Uh huh. "Unauthorized". As in without official approval. The Constitution but of course says otherwise, and its truly a shame we've been duped into surrendering our rights because when it gets right down to it, our lives and rights simply are not as important as those of others. The special people.
Pompano Beach · "For years, city worker James Daniels packed a gun when closing city parks at night.
It didn't do him any good.
Daniels, 72, said he was robbed by three attackers while trying to close Kester Park -- a picnic area with ball fields in the northeast part of the city.
Thieves took $50 and his .38-caliber Smith & Wesson. Now the city has taken away his $14.54-an-hour public works job.
"The only city employees that are allowed to carry guns are police officers," said Michael Smith, the city's human resources director.
Daniels says he closed about 18 parks a night. He starts about 6:30 and finishes about 11 p.m. He said he frequently was harassed. Kids threw eggs at him and he had to kick out people who sleep in the restrooms. At times, he added, he called police to help him shut the parks.
"It's kind of frightening now really," he said. "I need the money, yes, but I don't need the hassle."
He said he didn't know carrying a gun was a violation of city policy.
State records show Daniels possesses a concealed weapons permit that expires in 2009. He said he carried the chrome, snub-nose revolver in a holster on his hip. His shirt covered it.
A nine-year employee, he said he started carrying the gun after his personal car was stolen while off duty a few years ago in the northwest area. "I didn't carry it when I first started [my parks job]," he said. "I think I must have been carrying for the last couple years."
Commissioner E. Pat Larkins lashed out at the Public Works Department after hearing about Daniels' termination. Larkins questions whether Daniels should have been fired.
"Nobody is crazy enough to go out alone without a gun to close the parks," Larkins said.
Smith doubts he needed the weapon.
"I'm not sure why he would feel threatened in Kester Park," Smith said. "I'm hard pressed to find a justification ... to find a reason why a city employee should carry a firearm."
Daniels met with Public Works Director Rob McCaughan on May 15 and was fired a day later. According to Smith, there were no other job complaints involving Daniels until the robbery brought the gun to his bosses' attention.
A Broward Sheriff's Office report said the robbery happened on a Sunday about 9:30 p.m. after Daniels finished locking the restroom doors at Kester Park, 801 NE Fourth St. Two men came up and pointed guns at his head. One man "stuck the gun in my face and said, `Give it up old man,'" he said. A third man came from behind, stole $50 from his pockets and the gun still in the holster.
"I was OK. Just a little shook up and nervous," said Daniels, who watched the men drive away.
Larkins said he has asked the city to look into safety measures for employees assigned to shut down parks.
"There is no compassion for some guy who is putting his damn life on the line, every night of the week," Larkins said.
Melissa Hoyos can be reached at mahoyos@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4233.
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