Rex's Las Vegas Lists
Given my last post, I cannot believe the coincidence of what happened to me today.
While it was not as bad as the other experience, all I can offer is that this town is officially losing it.
Just completely going batshit.
This morning, I went over to The Stratosphere to cover “Scale The Strat“.
When I arrived at The Stratosphere, I tried to decide which entrance to walk through, the main entrance, or the side entrance facing The Boulevard.
I spotted a security guard standing about 20 yards away from me, so I did what I thought was a logical thing. I walked up to him to ask for directions.
As I approached the security guy, he glared at me with an unfriendly look.
I immediately realized that I had made a mistake initiating contact with one of these people.
When I finally got to him, the conversation went like this:
Me: “Good morning, what is the quickest way to get to the stair climb event?”
Guard: “Who are you?”
Me: “Who am I? (slightly puzzled)”
Guard: “Yes, who are you?”
Me: “Uh … Rex”
Guard: “Who are you with?”
Me: “I don’t understand the question.”
Guard: “Who are you with?”
Me: “Uh … myself?”
Guard: “What are you doing there with that camera?”
(I was holding a camera in my hand)
Me: “What am I doing with my camera?”
Guard: “Yeah, what are you doing with it?”
(very long pause)
Me: “Uh … Holding it.”
Yes, I did preface every response with “uh”, because I was honestly confused and I was trying to buy time to figure out what was going on.
At this point, the guard proceeded to put his face up to the camera to check it out. He even walked around to the side to get a look at it from the rear. I just stood their wondering what in the holy hell was going on. I was honestly confused. I had only asked for directions. I wasn’t doing anything unusual at all. Keep in mind we were outdoors near the sidewalk and the LVB entrance. I was not even inside the casino. Yet here I was with some guy asking me “who I was with”. Maybe he thought I was being sarcastic (which I guess I was), but how do you answer such questions in a non-sarcastic manner? It’s like walking up to someone and asking them what they are doing with their shirt. If they say “wearing it”, how can you not feel like an assbag for asking the question. They’ll probably be sarcastic when they say it, and rightfully so.
After he walked around me for a few seconds, he backed up and stared at me again.
Guard: “So where are you going?”
Me: (wtf?) “The, uh, stair climbing event.”
Guard: “I don’t know where it is.”
Me: “Okay.”
Guard: “You can go in that door, but they won’t let you near it.” (I thought he didn’t know where it was?)
Me: “I see. Okay, then. Thanks.”
I went inside and proceeded to get about a dozen pictures of the event. They didn’t just let me “near it”, some participants gladly posed for me. I talked to several staff members at the event, and they couldn’t have been more pleasant.
When I was done, I tried to decide the best way to deal with the security guy. I certainly didn’t want to antagonize him. He had a radio and would make the call to have me harmed if he caught sight of me again.
Instead, I made a phone call. I wanted a ride. In particular, I wanted to get a photo of the unusual security guard from an indisputably legal location and on public property … the street. Any car passenger is free to take pictures out of the passenger side window.
Since the sidewalk might possibly be Stratosphere property, I felt it too risky to take the shots from there.
Also I wanted to be far enough away that the guy could not claim that I did anything to provoke him.
I got a photo pulling out of The Strat, and another one after making a U-turn because I decided to head downtown after this event.
On my second pass, the guy pointed at the car (which was not mine, BTW). He followed the car with his finger until we disappeared out of sight north on Las Vegas Boulevard. I guess he showed us who was boss. The tip of his finger was a mighty sight to behold. Or maybe he was ET and had the powers to heal … honestly, I don’t know what the “finger follow” was about.
What … the … hell is going on in this town? It’s getting spooky, it really is. I’ve been in tons of hairy situations in this city, but the only people I actively fear are the people who pretend to represent authority.
They have completely lost it. Completely. I did nothing other than very politely ask for directions, and the guy reacted in a way that would be impossible to describe in a rational manner.
Anyway, here he is. The Intimidator. He’s the white guy.
In my opinion, this guy is very dangerous. He is just looking for a reason, any reason, to go off on someone … and mark my words … at some point he will do exactly that.
If you see this guy, whatever you do … DO NOT ask him for directions.
If you decide to ignore my advice, you may want to be prepared to explain the purpose of a wristwatch … or a hat. If you’re wearing one, he’ll probably ask what it’s for.
More evidence that public schools have failed us.
Las Vegas’ descent into a third-world police state continues unabated.
