<p>I was harassed once for taking a photo of an old door from the parking lot across the street from the building with the door. The guard said I was trespassing on private property. I looked down, saw where I was standing, and literally took one small step which put me onto the public street. I couldn't believe anyone could be so petty about me being a few inches off the public street. There wasn't a no trespassing sign. If it's that important, why not put up a fence? </p>
<p>I've also been harassed 2 times on Mare Island for simply walking my dog.</p>
<p>The first time was a couple of months ago when I was walking on what I thought was a public street at Touro University. The security guard pulled up in a Universal Protection truck and said Touro doesn't allow dogs so I immediately left.</p>
<p>Afterwards I sent the city 2 emails about 2 weeks apart to different email addresses asking whether or not the streets at Touro were public or private. A simple question, no? I got zero response. Yesterday I visited the city public works department in person to ask my question: are the streets at Touro public or private? I was told they are definitely public streets maintained by the city but that the main street, (Moises, I assume), will become a private street in the future but only after a lot of public notice is given out about the change. I then asked if Touro has a legal right to tell people they cannot walk their dog on a public street or set any other rules for accessing public streets. The person I spoke to said they'd research it and get back to me.</p>
<p>In the meantime, today I was stopped while walking on Nimitz Ave and told by a very angry security guard that said I shouldn't be walking my dog there because it's a "construction zone". I slowly turned 360 degrees and could see no evidence of any construction. (At the moment, there is a section of Nimitz is not accessible to the public due to earthquake damage but I was well outside that section.) When tried to ask what city ordinance I was violating by being on the publicly accessible part of a public street and why a construction zone wasn't marked as such, he just kept angrily talking over me and would not answer questions. He seemed strangely upset, way out of proportion to the circumstances, so I just walked on down Nimitz to get away from him. Never had anyone harass me for walking on Nimitz before in all the many years I've walked down that street. Oddly, the security guard wasn't stopping any cars that were driving on Nimitz, just me, the pedestrian with a dog.</p>
<p>I sent an email to the person I spoke to in person yesterday at the city asking her to include Nimitz on the list of streets where, similar to the streets at Touro, you can't walk with or without a dog.</p>
<p>Later today, I got a call from someone at the city in response to my email and inquiry from yesterday. This person told me the exact opposite of what I was told in person at the public works department. He said all the streets at Touro are private and all street maintenance and repairs are done by Touro. So I'm back to square one and have no idea if those streets are public or private. Is there such thing as sending a Freedom of Information Act request to a city? I think that's the only way I'll get my questions answered.</p>
<p>In regards to being stopped by the security guard today, the person on the phone was no help there either. I kept asking under what ordinance pedestrians are not allowed to walk on the publicly accessible section of Nimitz that cars are allowed to drive on, but the person on the phone kept conflating my question with earthquake damage and saying the security guards are just trying to keep everyone safe by preventing them from walking in areas where masonry may fall and injure them. I repeatedly tried to point out my question was unrelated to earthquake damage. Either pedestrians are allowed to walk on Nimitz or they aren't. Which is it? And if not, what's the governing ordinance? Couldn't get an answer. He told me to contact Universal, the very people who are violating my civil rights. The one helpful thing piece of information I got from the phone call is that Lennar hired Universal Protection Services, not the city.</p>
<p>One other weird incident that I witnessed. A delivery van apparently broke down on Azuar and was off to the side of the road. You know how companies with fleets of vehicles often have their own repair truck that goes out when a fleet vehicle breaks down? There was a truck like that behind the broken down vehicle. I could see that it was carrying all sorts of tools. There were 2 guys who where clearly working on the broken down van. When you've got a business that uses delivery vans, you can't afford to have one broken down by the side of the road. I saw a Universal Protection truck pass them, then pull a U turn then park illegally (as opposed to the delivery van and truck which were parked legally). The security guard got out and was making a big show of quickly walking all around them taking pictures or video of the 2 guys and the 2 vehicles. He'd walk up very close and take photos then back away and take more photos. Back and forth, around and around he went. He looked totally deranged.</p>
<p>I think this is one of those situations where the city hopes anyone with a complaint will simply give up and go away. Until the city gets sued for civil rights violations for not allowing citizens to walk or ride bikes or take photos on public streets without being harassed by private security guards who are just citizens like the rest of us and have zero authority to tell us to leave public areas, the city won't bother to address the situation. Maybe it will take some sort of restraining order.</p>
<p>Perhaps an organized civil action might bring attention to the issue, like dozens of people walking their dogs on Nimitz all at the same time carrying signs demanding the right not to be harassed on public property. Or a large number of photographers going from one public area to another taking photos and video, especially of the security guard(s) that show up to harass them for being on public property.</p>
