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LIFE GUARDS OUT OF CONTROL?
East Bay beaches are starting to resemble concentration camps
About a week ago I went to lake Temescal where I have been going for almost a year.
First I was told that I had to put clothes on my younger kids who were naked. Then it turned out that according to Ordinance 38 children under the age of 5 are allowed to be naked on the beach. So then the life guards started harassing me because my bathing suit was too revealing in their opinion. They said someone had complained and they had to do something. I was told that I would get arrested if I didn’t put on a different bathing suit. To avoid further aggrevation I changed bathing suites. The other bathing suit that I had was almost identical to the first one yet they left me alone when I changed.
The next day they tried to pull the same number on my husband. He was told to dress the kids. But he happened to have a copy of the regulations on him and after he mentioned it he was left alone.
The next day I came to the beach and was approached again by the same life guard named Mike (who is 16 years old and who already enjoys dominating people). Mike was telling me again that I had to put on a different bathing suit. I asked him if anybody had complained and he said: “No.” Then I asked him why he was so attached to harassing me about such a pathetic issue and he told me that he loves America. I asked him what he means by “America” - the American people or the American land? He said, no, not the people and not the land. He loves the rules, he said. He told me that he would have me arrested if I didn’t obey.
I know a lady from Europe named Else who goes to lake Temescal a lot. She has been harassed by the life guards for unbuttoning the strap of her bra while she was laying on her blanket face down sunbathing.
I remember a life guard at lake Anza yelling at my kids and telling them that they were not allowed to throw sand at each other. When I told him that I was OK with that he kept insisting that it was against the rules.
My question is how does any of this relate to public safety? Why are life guards given the privileges of unlimited authority? Even police officers stay within certain boundaries because they know that they can be reprimanded if they overstep the limits of their authority. But life guards can be as out of control as they please. Where can I file complaints against life guards? They should have a phone number for that in public view.
There is one class of people whose rights are more violated than the rights of any other group. And that class of people is children. Somehow it’s considered perfectly OK to yell at a child and to force them out of the water whenever. Their feelings don’t matter. Do they feel oppressed? Who cares? Try your swim breaks on adult population and see how long you will get away with it. Why is it that only children under 15 are subjected to swim breaks? I bet adults would tell the life guards to go f... themselves if they were told to get out of the water on command numerous times throughout the day.
The public only puts up with abuse because life guards are supposedly there for our safety. The public would never dream of hiring a policeman to stand in the middle of the beach at all times and enforce rules and regulations upon everybody 24/7.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a guard following you around whenever you go on a park trail and if that guard vehemently enforced rules and regulations on you every step of the way? Wouldn’t that make your hike in the park just that much more enjoyable? And wouldn’t it be great if there were 4 policemen on every street corner constantly supervising us all for our own good? What a safe and happy society that would be!
I guarantee you that if you had a policeman enforcing rules on the beach attendance would drop down to zero. Why are life guards trained to constantly harass everybody for any and all reasons? Is it really their job?
Everybody’s favorite moment of the day is when the life guards leave. You can see for yourself, just go to any of the east bay parks beaches on any day. Why do people celebrate when the life guards leave? Is it because they are there for our safety? I bet not. It’s because a certain percentage of life guards ( my guess - about one out of four) is on a power trip and because they police the beach about every petty issue and beyond.
Nothing against life guards personally ( like I said I think about 75% of them are nice people and do their job well), but my favorite months are September and October - yes, you guessed right - no life guards. For me being subjected to domination and humiliation is not worth the extra safety.
If it was up to me I would keep the life guards off the beach all together. I would have them sit in the back and relax and just be available if they are needed to rescue someone. I would post sings telling people that their safety is their responsibility and that life guards only cover the designated areas. And if someone chooses to swim outside of the designated area they are doing so at their own risk. Just like after hours. We are allowed to swim at our own risk after hours, and that is great. I heard that it wasn’t always like that, that in the past no one was allowed to swim past the life guard hours. I am really glad they changed that rule. Have you received any complaints from the public for giving us “too much freedom”?
I am deeply convinced that swim breaks should be eliminated - they DO NOT increase safety, safety has DECREASED 15% overall after swim breaks were implemented.
I also believe that our beaches should all be clothing optional. Humanity is evolving. The dark ages attitudes towards nudity and sexuality are becoming more and more a thing of the past. There are a number of clothing optional beaches in San Francisco and it’s working out very well. The vast majority of the population in the Bay Area is in favor of “live and let live”. We have nude bike runs, nude marathons and other nude events in the city. According to the state law it is legal to be nude in the state of California. The policies of the east bay parks are in violation of the state law and they are also in violation of the desires of the majority. Those policies need to be revised.
Sincerely,
Gypsy Taub
uncensored911 [at] yahoo.com
First I was told that I had to put clothes on my younger kids who were naked. Then it turned out that according to Ordinance 38 children under the age of 5 are allowed to be naked on the beach. So then the life guards started harassing me because my bathing suit was too revealing in their opinion. They said someone had complained and they had to do something. I was told that I would get arrested if I didn’t put on a different bathing suit. To avoid further aggrevation I changed bathing suites. The other bathing suit that I had was almost identical to the first one yet they left me alone when I changed.
The next day they tried to pull the same number on my husband. He was told to dress the kids. But he happened to have a copy of the regulations on him and after he mentioned it he was left alone.
The next day I came to the beach and was approached again by the same life guard named Mike (who is 16 years old and who already enjoys dominating people). Mike was telling me again that I had to put on a different bathing suit. I asked him if anybody had complained and he said: “No.” Then I asked him why he was so attached to harassing me about such a pathetic issue and he told me that he loves America. I asked him what he means by “America” - the American people or the American land? He said, no, not the people and not the land. He loves the rules, he said. He told me that he would have me arrested if I didn’t obey.
I know a lady from Europe named Else who goes to lake Temescal a lot. She has been harassed by the life guards for unbuttoning the strap of her bra while she was laying on her blanket face down sunbathing.
I remember a life guard at lake Anza yelling at my kids and telling them that they were not allowed to throw sand at each other. When I told him that I was OK with that he kept insisting that it was against the rules.
My question is how does any of this relate to public safety? Why are life guards given the privileges of unlimited authority? Even police officers stay within certain boundaries because they know that they can be reprimanded if they overstep the limits of their authority. But life guards can be as out of control as they please. Where can I file complaints against life guards? They should have a phone number for that in public view.
There is one class of people whose rights are more violated than the rights of any other group. And that class of people is children. Somehow it’s considered perfectly OK to yell at a child and to force them out of the water whenever. Their feelings don’t matter. Do they feel oppressed? Who cares? Try your swim breaks on adult population and see how long you will get away with it. Why is it that only children under 15 are subjected to swim breaks? I bet adults would tell the life guards to go f... themselves if they were told to get out of the water on command numerous times throughout the day.
The public only puts up with abuse because life guards are supposedly there for our safety. The public would never dream of hiring a policeman to stand in the middle of the beach at all times and enforce rules and regulations upon everybody 24/7.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a guard following you around whenever you go on a park trail and if that guard vehemently enforced rules and regulations on you every step of the way? Wouldn’t that make your hike in the park just that much more enjoyable? And wouldn’t it be great if there were 4 policemen on every street corner constantly supervising us all for our own good? What a safe and happy society that would be!
I guarantee you that if you had a policeman enforcing rules on the beach attendance would drop down to zero. Why are life guards trained to constantly harass everybody for any and all reasons? Is it really their job?
Everybody’s favorite moment of the day is when the life guards leave. You can see for yourself, just go to any of the east bay parks beaches on any day. Why do people celebrate when the life guards leave? Is it because they are there for our safety? I bet not. It’s because a certain percentage of life guards ( my guess - about one out of four) is on a power trip and because they police the beach about every petty issue and beyond.
Nothing against life guards personally ( like I said I think about 75% of them are nice people and do their job well), but my favorite months are September and October - yes, you guessed right - no life guards. For me being subjected to domination and humiliation is not worth the extra safety.
If it was up to me I would keep the life guards off the beach all together. I would have them sit in the back and relax and just be available if they are needed to rescue someone. I would post sings telling people that their safety is their responsibility and that life guards only cover the designated areas. And if someone chooses to swim outside of the designated area they are doing so at their own risk. Just like after hours. We are allowed to swim at our own risk after hours, and that is great. I heard that it wasn’t always like that, that in the past no one was allowed to swim past the life guard hours. I am really glad they changed that rule. Have you received any complaints from the public for giving us “too much freedom”?
I am deeply convinced that swim breaks should be eliminated - they DO NOT increase safety, safety has DECREASED 15% overall after swim breaks were implemented.
I also believe that our beaches should all be clothing optional. Humanity is evolving. The dark ages attitudes towards nudity and sexuality are becoming more and more a thing of the past. There are a number of clothing optional beaches in San Francisco and it’s working out very well. The vast majority of the population in the Bay Area is in favor of “live and let live”. We have nude bike runs, nude marathons and other nude events in the city. According to the state law it is legal to be nude in the state of California. The policies of the east bay parks are in violation of the state law and they are also in violation of the desires of the majority. Those policies need to be revised.
Sincerely,
Gypsy Taub
uncensored911 [at] yahoo.com
For more information:
http://www.politicsfromtheheart.com
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You can also wade in the water at Ocean Beach (Pacific Ocean). It is not good for swimming but is good for surfing. Wading in the water to your knees is also reasonably safe. You can certainly wear any swimsuit you like. There are no lifeguards there. It is NOT safe to seriously swim there as there is a dangerous undertow, but sunbathing is fine. Sunny days on the West side of San Francisco occur when it is hot elsewhere. If you see fog as you drive West, then go to Aquatic Park on the northeast side of town. If you take public transportation from the East Bay, take BART to the Montgomery Street Station, take the 38 Geary bus from Market and Montgomery to the end of the line (it should say Ocean Beach, not Fort Miley. If you take the Fort Miley, you will have to walk a few blocks to the ocean). Be sure to get a transfer, which is your proof of payment and allows you to take the bus back, or get on and off. One nice place to go is the Russian bakery at 21st and Geary, in fact, when I travel to Ocean Beach, it is where I get lunch or snack. You can get right back on the bus a few steps from the Moscow-Tbilisi Russian bakery.