Flyer at SAN says no to grope, escorted from checkpoint by LEO, threatened with suit
Excellent blog post and video from a man who was attempting to travel from SAN this morning. He ended up being threatened with at $10,000 fine and a civil lawsuit.
Summary:
SAN was not listed as having AIT on the TSA website
Pax knew he would not fly if his genitals were touched as part of a pat-down, pat-down declined
LEO escorts pax from checkpoint, pax gets refund from AA at counter
TSA goon arrives and detains pax saying he was not allowed to leave the checkpoint without screening being completed.
Nice article, my usual airport was SAN. Once I final saw the AIT were actually in operation started shifting my flights to depart from Carlsbad.
Only 5 flights a day there, all to LAX, with a TSA staff of 3, and just a metal detector.
Been around to hear the TSA mgr joke with the ticket counter person that he guesses he has to finally get to work screening the passengers.
I've always been prepared to tell the potential groper, hey, only my doc and girl go there, you're not allowed.
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Wow. Just wow.
The guy is escorted out of the screen area and told to go his merry way only to be stopped much later and told that he has to complete the screening or face a civil suit?
Yes, let the TSA file suit because I would love for a court to look at the TSA supervisor and ask, "You told him to leave and then told him later that he either come back to the screen area or face a lawsuit? Is that correct?"
Good God. The TSA is out of control.
Edit:
GREAT comment from that article:
Quote:
Seems like if you are a terrorist willing to die blowing up a plane, a fine and threat of a civil suit won't be much of a threat to you. So wonder why they have those penalties.... hmmm.
Game. Set. Match.
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Excellent blog post and video from a man who was attempting to travel from SAN this morning. He ended up being threatened with at $10,000 fine and a civil lawsuit.
Summary:
SAN was not listed as having AIT on the TSA website
Pax knew he would not fly if his genitals were touched as part of a pat-down, pat-down declined
LEO escorts pax from checkpoint, pax gets refund from AA at counter
TSA goon arrives and detains pax saying he was not allowed to leave the checkpoint without screening being completed.
Location: IAD, and sometimes OMNI/PR. Currently: not far from IAD, but home will always be SAN (not far from the "touch my junk and I'll have you arrested" Memorial TSA Check Point) even if I'm not there so much these days.
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It was at SAN a few weeks ago where a TSA clerk responded to my opt out, by saying something along the lines of, "You DON'T want to be scanned?" as if I were opting out of something I might actually want, you know, such as ice cream, a free Porsche, or a date with George Clooney.
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I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.
--Leslie Nielsen
It was at SAN a few weeks ago where a TSA clerk responded to my opt out, by saying something along the lines of, "You DON'T want to be scanned?" as if I were opting out of something I might actually want, you know, such as ice cream, a free Porsche, or a date with George Clooney.
He stayed so calm through that whole this, just calmly stating that he did not want to be groped. Even when the TSA followed him to the ticket counter, he just calmly asked if he was free to leave and then left.
Sad to say, part of me hopes that the TSA does try and fine him. The fallout from fining someone 10k for refusing to have his genitals groped would do them in. Actually, what I really hope is that he hits the TSA with a lawsuit.
Edited to add: I don't really hope they fine him. But if they did, I think that would make a great court case, questioning the entire validity of TSA procedures. I can't imagine the government actually having the chutzpah to fine someone for refusing to be sexually assaulted. Or that a judge would not be sympathetic to the blogger.
The way the gentleman behaved in this video is exemplary. He was calm, cool, and made his statements without resorting to profanity, name-calling or shouting. This is something for everyone to keep in mind during airport "encounters". That, and keep the camera rolling at all times!
Wow.
Edited to add: I don't really hope they fine him. But if they did, I think that would make a great court case, questioning the entire validity of TSA procedures. I can't imagine the government actually having the chutzpah to fine someone for refusing to be sexually assaulted. Or that a judge would not be sympathetic to the blogger.
Somebody has to be first, and this may as well be it.
ACLU has probably been waiting for a case to try, maybe they'll help.
And if not, he should set up a website for legal fund donations.
I'd donate.
