. It is good to have fishermen living on the lake that try to help.

Sorry about that inconsiderant bass fisherman.

I try to stay out of the weeds along the shore like that. But I also don't like to break off any hook, let alone where someone might step on it or swim close to a dock and have the hook stick them in the arm, leg, or some place. I'll 'ruin' a fishing spot for the day before I leave a hook. Altho I try not to screw up any nesting area that might be there.

[SammGuy]

Thanks Amx. Agree re the hooks. I'm also concerned about retrieving the line because it tangles the local wildlife. Most of the time I use a thin leader - 5x flourocarbon works really well for the local bass and cutties - it's really invisible and it's lighter than the stuff on my reel so if I get stuck deep I'm not risking dumping a lot of line in the lake if it breaks.

If you don't already use flouro you can pick up the flouro leader at Creekside angling on Gillman on the way to the launch. Tie it on to your regular line with a surgeons knot. Also flouro sinks, so you can use it to vary the motion/behaviour of whatever you have on the end of your line.

SammGuy welcome to Washington Lakes . com. It is good to have fishermen living on the lake that try to help.

Sorry about that inconsiderant bass fisherman.

I try to stay out of the weeds along the shore like that. But I also don't like to break off any hook, let alone where someone might step on it or swim close to a dock and have the hook stick them in the arm, leg, or some place. I'll 'ruin' a fishing spot for the day before I leave a hook. Altho I try not to screw up any nesting area that might be there.

[Amx]

Yup, I gather up any old line I see in the water, on the bushes, trees, and docks.

[showpro]

Thanks, SammGuy.

In the case of these homeowners, I tend to think the issue is that the homes are ~ 2 years old or less and they just haven't learned about life on the lake. But I am sorry to hear about your experience with that inconsiderate bass fisherman.