By Inner5YearOld - 11/12/2009 06:15 - United States

Today, my friends and I went to court. We are all college students, and for next semester, we will be on probation and have to do 8 hours of community service, as well as a $25 fine each. All for swinging on swings in the park after dark. FML
I agree, your life sucks 40 316
You deserved it 4 886

inner5yearold tells us more.

inner5yearold 0

all the people saying that we were doing drugs or other illegal activities, we werent. we were just college students who had a lot of stress, and wanted to relax by acting like five year olds in the park, swinging on swings, playing on the see-saw, going down slides, monkey bars etcetera. we did not know the park closed after dark, there were no signs by the entrances, and there were no gates. anyone can walk in there at any time of day, and they would not know. the weathered sign, we found it the next day, and it was at the back of the park, no where near any lights or anything. we were just chilling there because we didnt want to go back to our rooms because of annoying roommates. there was even an overhead light shining into the park, giving the impression that it was open after dark. the police didnt even ask if we were doing anything illegal, or asked to see what was in our pockets or anything. two of us didnt even have any ID because we didnt want to lose it on the swings. new ro police are entirely retarded. period.

Winter: Snow and Funny News
Snuggle up and laugh with our winter stories, where snow isn't the only thing sliding around! More…
Previous FML Next FML

Top comments

Chelzaroni 2

Its stupid. Stupid ass laws.

93 2

Comments

Deniem 0

Huh. I was sure you were going to be from, like, the OC or something (since that's the only place I've lived where cops are bored enough to pull this kind of shit on a regular basis). But I see you're a fellow New Yorker. Sucks that you got caught by a pig who abuses the letter of the law, instead of paying attention to the spirit it was written in. Also, to people saying that it's "not that big a deal," I'm guessing OP got charged with prowling or trespassing. Both of those are things that will show up in a background check.

11 2
skater847 0

I like what you said about cops inforcing the reasons the laws were made rather than the words of the law. the cop can decide whether or not to give you a lecture and leave or arrest you. but if you were breaking a law, you do deserve the punishment you recieve.

3 2
NorfolkDude 2

They say that justice is blind, but in reality, the judges usually made up their minds before you even come to court. My opinion? You should have told them. Perhaps the police made a report, and the judge just assumed you were up to no good. Either way, it sucks.

5 1
Antivirus_fml 0

YDI, said it all.

0 6
capthavoc123 0

If the park was closed, I fail to see how this is anything but a YDI.

1 5
cthulhu1138 1

Simply put, enough assholes pulled enough shit in the parks that the city decided to just ban everyone from entering after dark. There are very few people who go to parks after dark just to use the slide or the swings. Basically, anyone over the age of 10 using that excuse won't be believed by the police. Most people who go to the park after dark are drunk, want to vandalize something, or think it's a nice place to deal drugs. A city ordinance barring people from entering public parks at night is highly justified in most cities. The presumption of innocence is precisely the reason for a blanket ban: cops can't really do anything about shady people hanging out in the park if they're not actually breaking any laws. For trespassing on public property, you were punished by law. It might seem stupid and pointless, and in your case you probably should have only gotten a warning. Keep in mind that cops know that most people walking the streets at night are shady at best, and that judges deal with a ton of misdemeanors every day. It's too trivial a matter to let every other defendant pretend he's Matlock.

2 2
NotNegativeNews 0

Weird. Around here (in Australia) it's common for people to just go for walks at night for exercise, socialisation, enjoying the night air, etc.

3 1
Snowlight_fml 7

Well If by 'Swings' you mean 'Your Teachers'...

0 1
Brave_Sir_Robin 4

"It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing. Doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah"

4 1
LilaBear 1

To everyone carrying on about "well, you should read the signs" or "well, the parks DO close after dusk": maybe there weren't signs, and maybe parks DON'T close at dusk where the OP lives.

2 1
Mitteny 0

I have never heard of a park being closed before. I'm aware that I'm from Australia and the OP is from America, and I'm not saying I don't believe it. It's just an interesting thing to learn.

2 1