PaulRivers

Lol, yes but I imagine our treatment of automobiles would pale in comparison of their treatment of their space ship. :-P Blowing a tire on a car is bad, but not as bad as getting a leak in outer space...

Kojak

I can't help myself but to check back and see how this turns out.

I used to take my bike into the office when I worked at Verizon Wireless, and never had an issue. I had a little recessed area between my cube wall and the window that I could back my bike into, and basically no one could see it unless they walked all the way down my row. Now my bike sits right outside our office window, about 20 feet from where I sit.

Seattle Forrest

Yup: he's just doing his job.

I have a pretty low opinion of security guards, because I can't recall ever hearing about them providing security. A 15 year old girl was mugged in a bus tunnel recently, in Seattle. Five attackers punched, kicked, and stomped her while the security guards looked on, twiddling their thumbs. Thank goodness security is still able to harass cyclists, or they'd be completely worthless.

Walt_Mink

In all fairness, they were forbidden by policy (at the time) to intervene. If I were making a security guard's salary I would have to think twice about doing something I could get fired over.

PaulRivers

In my opinion, you're just reinforcing the original point. If policy says that they had to stand by, that just goes to show that even official policy acknowledges that the "security guards" are pointless and useless.

As for personal responsibility, I can't say what exactly I would do if I was one guy who's job officially required me not to intervene and I was faced with taking on 5 guys myself (other than that I would definitely call the police). I'm not sure I would want to get fired AND get beat the crap out of in exchange for maybe, possibly helping out the person who was being beaten up. That's just a craptastic situation, period.

CCrew

Today was the first day back. I parked in the parking garage, but not in the racks. I'll take pictures of the racks, no true cyclist would put their bike in them.

Interesting though was that I got in at 5:30am, and the racks were almost full. There aren't 20 people in the building at that time (2200 people in the building during hours). Talked to one of the other guys that cycles, he said most have been in the racks for MONTHS. Seems that many employees store their bikes there rather than storing them at home.

This afternoon when I left, the racks were literally a *mound* of bikes. I've never seen anything like it. I had found an area in the back of the next floor down that was clear and locked off to a gas pipe.

Funny part is that the security monkeys made three trips through my office area today.. obviously looking to see if there were bikes up there. First time they've ever been there in two months. I figure I'll play nice for a bit, let it blow over, document the mess that the bike racks are, and start taking my bike upstairs again. I'll give it two weeks or so.
In the meantime the lower floors seem to be unused with plenty to lock to, probably because the ramps between floors are hella crazy steep. But what's also funny is that I can get into the parking garage, then hit the elevators without security ever seeing me, since I only have to deal with them when entering the alley to the garage.. once I get past them and badge into the garage there's no more checkpoints.

|3iker

^ wow, that's awesome! Unfettered access to bicycle parts! WIN!

|3iker

You must've not visited some of the road bike forums. Why, you should just peruse the "where do you store your bicycle" thread. There are a few that brings their outdoor vehicles into their living room. Obsessed? It's all relative....

Kojak

Funny part is that the security monkeys made three trips through my office area today.. obviously looking to see if there were bikes up there. First time they've ever been there in two months.

Because there is no greater threat to the security of an office building than a bicycle in the office of a subversive bike rider.

Walt_Mink

I don't mean to defend security guards in general. In my mind, they're just here in case I forget my key card. However, in this case in Seattle, these guys were getting ripped up in the media for doing nothing, which I felt was a bit unfair.

Matt_E

If they were doing nothing (which they were), then just what type of "security" are those security guards providing? And for whom?

Forgetting company policy for a minute, what limp-wristed guy stands by and watches as a teenage girl is getting beaten by a group of guys?

Walt_Mink

I don't think they were there to protect the people ... more likely there to protect the bus tunnel.

Welp, yeah, it's a toughie. This was a couple of girls going crackers. Turns out the victim wasn't an angel either.

Link to story

Mr IGH

In Chicago, there's a good chance that getting involved with 5 thugs is a death sentence. Tough talk is easy, who will raise my three kids?
BTW, maybe a person very capable with guns could quell this event if they were armed (cop/military?). I am not capable and getting caught carrying in Chicago will result in a felony conviction.

Matt_E

I'll quit taking this O/T (Sorry), but I've been there and I cannot imagine NOT doing anything while someone's life is in danger.

PaulRivers

Ok...where in that entire story does it say anything about the victim not being an angel? I was going to say that I wouldn't be surprised that embarrassed public officials did everything they can to try to make you feel like the victim somehow deserved it, but I can't see anywhere in the article where it even says anything...?

slcbob

That teenage girl thing was a disaster.

Perhaps their policy as security folk said do nothing. I don't know. But their higher calling as human beings should have kicked in. Shameful.

slcbob

The Google Ad I'm being served on this page is a very security-looking dude saying "want a career in Homeland Security?"

NO!!!!! And I'm guessing not many others here, either.

Walt_Mink

There were a bajillion stories about this, even nationally, so I don't remember where I read that. Anywho - I'm not defending what happened there.

Let's talk about bikes now, mkay?

Seattle Forrest

I store my bike in my living room. ( Or sometimes my hallway, and occasionally my bedroom, but this is usually too messy to keep my bike in. ) I could keep it on my patio instead, but I don't want to expose it to the elements, and anyway my apartment manager forbids that.

PaulRivers

Ok, well, just to be devil's advocate, it is possible to take the other side of this. Just to go to the opposite extreme, imagine that you're working security. This cranky teenage girls stands by you, then starts talking **** to a group of people she obviously knows. She's saying mean, terrible things, obviously expecting you to protect her. The other people tell her to shut up. She says "what'cha gonna do, asshat? beat me up? huh? huh?" (or something like that). A group of 5 people come over - now, are you going to get in the middle of this, risking your own neck and life to protect this punk who sat there egging the other people on? And this kind of girl usually knows "the right thing" to say to other people who show up after the fact to make the other side look like mean, racist, ignorant, testosterone filled asshats so when you read an article you think "that is so terrible!".

I am TOTALLY being over the top with my example. I CERTAINLY don't know what actually happened. I'm just saying that, in fact, there are one of two circumstances which are the exact opposite of the "poor, innocent teenage girl" image that pops into your head that I wouldn't risk my neck to intervene in, losing my job over it just topping it off.

PaulRivers

haha, with respect to the other comments as well, when was the last time you went to carforums.net (I'm making that url up, you get the idea) and someone posted about how they were having a fight because he said he didn't want the car exposed to the weather, and she said she isn't going to let him store his car in the living room? hahaha :-)

colleen c

What a contrast we got going here. In one case, the security guard cannot intervene with a 15 year old girl getting injure, and in the other case, we have a security guard giving a commuter crap about taking a bike inside a building for safe keeping even after that person got permission from someone higher up the ladder. Yet, that security is persistant to see that bike be locked up in an area where the chances of having it stolen is much greater. Gawd, what kind of security is that? I hate to say it but the way I see this is that I don't even know what is their duty. The only thing I see here is that their duty is to keep the cost of the building insurance down so their is no liability if the bike was an issue during an emergency. Honestly, if I was being attack by someone out on the street, I rather run toward a non uniform bystander than toward a security guards for help.

FuzzyE

Security guards are simply observers. Should their employer need to get involved they are the witnesses.

slcbob

Often it seems that way or even is that way. But security cameras are far more economical observers and reliable witnesses.

Security is like retail. You get a far different experience at A1 Used Cars than at the Chevy dealer than at the Bentley dealer; the dollar store and Saville Row. And when you're only paying bananas, you get monkeys. Sometimes maladjusted petty monkeys. +1 Kojak. CCrew, sorry it sounds like you're the big game in town these days, in a negative way.

In the same tone that God is love, love is blind, Ray Charles is blind, => Ray Charles is God, c'mon Walt_Mink, biking is life, commuting is the ugly work part of life, we're talking security at work => we're talking biking.

esmith2039

As a security guard and have been one for many years thanks for reminding me why I don't intervene and don't give two clicks about most employees. It's the attitudes you can see it on here. I can tell most have the same toward any law enforcement. We have a job just like anyone else. And just any other job there are idiots in our profession. Policies are not cut and dry alot of it is political hind quarter kissin' which I don't do. Just remember if your tail is on the line remember whose toes you stepped on.. there's a few employees where I work if they're getting the tar knocked out of them I'm not hurrying to the scene I bet they did something to deserve it.

If something happens on the street we can not intervene we will lose our license. That's what the police are for. City licensing is very strict on this. Security camera's have a high failure rate don't ever count on one. If they are working highly doubt you can see anything.