Rose's Fish Bar encounter

[gaylad]

I'm a bit shaken today after being accosted and then followed by one of the younger guys from Rose's Fish Bar on East Dulwich Road. He had seen me take photos of these two unlawfully parked unattended cars next to the junction with Oakhurst Grove. Had he confirmed these were his vehicles and asked what I was doing, I would have explained I often take photos of badly parked cars in the area. I've only ever used the photos if there's a long term pattern of obstructive or dangerous parking.

He had black hair, wearing a black apron and kept smiling. However he didn't reply to any question from me, and aggressively wanted to know why I was taking pictures. It then got weird when I walked away, and he kept following me. I then firmly told him to stop, but every time I moved to walk on he moved with me and then started filming me with his mobile. I held out my hand in a stop gesture and more loudly, so that others would be able to hear me for him to "Stop Following Me". He persisted and followed me down Gowlett Road, which was extremely uncomfortable as we were then out of sight of anyone else and I continued telling him to stop, in fact shouting it, with a stop gesture. He was still smiling like he was pretending this was still a polite discussion, it was weird and I really did not want him to keep following me as I headed home and did not want him to know where I lived.

At that point two of his shop colleagues came out of the back entrance on Gowlett Road, probably ready to protect him. I asked them if they were with him, and they should get him under control, they didn't answer. I walked off and thank goodness none of them tried to follow me further.

Being aggressively followed after being told firmly to stop and that the behaviour is scary, is harassment or deliberately trying to escalate to violence. I've attached the two photos that this guy had such a problem over me taking in a public place. I walk along East Dulwich Road daily, I don't want to feel freaked out walking locally, or taking amateur non-intrusive photographs in a public area.

Double yellow, no loading area

Double yellow, no loading area

[I hammer]

Ridiculous piece of public relations by the workers at a shop.

[mrwb]

Yes parking there would seem to be a bit ridiculous. It blocks the view coming out of the junction and is quite dangerous. There's no Parking controls on the bit behind the restriction on Oakhurst grove and the road behind I think so why not part their and walk the extra 10 or so meters?

[Lebanums]

There are people who's job it is to sort this out. Leave it to them & protect yourself. You never know how others will react as you just experienced. If an accident happens then they are at fault and have to bear the consequences.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Probably better that people don't park illegally in the first place, and so there are no consequences of an accident to bear.

[Penguin68]

It may be that illegal parking is not the only illegal activity to be associated with these vehicles, in which case the concern being expressed about their being photographed would be even more worrying; although it is possible that the owners were simply patrons of the Fish Bar parking illegally to collect food. Either which way a scary experience...!

[ken78]

There are people who's job it is to sort this out. Leave it to them & protect yourself. You never know how others will react as you just experienced. If an accident happens then they are at fault and have to bear the consequences.

 

if this person was a customer and then took your phone and smashed it what would say or do i take it your not police so why do things like this ? a lot of people would say your just a busybody but if that's what you want to do that's fine but if you get repercussions well what can i say.. in the world like we have to day with stabbings and killing just for looking at some one why would you do this ? KEEP SAFE

[legalalien]

Perhaps he thought you were part of a car burglary ring and were doing some advance reconnaissance? If I had a car I might think it was odd that someone was taking a close up picture of it.

[teddyboy23]

What Lebanums and Ken 78 said .

[Rockets]

It is a really difficult one isn't it? Firstly the person should not have parked their car there and should not have harassed the person taking the picture. But, taking a picture of someone's car is suspicious in itself no matter how you plan to use it - unless you are a police officer or parking attendant - and if you are caught you may incur the wrath of the person whose vehicle you are recording - because they have no idea who you are or for what purpose you are taking the photos of their car.

Naturally they will likely jump to the (at best) "you're going to report me for bad parking and I will get a £65 fine" and you probably have to sell a lot of fish and chips to pay a fine.

It's one of the downsides right now of the, sometimes over-zealous, "Citizen Police" approach many are taking right now and the way people are being encouraged to shop on people acting in a bad way (the upside is of course people change their bad behaviours because they know that any member of the public can shop them). The Barbyonabike person in Dulwich Village is doing a great job reporting people who park badly by filming them but then was surprised when someone remonstrated with them a few weeks later because they received a £65 fine because of their reporting.

Don't try to police if you're not the police because they (and parking attendants) have the uniform to protect them.

[bels123]

Sorry to hear of your experience. Not sure if you're already aware but Southwark's parking enforcement has a hotline, details below:

For speedy enforcement action please contact the parking enforcement team directly on 0207 708 8587 and an officer will be sent to the location in 30mins.

This number is manned between 6.30am to 10.30pm Monday to Saturday & 7am to 7pm on Sunday.

[Jules-and-Boo]

enough said already but, nonetheless.....

What do you expect if you go around taking photos with no explanation? You're lucky you didn't get your camera taken away at the very least.

Perhaps use the correct methods of reporting people.

What other misdeeds of your neighbours do you like to look out for? Just so we know.

[ken78]

enough said already but, nonetheless.....

What do you expect if you go around taking photos with no explanation? You're lucky you didn't get your camera taken away at the very least.

Perhaps use the correct methods of reporting people.

What other misdeeds of your neighbours do you like to look out for? Just so we know.

 

Well said no one is safe

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

What do you expect if you go around taking photos with no explanation?

No explanation is necessary.

"It may be that illegal parking is not the only illegal activity to be associated with these vehicles..."

Totally weird to leap from "these cars are illegally parked" to immediate speculation about criminal activity.

[ken78]

What do you expect if you go around taking photos with no explanation?

No explanation is necessary.

"It may be that illegal parking is not the only illegal activity to be associated with these vehicles..."

Totally weird to leap from "these cars are illegally parked" to immediate speculation about criminal activity.

 

as you say No explanation is necessary ? to take a photo of your house would you be happy with that ?? or if you had small children would that be ok , she did not know why the car was parked like that ? and if she was so upset about it why not ask them to move the car or phone the police (as if they have nothing better to do ) just another busy body if you ask me

[MrsR]

The driver should have simply moved his car and not try to intimidate someone who is trying to keep local residents safe. Over 1,400 have now seen this thread - not great publicity for their restaurant is it?

Thank you Bels123 for the tip about reporting.

[ken78]

The driver should have simply moved his car and not try to intimidate someone who is trying to keep local residents safe. Over 1,400 have now seen this thread - not great publicity for their restaurant is it?

Thank you Bels123 for the tip about reporting.

 

How can taking a photo keep residents safe ?? Please tell, are you a police woman?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

How can taking a photo keep residents safe ?

The photo gets taken and sent to the Council with a note that says "hello, council, someone keeps leaving this car parked illegally on double yellows. It's blocking sight lines at a busy junction." The council sends an enforcement officer along, tickets the car, the silly owner doesn't park there again, and there is no crash caused by sight lines being blocked.

It ain't complicated.

[OutOfFocus]

The council sends an enforcement officer along,

 

And rhe car isn't there. So egg on your face

[ken78]

How can taking a photo keep residents safe ?

The photo gets taken and sent to the Council with a note that says "hello, council, someone keeps leaving this car parked illegally on double yellows. It's blocking sight lines at a busy junction." The council sends an enforcement officer along, tickets the car, the silly owner doesn't park there again, and there is no crash caused by sight lines being blocked.

It ain't complicated.

 

If you can't see the cars are parked then I think you need to give up driving that's if you drive and that's as you say not complicated or hard or is it

[Penguin68]

Cars parked hard on the corners/ road junctions obscure sight lines of those exiting the junction, who have to edge forward to see passed the parked cars. Which can force oncoming traffic out. The reasons these areas are marked off with double yellow lines is precisely to give that visibility (and pedestrian road crossers will often cross at junctions like this as they are walking towards them). I know we in Southwark have got use to the council waging war on the motorist, but some road signage etc. has been properly researched and is there for very good reasons.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

If you can't see the cars are parked then I think you need to give up driving that's if you drive and that's as you say not complicated or hard or is it

The problem is not that people won't see the illegally parked cars. 🙄

[ken78]

If you can't see the cars are parked then I think you need to give up driving that's if you drive and that's as you say not complicated or hard or is it

The problem is not that people won't see the illegally parked cars. 🙄

 

well if you don't see the cars and they're big enough to see maybe you should not be driving after all when your driving you have to be ready for anything and if your doing 20 mph its not hard or is it ?? ps you never answered what i said about taking photos ??

[ken78]

If you can't see the cars are parked then I think you need to give up driving that's if you drive and that's as you say not complicated or hard or is it

The problem is not that people won't see the illegally parked cars. 🙄

 

well if you don't see the cars and they're big enough to see maybe you should not be driving after all when your driving you have to be ready for anything and if your doing 20 mph its not hard or is it ?? ps you never answered what i said about taking photos ?? just to remind you what you said in your post

No explanation is necessary.

what i said...

as you say No explanation is necessary ? to take a photo of your house would you be happy with that ?? or if you had small children would that be ok , she did not know why the car was parked like that ? and if she was so upset about it why not ask them to move the car or phone the police (as if they have nothing better to do ) just another busy body if you ask me

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

well if you don't see the cars and they're big enough to see maybe you should not be driving

Buddy - the problem is still not that people won't see the illegally parked cars. Stop rage typing for a second and read what someone else has already explained to you:

 

Cars parked hard on the corners/ road junctions obscure sight lines of those exiting the junction, who have to edge forward to see passed the parked cars. Which can force oncoming traffic out. The reasons these areas are marked off with double yellow lines is precisely to give that visibility (and pedestrian road crossers will often cross at junctions like this as they are walking towards them).

 

I don't think there is any point in us wasting more of each other's time. 🎩